The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-01-27

This is the history, both touching and ludi-
crous, of great number of independent crit
les Whether the question be social or lite
rary one, those who pretend to judge it coldly,
and at the point Of view Of the abstract law,
are often surprised into the deepest emotions,
and sometimes conquered, without being will
ing to confess it. | am always charmed with
the anecdote of Voltaire, who, wishing to hold
the fables Of Lafontaine up to contempt, took
the book, and said" Listen! you shall see
take the first We come 70 :" He read it. All
that's passable-but here's another quite stu
pid - He read the second and found it very
pretty. A third quite disarmed him but read
ing ON to find a bad one, he threw down the
book, exclaiming, with ingenious spite, It's
only hotch-potch of masterpieces" Great
minds may be bilious and vindictivo, but. when
they reflect, it is impossible for them to be un-
just or insensible.
This work, badly constructed, according to
the laws of modern romances, as they are ac-
cepted in France, inspires everybody, and tri-
umphs over all criticism, in every discussion
raised in the family circle For it is essentially
domestic and family book, with its long dia-
logues, its minute details and its portraits, 80
carefully studied. Mothers young persons,
children, and servants, read and comprehend
IL aud men, even superior men, cannot dis
dam tive do not say, because its finer quail
ties redeem its defects but because of these
very pretended defects
la France, we combated for a long while
the prolixities Of exposition in Walter Scott.
We next cried out against those of Balzsc
but on consideration, it was seen, that in paint
iugs Of manners and characters, there was
never too much, when every stroke Of the PEN
all in - ii Al
eral effect. Sobriety and rapidity are eminent
qualities; but we should learn TO like all meth
| DDS that are good, and which bear the sign of
| wise and instructive mastery
Mrs. Stowe is all instinct, and for that reason
she appears at first not to have talent No tai
emit! What is talent' Nothing, doubtless, COM
pared to genius But has she genius y do
not know that she has talent US il is understood
in the world of letters, but she has the genius
which humanity has the most need oi-the
genius of good This is not to be a man of
letters but do you know what it is 2 Ii is to
be saint--nothing more.
Yes, a saint Three times holy is the soul
which loves, blesses, and consoles martyrs
Pure penetrating, and profound, is the spirit
which sounds the depths of human nature
| Great generous, and vast the heart, which
embraces in ts pity in its love, in its respect,
q race sunken in blood and mire under the
scourges of cruel men, and the maledctions of
| the impiOus.
10 is well for us that il is 80 it is we'll that
we feel, in spite of ourselves, that genius is the
heart that power is faith, that finally, success
| is sympathy since this book quite overturns us
chOkes the throat melts the spirits and fills us
with strange sentiment of tenderness and ad-
miration for the figure of poor negro, lacera-
ted with blows, stretched in the dust, and ex-
haling in cOach-house, his last breath to
| God.
In respect to art, moreover, there is but one
rule one law, which is to show and to move.
| Where do we find creations more complete,
types more living situations more touching
and more original, than in Uncle Tom The
sweet relations of the slave with the child of
his master, exhibit condition of things un.
known amongst us-the protest of the master
himself against slavery endures the whole
phase of his life, when his soul belongs to Goo
alone Society absorbs him then law expel,
deity and interest deposes conscience. Arriy
ing at manhood the child ceases to be man
he becomes a MASTER and God dies out of hi
heart
What experienced hand has ever traced
type more striking and attractive than Sain
Clar-that refined noble, loving generous ma
ture, but too soft and Indifferent to be great
Is he not man in general, man with his fin,
innate qualities, his good impulses, and his de
plorable conference.-the charming master
who loves and is loved, who thinks, who rea
4 sons, but who never concludes or acts He ex
= ponds in a day the treasures of indulgence, o
, reason, of justice, and of goodness; he die
without having saved. His precious life is a.
, resumed in a word-aspiration and regret II
could not ,ciH Alas there are not few sue
among the best and strongest of men,
The life and death of n child, the life an
death of negro, il the whole of this book
That child and that negro are two saints 70
Heaven The friendship which unites them
their respect for each other is the whole low
and passion of the drama. do not know an,
other genius than that of sanctity, which could
have spread over such situation, charm SC
powerful and sustained.
Children are the true heroes of Mrs Stowe
Her soul, the most maternal that ever was
has conceived all the little beings in the very
light of Heaven, l,dyon de Ia grace.) George
Shelby, little Harry, the cousin of Eva, the
baby of the little wife of the Senator. and
Topscy, the poor, devilish and excellent Top.
sey those that are seen, and those that are not
seen in this romance, but of which only three
words ARE spoken by their desolate mothers
are world of little white and black angels,
in which every woman recognises the object OF
her love, the source Of her Joys and her tears
In taking form in the mind of Mrs Stowe, these
children, without ceasng to be children take
also ideal proportions, and come to interest us
more than all the personages in love romances
The women, too, are designed with the hand
of a master-not only the mothers, who are
sublime but those who are not mothers, either
in heart or in fac' and whose infrmites are
treated with indulgence or rigor. BY the side
of the methodcal Miss Ophelia, who learns
that dutyis nothing without affection Marie
st Clair is portrait of frightful fidelity. One
trembles to think that she exists--this Ameri-
can lioness; that she is everywhere; that each
| OF us has seen her; for slaves are not wanting
TO her to make her reveal herself as a torturer
in the midst Of her vspors and tremblings of
the nerve.
Saints have also their claw; il is that of the
lion it respects human flesh but it fastens
upon the conscience. A little warm indigna-
| ton, little terrible mockery is not unbecom-
| ing Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, the woman No
| gentle so humane, 30 religious ~ full Of evan
gelcal JUNCTION. Yes she is woman of great
goodness, but not what we derisvely call a
very good woman ~ she is strong cOurag eous
heart, which, in blessing the unhappy, 10 ca
ressing the faithful, aiding the irresolute, at.
tracing the weak, does not fear TO spa the
hardened sinners, that she may show their de-
formity to the world.
| Madame Sand then concludes her article
with an expression Of her personal thanks to
| Mrs Stowe.
BALTIMORE, Jan. 22.-The Southern mail
this morning brings nothing beyond Savannah