The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1856-10-25
MRS. STOVES NEW NOVEL.

DRIED: TALE OF THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP.
BY Harriet Beecher Stowe. Boston: Phillips,
Samp>on, 4 Co. 1856. For sale bv I. " How
ARD. ST. John>bury.
The march of Uncle Toms Cabin around
the reading world was like that of ccnque-
ror. 1t battered down the Redans behind
which prejudice and Ignorance Law. and
brought out into light and sympathy the pc
cu!iar vet wonderful capabilities Of the Afri
can race. With the hand of kindness and
love, the author touched the springs negro
character and it gave back deep and touch
ing answers all conditions of men ever
have when thus approached land the eyes
of the world are directed TO the negro As DOS
sessIng powers which, if developed, would
add interest and dignity TO the race. So that
the merit CT the book az a work OF art was
forgotten in its freshness and novelty of sub
.ject: and its literary excellence was over
whelmrd by the depth and grandeur of its
moral tone. Like Dpmosthenes' Grafton on
the crown, the age enduring splcndor of its
rhetoric was unnoticed amid the still, more
wonderful effects which it produced \ fresh
mine of truth and feeling, poetry and romance
had been opened by that wonderful took
rich and gorgeous as the tabled land of the
East
And now, with expectation thus awaken
ed, DRIED comes to add another line of test
mony to The same truth, and to Justify and
strengthen the interest which The former had
awakened. Drrd is written with still create
care. Its scenes are DIR avn with still more
correct and discriminating touch. Its LIMITS
and shades are still more happily and beauti-
fully Blended and could an intelligent crit
ic be found who could read The two books for
the first time in the inverse order Of thei
prodacioa. bred would. in our Judgment, be
considered by far the greater WORK. 1t moves
in an atmosphere that is pure and hralthtnl
The light OF moral truth and humble. earres,
PIety, CLEANS rom every page. la this story
the author has overcome birth. prejudice.
sectiona! feeling and early education. AMI
gives a picture OF Southern i!, tr,rr even
than that life is 10 itself: as the Roman pIays
OF Shakespeare are 10 the spirit of ancient
ZONE, fUr The reason that in art those mate.
rails only are chosen which show in it, essen
tal essrnre the workings CT the Institutions
which gave birth to III" spirit the artist would
again ca! into life 1t is as vain for the Sonth
to dIscl'i N agair>t the .'cnuincness of sui,
LECTURES and >tii' furnish in abundance the
material, as it il for President Pierce to oro
fess love Cor his dear New England. especial
ly for ConcorD and We, sell its dearest inter
ests for Southern pr ,ynises
But this book is in no wise sectional. To-
cal. or partizsn novel any more than the
teachings of truth and duty are ever so. In
countries beyond anv knowledge Of the Uni
ted States, in land. where opinion is ird,ler
ent whether the whites or the blacks rule, it
will be read with profit and L. light. Ii is
voice calling in tones of moral purity, svmra-
thy and love 10 the race to take a hicber
stand upon the great principles OF human
right and Christian brotherhood. 1t will be
no unmeaning call.
The characters are numerous. and drawn
with great fidelity ard power. Tiff, Millv.
and Nina, are new contributions TO the cr.a-
tons of art. Nina-who does not love her?
is masterpiece in literature which we
cannot too highly prize We had Die Yer.
non, Rose Bradwardine, Sophia Western.
Amelia, Agnes, and little Nell before. But
Nina adds to all The briliancy and fascination
of these, the touching beauty and swcetress
OF a warm, earnest Pietv "a pictv that is not
cold and barren. nor stiff and repu,>ive. bnt
attracts and a'lorns every grace Of culture
and natural quality. SO the a1thor h as shown
IN her what never has been done in literary
art before. namely: that true pictv can add
as much to the beauty and fascination of the /,
loveiiest character a. the dew drop TO the
flower and still be no less in kce,inc.
Old Tiff Is genius. There is more real
genuine humor in all he SAYS and does than
IN any one character we have ever met. His
'Pryton blood" his regard for Fanny and
Teddy, his love for ode fus:est families" and
his hatred for "dc poor white trash" are end .
less sources Of amusement and fun. Old
Hundred. too. and his crow and "hosscs" is a
fixture which we would not lose. Abiiah
Sknflint's views of election and free grace
are rich and profound No donht they will
make a sensation among the ID. Ds. His
promising, tobacco chewing daughter Polly
has no equal. and we fear must have gone
forever single. had It not been for the delicate
and affectionate regard of Grips Tom,it.
no doubt. was sent to earth in order to per
ect the work of patience and grace in Aunt
Nesbit and most faithfully he did his mis-.
ion. We have seen several OF Aunt ,
<esbt's sisters, and presume the race will
rot become extinct for centuries CLAYTON is
! noble man, true to the grert purposes of
ife, and had he not seen and loved Livy Raw ,
here would have been no fault in him I
)reI failed to interest Us, As he has most rea. {
ers. The conception OF such a character is
ne, and he throws a grand and .ombre hue
yer the whole work but he Is too like John
,alfOur and Iabakuk Mucklewrath in OlJ