Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1860-02-09
CONTRIBUTORIAL.


Every one knows that the French poet. novelist,
VICTOR HUGO, wrote wild rhapsody on the
Harper's Ferry affair, in the form of a Letter to
the Editor of the London Star. Doubtless he
was we'll paid for the article. Il is striking in q
literary point of view; and coming from so emf
nent man was calculated to produce consider
able impression. We have received only few
days ago a copy Of that Letter, and with it q
copy of Reply made to it by lady of emf
nence in American literature-Mrs. ANN s. STE.
pHENs, Of New York. The Reply is admirable.
The great Victor is vanquished. We have per,
hsps never seen Reply so complete, so direct,
and so annihilating. Mrs. STEPHENS speaks in
the name of the American people and her no
bic earnest woman's heart speaks with dignity
and pathos worthy so fine cause. Those Of
our friends who have read-and pho has not
read Mrs. STEPHENS varions works Of fiction,
need not be told that hers is spirit peculiarly
fitted for such Reply-a spirit earnest, fear
less, gifted, sensitive, catholic, and above all in
an eminent degree womauly. Those who have
listened to her varied and brilliant powers of
conversation-as we had the privilege of doing
once upon q time-were prepared for the brilian-
cy of this Reply for its fearless logic, tsbreadth
Of spirit, its pure charity, aud its touching
pathos. Without a spark of affectation, she ap-
proaches all subjects; and cannot speak on any
without arrestiug every attention. She can in
vest even common places with the fascination of
fiction She hasn't bit Of Yankeeism in her
whole being, though native Of Connecticut
We have heard her assert, in the presence of her
anti.slayery friends, that she considered real
slavery myth-thst she had travelled from the
Potomac to Mexico in search of the Oppressed
and suffering slave and has never been able to
find him-that she had looked upon the sable
brow of the African in the cotton-felds of the
South, Offering him words of consolation, and he
laughed in her face, whistled his merry jig, and
hoed his row of cotton more merrily than she
ever saw an operative in New England do his
daily work. .. .-.. -., t.vs .e...,-..
But We are forgetting V1cToR HUGO and hi'
famous Letter. 1t abounds in exageration and
misstatement After stating the existence of sla'
very in America, he says: "A white man, free
man, JOHN BROWN, sought to deliver those ne.
gro slaves from bondage. Assuredly, if insur.
rection is ever sacred duty, itmust be so when
it is directed against slavery. JOHN BROWN en-
deavored to commence the work of emancipation
by the liberation of the slaves in Virginia. Pious
austere, animated with the old Puritan spirit,
inspired by the spirit of the Gospel, he sounded
to these men, these oppressed brothers, the raj
lying cry of freedom. The slaves enerVated by
servitude, made no response to the appeal he
then paints the trial of BROWN calls him the
champion of Christi and lays his blood upon
all Americas hands. The Letter was written
before BRowN's execution. HUGO, near the
close of his poetical rhapsody, says: 4 fall on
my knees weeping before the great spangled
banner of the New World, and with clssped
hands, and with profound and filial respect,
implore the ilustrious American Republic, sis
ter of the French Republic livery to see to the
safety of the universal moral lsw-to save JOHN
BROWN And good deal more in that vein.
In reply Mrs. STEPHENS reminds him that 'all
the eloquence of genius cannot take the black
ness from treason, or the crimson stain from
murder. 1t requires something more than an
outburst of fine poetry to turn crime into patriot
ism-somethng more than impetuOus denunoia
tions to check the solemn footsteps Of Justice.
She writes after the execution of BnowS. She
replies to the poets touching picture Of o scaf,
fold for his SAINT Brown in this wise: JoHs
BROWN is dead. Proven guilty Of treason-con
d emned for atrocious murders-he has sttoned