The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-05-12
MRS STOWE AND HER AssAILANTs


speaks respectfully of its proceedings
MRS STOWE AND HER ASsAILAETs.
The Wing and Examiner of Richmond, Vir-
ginia, leading political papers, one Democratic,
the other Wing, call Mrs Stowe a coarse, ugly,
ill.natured, ill-mannered, old woman. The Ma
tional Democrat, of New York Hunker organ
of Democracy, holds her up as mean and hyp-
ocritical, because she declined making a contri-
button in q single instance that came to it's
knowledge. The New York Express expatiates
upon the good that she might do with her
money, by buying slaves and fitting them out
for Liberia, but assumes that she intends to en-.
gage in the NEGRO stealing" business and to
make appropriations for the support of ncen-
diary prints the aim of which is to destroy the
Union. Benefits Herald lampoons her with
its characteristic elegance of diction; and many
newspapers, North and South Wing and DEM
ocratic, denounce her as a libeller, an enemy
to her country, an ally of England; impute to
her the meanest motives in writing her book,
and charge her with visiting Great Britain for
the purpose of being feasted hattered, and en-
riched with aims
If the subject Of these gentlemanly assaults
were man, there would not be much reason
for surprise-for the gentlemen of the press in
this country, we know, are in the habit of tax
ing strange liberties with one another, which,
among the less-civilized people of Europe, are
deemed decidedly vulgar but when it is con-
sidered that it is a ,coman whom they are striv-
ing to hunt DOWN. woman, gentle, delicate
full Of the amenities and sweet charities of life,
who, with noble forbearance, refuses to utter
a word In defence or retOrt-a woman, whose
genius, consecrated to the cause of the Weak
and Oppressed, has produced work over
which Humanity alternately weeps and exults-
work which has done more than any other
single publication for the reputation of Amer
lean Literature /; work, which, by the confess
sion of its enemies, owes much of its popularity
in Europe to the fact that it everywhere strikes
deadly blow at the oppression Of the masses
we say whom all this is considered, these gen.
tlemen of the press must lay themselves open to
the suspicion that their exquisite sensibilities
have been somewhat blunted by their devotion
to system which lays the lash equally upon
the bare shoulders of men and women. Slave
ry, we know, has no peculiar respect for wom-
an 1t makes no more of subjecting her to the
lash, or putting her up in the market place,
than if she were man. No wonder that its
supporters should lose something of that boast
ed gallantry, which, it has been reported, shields
woman in this country from impcrtinence and
vituperation.
1t may crafty some fastdious people to learn
that Mrs. Stowe is not ugly, ill-natured, or ILL
hammered. She is plain, quiet, good natured
woman--modest unpretending genial-with a
countenance radiant with benevolence No
one can look on her and not feel that che is
without guile and hypocrisy, and full Of truth
and goodness. What crime for such wom-
an to write book unfavorabe to an institu-
ton which breaks down all barriers around the
virtues Of her SEX What an offence against
good taste to tell tale against q system which
regards woman as property, and violates all her
natural right and relations! What q libel on
her countrymen to treat this barbarous system
as exceptional to their principles, and repug-
nant to their sentiments
Mrs. Stowe is nobly welcomed in England,
as Kossuth was in this country. She is deem
ed one of the benefactors of her race. The
English papers give full reports of the manner
Of her reception, of her department., Of tho ad-
dresses made to her, and of the responses of
I Professor Stowe, her husband No American
print can quote anything to her discredit.
There are those among us who understand
how to misrepresent distort caricature, and
lie outright but the republication Of the reports
of those who are on the spot and testify to what
they see and hear, will serve to show that Mrs.
Stowe everywhere maintains modest and dig
nifed demeanor; that her husband, Professor
Stowe, says nothing which will need retraction
or qualification on this side Of the Atlantic
and that her British entertainers are careful
TO abstain from any demonstrations calculated
to wound the selflovc Of this country, or to
glorify their own institutions at the expense Of
ours.
Read the well-timed remarks of Prof Stowe
at Glasgow, aud the sensible, dscriminstive
: speech of Rev. Mr., King on the same occasion
and your patriotism, sensitive as it may be
provided it be not silly, will DO satisfied.
As for the chivalrous gentlemen who are ex
. ercising their pens upon Mrs. Stowe, it is well
! for the good name Of the country that they arc
not known beyond the few hundreds Of unfor
tunate people condemned to read their papers
and the time will como when, much as human
nature lusts for notoricty, they themselve,
will rejoice in the obscurity which will have
,, consigned their spiteful paragraphs to pcrpetu
al oblivion.
, Aiisnsd Amsriean," is the title Of new
weekly paper, published at Cleveland, O., BY
! VIM. X. Day, oolored man, devoted to tn
elevation Of his race. We hope his laudsbl