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

too without the least provocaton pub c or private
] Up to the time of the publication of your book,
had been the warm friend Of yeur father and hi
family, of your husband and of yourself. l hat
often commended you tn others. as my friends viii
) bear witness. No disparaging word had ever es
capped my lips in respect to you as lady, as
gifted writer, Christian. have given no pub
! Ic ptovoeation for such assault. have neve
used such words. 1 have never maintained sucl
views.
Why am singled out and held up to such sc s-n
do not understand What your motives may be
will not attempt to say. But do say, with in
dlgnnnt remonstranee against the injustice of thi.
libel, Chat your language is and slalderous
and again demand full and puLfc ret, action
II such retracton is not made in a prompt and sat
isiaetory manner shall feel obliged so take the
best means that can to throw off from myself the
odium which you have sought t. heap upon me-
With due respect, JOEL PARKER.
Mrs. Harriet B. Stowe.
With these letters before her. Mrs Stowe on
The 22d OF May, two days from the receipt of DIR.
Ps second, and about ten days from the receipt Of
his first, addressed to DR.. Parker the following
letter. Besides the reasons for delay which she
gives, there was anether, viz: from something said
in her husbands letter toher, she expected vsi,
from DR.. Parker, and was for several days mo-
mently hoping 10 see him:
Mrs. Sto,ce's first letter to DR. Parker.
DEAR SfR: Your letter. vir B. unswick, REACH
ed me- in this city about week since, and only
feeble health, and the multiplied engagements of
anniversary week, have delayed my reply to this
time.
Give me leave to assure you that you have en-
tirely msapprehended the purpose and spirit with
which quoted the remark attributed to YOU with
your name. It had nothing to do with personal
teelIng one way or the other. I simply quoted
you as well-known leading man, whom sup
posed to be an acknowledged supporter of the pro-
slavery side of the question; ard quoted you in
preference TO any Of the other clergymen on that
side Of the question, simply because the remark at
tributed to you more neatly and poirtedIy ex-
pressed, and more sunmariiy included the whole
subject, than any remarks of others 10 the same
general purport.
In the chapter IN which your remark occurs,
considered myself as the advocate of the po and
uneducated against the educated and The powerful.
| have ever considered the american Internal
Slave Trade as the vital support of the system
| that without which it would Immediately be- worth
loss in pecuniary point of view, and Of course
cease to exist; and therefore, l confronted the
sentiment with the dramatic reality of the sluYe
trade
My reason for considering you the pro-slavery
81 le of the question: will be better appreciated by
ylu, by showing the manner in which was led to
that opinion.
1t is considerably more than year ago that ]
saw the sentence in question quoted in one of the
Leading papers of the day with your name. L said
Immediately that did not believe you had said it.
| and that knew you would contradict it. search
ed the papers week after week, with the eye If a
friend, for that denial. only found the thing re-
affirmed in paper after paper, both religious and
secular 1t was embraced in schedule of the
sayings and sentiments of American mini tiers in
regard to slavery, which YVES read public meet
ing in the Worlds Fair, and which formed basis
of some considerable discussion and action ON the
propriety of admitting American preachers, with
out examination, into English pEslpits.
! These papers, in which all this was recorded
were the leading religious prnts-p,ints which |
could not suppose you were not fnrniliar with; and
l could not suppose that you would allow any sen
timent H so the rounds of them. printed in capitaIs
with your name 10 full, unless it were state aIent
to which you were fully committed, and which
you were determined to abide by and sustain.
therefore, with great regret, set you down in my
mind as leader en- that side of the question, and
quoted you such-aud think that had reason
| TO do
II you thoeght the importation Of this sentiment
L.,
Christian and ministerial reputation, why have you
never before coatradicted it! Why have you al
owed it qeted and re- quoted from paper TO pnper,
proclaimed in public meeting the World's
Fair, and returned IN capitals to this country, and
not come out with the most ear nest denial Of which
you were capable!
/ Yet your note was the first shado,o of any rea-
son l have ever had for thinking that this opinion
was not yours and that you were not willing TO be
considered on that side of the question.
Under this attitude, you rsust perceive that it is
not in my power 10 set you right before Christian
publ c, who probably have formed their opinion
from the sources fiom which have formed
mine The quotation of it in the book is only one
indication of that very general belief which at
tributes to you such sentiments. And it is 10 the
Christian public generally as l ptehend, TINT
qour denial of such sentiments and expressions
should be addressed; and to them you should ex-
plain why you have allowed yourself to be SO
publicly and frequently and notoreusy ranged on
hat side of the question:; and why you have taken
no notice of what you say you consider "bel,''
when it has been so very publicly and for such
long time proclaimed IN the ordinary channels of
Intelligence.
need not say that satisfactory explanation of
this mntter would give pleasure. 1t is no plea
sure 10 me to have it proved that any minister Of
the Saviour could have said~such thing, and
sha be sincerely glad to you exoneruted, be-
fore the public, of Hny such impu'aton. When
you shall have satisfactorily explained the subject
1 win with pleasure do anything that may lie in
my power to ohviate the misconceptions lfat have