The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-11-18

we weld To no man IN MS ueNollOh W '"''
rights and interests"
Per contra. we have the Washington Union
which seems to think single blast oil It's decla
nation enough to extinguish this work OF
genius
"The publication in Great Britain of ficti'
tious representation of American slavery, by
writer who knows about as much OF the subject
a. of the social system of the moon, has impart-
ed a fresh impulse TO xeter-Hall philanthropy
The huoeyboltcdl horrors and ridiculous Roor-
backs of sUncle Tom literature, being taken
for Gospel truth and sober realities by the
credulous fanatics of Exeter Hall, have kindled
a flame of excitement in Great Britain against
American slavery and the Fugitive Slave Law
The cant of politics is not criticism Had
the Union editors read Uncle Toms CABIN, the
impertinent epithets Of partisan warfare would
for once have been forgotten.
Several attempts have been made, by elab-
crate criticism, and by fictitious narrative, to
counterfeit the workings Of this extraordinary
volume; but generally they are beneath con-
tempt. From this remark we except two pub
locations, now on oar table-One, entitled The
Southern View of Uncle Toms Cabin by the
editor of the Southern Literary Messenger
the other, novel, styled The Cabin and Par
lor," by ]. Thornton Randolph.
The critique by the Southern Literary Mes
senger is fluent and plausible, but unfortunate
ly lacks truthfulness The authors represent
alton of Mrs Stoves portralture, when he de-
clares that her whites are constantly deprecla-
ted and her blacks as constantly exalted-the
former generally being villains, the latter
angels-is all false, and the world knows it.
We can tell the writer-if it be Mr.. SHINES,
as we suppose-that Southern character has
never appeared to so much advantage under
his touch, as in the painting of Mrs. Stowe.
When he can point in his own writings to a
George Shelby a St. Clare, an Eva, he may
claim that he has done as much justice to the
South as this Northern woman.
The Cabin and the PdrlOr is designed to pre-
sent Slavery under an attractive aspect and by
the aid of lively fancy, without regard to
facts, the author has approximated as near
as may be to an unattainable object The de-
sign is certainly a daring one. Think of lit
People with flesh in their hearts are to be
tricked into the belief that system which puts
men and women and children under the abso-
lutte control of a master, to be used by HIM
solely for his own proft-a system which de-
IL II -
denies the use of ones own earnings, denies the
acquisition of property, denies the freedom of
repudiates all appeal to the ordi-
nary motives to human action, and substitutes
force, with its bloody symbol, the lash, makes
intelligent beings subjects of SALE of barter, Of
authorizes and constantly leads to
the most heart-rending disruption of families
is one which God sanctions and Humanity must
delight in
Now, if there be two things more opposed to
each other in their fundamental elements than
Human Nature and Slavery, our philosophy is
at fault The growth of one is the dwarfng of
the other; the full development of one is the
Heath of the other. Let Congress of the wisest
men meet and set to work to devise some sys-
tenn which shall most eflectually repress every
noble aspiration, check every progressive tend
,ncy, generate the prOfoundest ignorance, re-
luce the human being nearest to the level of
the brutAp and what would they doi They
would declare him to be property and incapa-
Il, 6 h,Il ~ yuo,,ll y,lo
under the absolute control of another, so as to
destroy all selfdependence; they would render
him incapable of sustaining the civil relations of
father, husband, child: they would compel him
to use his activities at the will of another, and
for the ends of another: they would deprive
him of the means of education and forbid his
they would cut him off from all
opportunity of elevating his position-in one
word, they would make him SLAvE-for that
one word defines the extremes of privaton and
degradation 1t is this system which Mrs Stowe
has labored to present to us in all its natural
and necessary balefulness and which ]. Thorn
ton Randolph would commend to the sympa-
thes of a Christian Republic
We shall refer to single passage in The
Cabin and Parlor, as an illustration of the gen.
cral manner in which he has executed his task
The father of Isabel, the heroine suddenly dies.
The alarming discovery is made that he is in
solvent. His estates must be sold-lands, houses
slaves, all. This is law SO much, the writer
admits But, see how harmless the affair turns
Jut
"What must the difference be- said Dr.
w orthington, with startling energy "between
Isabel and her servants To her, it is loss of
position, fortune the fair hopes of life, perhaps
even health for she must inevitably break
down under the unaccustomed labor and pri-
vaton she will have to undergo. But to them,
t is merely change of masters"
"ies, for the neighbOrs won't allow any of
The families to be separated"
Of course not, We read of such things
n novels, sometimes. But have yet to see it
n real life, except in rare cases, or where the
'lave has been guilty of some misdemcanor or
rhine, for which in the North he would have
been imprisoned, perhaps for life"
This picture is intended az set-of against
Mrs. Stoves representation of the separation
Of families We are to believe that, except in
rare cases the planters of neighborhood
where slaves are sold would step forward and
prevent the separation of families by timely
purchase. We confess our indignation at this
false representation. Our personal knowledge
enables us to give it fiat contradiction.
What Mrs. Randolph states as general rule,
is the exception. Planters, had they even the
will, would not have the means for such inter-
position The everyday advertisements of
slave-buycrs, and slaves to be sold, in the news
papers of the South, prove that the separation
of families is common occurrence. Hero in
this District, we know it to be such. There
are few colored families among us that have