The Ohio star. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1830-1854, 1852-11-10

of this note TO yourself
have long regarded you as being at least SO far
my friend, that you could not be suspected of cher
slring anything like personal hostility to me.
Hence, was EIl-d a Ike with sorrow and sur
prise to find my Christian character and profession
al reputation assaiIed SO injuriousy from source
which your counsels might fuirly be supposed to
govern.
My frierds concur with in the belief that
proper self respect does not allow 10 make
less serious matter of it, to demand a less repar-
alton. Iremain faithfully and truly yours,
JoEL PARKER
Rev. Calvin T. Stowe, D. D.
New York, May 8, 1852.
MADAM: My attention has been called 10 an
allusion you pleased to make to myself, by
name, in your widely extended book, entitled
:. Uncle Toms Cabin &c.
1 am sorry to say that feel myself compelled
to take sore notice of what you have ud ged proper
to send forth to the public my ooords and my
sentiments regarding the institution Of slavery
1t is to ne matter Of profound regret, that be-
fore you made this assault upon my Christian and
ministerial character, yeu had not conferred with
me, or sought information from some reliable
source SO that might have been spared an asper-
sion so wide spread aud 50 injurious to my profess
sional reputation and usefulness.
Under these circumstances, feel myself com
calumny referred tc. Respectfully, your fren nj,
JOEL PARKER.
Mrs. Harriet Reeener Stowe.
Professor Stowe Immediately replied. But Mrs.
Stowe, suffering fl ON intense literary application
during the winter, was touching at Boston, Hart
ford, and New Haven, on her way to Brooklyn
New York, at which puee she remained during
most of the time covered by this corr espondence ;
and at this place DIR. Parker's better reached her.
to which letter (t having been acknowledged
through her husband) she prepared to reply, by
making inquiries into the alleged facts. On the
18th OF Mny, and eleven days from the date of his
first, DR.. Parker addressed Mra. Stowe herself
again:
DIR. Pau ker's second letter to Mrs. Store.
New YoRK, No. LEROY P1AcE,1
May 10, 1852. {
MADAM: On the 9Th instant addressed to you
communication, under cover of letter TO your
husband. In that communication l complained
that you had made calumuious assault upon my
Christian and ministerial character, and demanded
full and public retracon of the calumny referred
to. A letter from your husband has led me to un-
derstand that my note to yeu received several
days ago.
1t is to me matter OF deep regret that you
seem to persist in the wrong inflicted on me, by
taking 10 notice Of my Communications. In your
| EaJ S-o ,Eo
painting scene of shocking inhumanity, you hold
me up TO the public in an odfous light, by repre-
senting me as uttering sentiments that seem to
justify at least to palliate the crueliies which
you have described On pages 100 and l9l Of the
first volume of your book, you have published the
following paragraph:
Tom had watched the whole transaction, from
first to last, and had perfect understanding of its
results. To him, it looked like something unuttei-
ably horrible and cruel, because, poor ignorant
black soul! he had not learned to generalzs and
to take enlarged views. IF he had only been in-
structed by certain ministers of Christianity, he
might have thought better of it, and seen in it an
everyday incident of lawftl trade-a trade which
is the tai support of an institution which an Amer
lean Divine* tells us has no tpHs but such are
anseparabfe from any other relations IN sotsnl and
| domestic life. But Tom, we sec, being poor
ignorant fellow, whose reading had been confined
entirely to the New Testamen'r could not comfort
and solace himself with views like these. His
very soul bled within him FOR what seemed to him
the wrongs of the poor suffering thing shat lay Ike
II crushed reed on the boxes"
The American divine referred TO in this para
graph, you inform the public by marginal note is
- DR.. Joel Parker, of Philadelphia Yeu do not
say that am supposed to hold substantially such
sentiments, or that it n,ny be Inferred from some
thing said hy me: that Tom would have been able
TO comfort and solace himself with views like these,
il he had been less conyersant with the New Test
anent, and more familiar with my tsuchngs.
You profess to give my words: You inform the
public, gravely and circumstani'aNy, that have
said of the institution of slavery that has sno
eriis but such as are inscparaJte from any other
relations in sociat and domestic life"
Your meaning is cear. You intend to fix on
me the stigma of having uttered this anguage.-
You pledge yeur veracity that 1 have employed
these words. You intimate plainly that m Amer
ican divine when yeu carefully designate by my
name, title, and residence, has used this form Of
speech. You put it in quotation marks miLe.
Yonr statement has been spread through the coun-
try with all the influence which your name as a
writer and the popularity of your book give it.
You have made this assault upon minister of
the Gospel. upon whose professional repata-
ton, like the reputation Of your for chastity, is
blasted by mere suspicion. You have done this,
= DR.. Joel Parker, of Philadelphia.