The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-10-21
The Matter in Dispute.


Slavery has no evils What then, arc the
lint sucb rs IRE iuscpara- evils inseparablc from
bic from any other rca. Slavery, There is moi
ton In social and domcs- one that is not equally
tic life inscparablo from depra
vcd human nature in
other lawful relations.
The paragraphs, as they stand, mean sub
stantally the same thing. But in the argu-
ment which DR.. Parker was urging, he under
took to show that slavery per Sc was not sinful
that you could separate from it all its various
abuses such as separation Of families igno-
rance. cruelty. &c: that these were but abuses,
and no part necessarily of slavery and that
when YOU had separated from IL every sinful
thing susceptible of separation, and had got
down to the thing a. an abstraction, then. the
evils which were no longer separabie would be
found to Dee no worse than such a. belong 70
other lawful human relations. IL is not my
business 20 comment upon the wisdom OF such
reasoning but only TO explain 1t, that 1t may
he seen how the mistake arose.
? Dr. Parker and Ms Store, Correspond
CHcs
On the sth Of last May us52l DR.. Parker
addressed a letter To Professor Stowe Of Bruins
wick Maine and one to Mrs. Stowe as fol-
lows
Dr. PDlcr'y first hHcr 10 Prof Store.
New YORK, Nay 8, 1852.
DEAR SIR: Il Is with extreme regret that |
have yielded to the necessity Of addressing to
Mrs Stowe the Communication transmitted
under cover of this note 10 yourself
have long regarded you Us being ut least so
far nv friend ,aat You couil not be suspected
Of cher,h.ug anything Ike personal hostility
TO me
Hence. | va, filed alike with sorrow and
surprise 90 hnd nv Chr ,.ian character and
professional reputation asstIed 80 injuriousIy
from a source which your counsels might fairly
be supposed - govern.
Nv friends concur with me in the belief
that a proper ,elEre,pect does not allow me to
make less serious matter Of it. or to demand
a less rrparation.
remain faithfully and truly yours
JoEL PARKER.
Rec Caipm /. Store, d. d.
New YORK, Dlay 3, 1852.
MADAM. My attention has been called to
an allusion you was pleased to make to myself,
bg Nance in your widely-extended book. entitled
Uncle Toms Cabin &c.
| am sorry to say that | feel myself COM
PEELED to take some notice of what you have
Judged proper to send forth to the public as
mig r0rdS and mB sentiments regarding the III
sttution Of slavery.
1t is to me matter Of profound regret that
before You made this assault upon my Chris
tIan and ministerial character, you had not
conferred with me- or sought information from
some reliable source so that might have been
spared an asperslon 50 widespread and 80 in
furious to my professional reputation and use
tulneSs.
Under these circumstances, | feel myself
compelled to demand full and public retrac-
ton of the calumny referred to.
Respectfully, your friend, JOEL PARRER.
Mrs Harriet Beecher Store.
Professor Stowe immediately replied But
Mrs. Stowe. suffering from intense literary ap.
plcatiOn during the winter was touching ut
Boston, Hartford and New Haven, on her way
to Brooklyn, New York, at which place she re-
manned during most Of the time covered by this
correspondence aud mt this place DR.. Parkcr's
letter reached her, TO which letter lit having
been acknowledged through her husband) she
prepared to reply by making inquiries into the
alleged facts On the 10Th Of May, and eleven
days from the date of his first, DR. Parker adj
dressed Mrs Stowe herself again:
Dr. PaykerS second letter 10 Mrs Soue
NEW YORK, No. 2 LEROY PLACE
May 10, 1852
MADAM: On the 9Th instant addressed to
you u communication, under cover of a letter
To your husband. I'm that communication
complained that you had made a calumnious
assault upon my Christian and ministerial
character, and demanded full and public re-
traction OF the calumny referred 10. letter
from your husbund has led me to understand
that my note to you was received several days
ago.
1t IL to me II matter of deep regret that you
seem to persist in the wrong inflicted on me- hy
taking no notice Of my communications In
your work entitled Uncle Toms Cabin" Sc,
after painting scene N shocking nhumanity
you hold me up to the public in an odiuus
light by representing me as altering sent-
ments that seem to Justify or ut least to palli
ate the Cruetles which you have described On
pages 100 md 1871 of the first volume of your
book You have published the following para
graph:
rom had watched the whole transaction,
from first to last and had Il perfect understand.
ing of ,ts results. To him, 1t looked like some
thing unut,crably horrible and cruel because.
poor ignorant black soul hc had not learned
20 genelal'zc and TO take enlarged views IT
he had only been instructed 10y certain minis
tors Of Christianity, he might have thought
better of il. and secn in it IN everyday mel
dent OF a lawful tradc-a trade which is the
vital support of an institution which au Amcri-
can Divint* tells VA ho- no eriiS Gut such ms are
iHTpdrubtc from dHgOther relations IN Soc,0i and
domestic life But Tom, as we see. being Door
ignorant fellow. Whose reading had been con.
fined entirely 10 the New Testament. could not
comfort and sulacc himself with views Ike
these. His very soul blcd within him for what
seemed 10 hlm the wrongs of the poor suffering
thing that lay Ike crushed reed on the
boxes
The American divine referred to in this par
agraph, you inform the public by a marginal
note, is DR.. Joel Parker of Phihdelphian
You do not say that am supposed TO hold sub
stantaly such sentiments, or that il may be
inferred from SOmeihng said by me; that Tom
would have been able TO comfort and solace
himself with views like these if he had been
less conyersant with the New Testament, and
more familiar with my teachings. You pro
tcSs to give my words. You inform the public,
gravely and circumStantaly that have said
of the institution of slavery, that it has " no
cpIiS bit such as are iHNpdrabie from dny other
relations IA social and domestic Lfe'
Your meaning is clear You intend to fix
on mo the stigma of having uttered this Ian
guage You pledge your veracity that have
employed these words You intimate plainly
that an American divine, whom you carefully
designate by my name, title and residence, has
tDed his form Of speech. You put it in quota
ton marks rs mine Your statement has been
spread through the country with all the nhu-
ence which your name ~ a writer and the pop
ularity of your hook can give it.
You have made this assault upon minister
of the Gospel upon one whose professional rep
utation, like the reputation of your sex for chas-
tity is blasted by mere suspicion. You have