Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1868-11-13
Uncle Toms Cabin.
From Eminent Women of America.


7opY's solution of the problem of
her own personal existence is the
most satisfactory explanation of the
production of this story. 1t grew !!
While as yet the form and plan of
the work lay undevelopedi i'm her mind
| she made beginning, which instead of
beginning, was stroke at the very
heart of the whole story.
One day on entering his wife's
room in Brunswick, Prof. Stowe saw
several sheets Of paper lying loosely
here and there, which were covered
with her hand writing. The death
of Uncle Tom was what he read.
That was first written, and 1t was all
that had been written. "You can
make something out of this" said he.
IL mean to do so,n was the reply.
Soon after Mr.. Baily, who was then
publishing an aEti-slavery paper in
Washington, solicited Mrs. Stowe to
write a series of articles for its col
| nmns. .... .
The way was open and she was
ready, aud. being called of God, by
faith she went forth, not knowing
whittier she went Her Uacte Tom
should have history, of which his
death-scene should be the logical con-
sequence and elimination. AS she
mused the fire burned, The true
starting point was readily found, aud
gradually most felicitous story
form was conceived, i'm which q pic
:ure of slavery as IL might lie exhib-
ited-a web was laid, into which she
might weave, with threads of gold
and silver and purple. her brave de.
signs. Uncle TOM began to be
published in the National Era, as a
serial i'm the summer of 1851, and was
continued from week to week until
its conclusion i'm March. 1852.
1t twas not product ofleisure hours.
She
Wrought with sad sincerity"
and under most grievous burdens and
disadvantages. Her health was del
icate. Her cares were great. In
charge of u large family, and COM
PEELED by the sterL est of all neces-
stiles to make the most of very little
and poor help i'm her household labors,
much more of this wonderful book
was actually written by Mrs. Stowe
a she sat with her portfolio upon
her knee by the kitchen fire, i'm mo-
ments snatched from her domestic
cares. We may he pardoned for say
| ing that If the couisine was half as
well managed as the composition,
| those W 10 -at at Mrs. Stoves table
rs well as those other innumerable
ones who have feasted upon the
| fruits Of her literary toll. were fortu-
nate indeed. "The book" as Prof.
! Stowe finally says, was written
In sorrow, in sadness, and obscurity,
with no expectation of reward save
in the prayers of the poor, and with
a heart almost broken i'm view of the
suiferings which H. described, and
the still greater ones IL dared not de-.
scribe.n
Our older readers need not to be
told with what aviiity the weekly
installments of this serial were
caught up and devoured by the read
of this article was then little hoy in
one of the remote villages of Maine,
| but remembers how Tncle IoD,'s
Cabin was the universal theme for
discussion, and how those In his
own home, and through the village
too, who had never before bowed
down to idols Of fiction, nor served
them were so completely demoral.
lied by this novel, that they cot only
read IL, but read 10 to their childrs "a
aud how 'he papers which containe d
! It., after being nearly worn out In
going through so many hands, I'm 80
many different homes, were carefully
folded up and laid away rs If the tear
stains on them were sacred, as in.
deed they were. We were all, fom
the baby upward, converted into the
most earnest kind of abolitionists.
Strangely enough, however, when
after its publication in the Era, Mrs,
Stowe proposed its publication in q
book form To Messrs. Phillips &
Sampson Of Boston, the proposition
was respectfully declined. That, she
thought, was the end of it. a wo-
mans shrcwdness had something to
do with securing its publication.
The wife of Mr.. Jewett of Boston had
| read the story, and advised her hus-
band To publish it, If possible. IL
was Offered him, and he remarked to
Prof. Stowe that IL would bring his
wife something handsome! On re-
turning home, his success and the
remark of Mr.. Jewett were reported
/ to Mrs. Stowe, who, with an eye
! twinkle. and u tone in which n little
hope, more joy, aud still more incre
dulity Were expressed, replied, that
she hoped ii would bring her enough
| to purchase what she had not had
! for long timed near siiE dress!
She wa. not Obliged To wait long
for that very desirable article. nor to
limit herself very rigidly In the graf
/ itiication of so legitimate desire;
for only IA few mouths afterits repub-
lication, Mr.. Jewett made the first
settlement with Mr.. Stowe. and
| placed the sum OF ten thousand dol
lars i'm his hands--"moTe money
says the Professor "than | had ever
seen III my life !" Large as were
these fruits, and enormous as was
the sale of the book, for some reasons
which do not require to be set forth
here, the enterprise was. far more re-
munerative to the publishers than to
the author, and Mrs. Stowe was not
made rich by her story.
Tie popularity Of the book was un-
bounded. aud its circulation was un-
precedented. No work of fiction i'm
the English language was ever ~
widely circulated. Within six
months over one hundred and fifty
thousand copies were sold i'm Ameri-
ca, and within u few years it reached
a sale of nearly five hundred thous.
and copies. The fret London edition
was published in May, 1852. The
next September the publishers fur.
nishcd to one house alone ten thous.
and copies each day for four weeks
max ing a sale of two hundred and
forty thousand copies In one month.
Before the end of the year 1852 the
book had been translated into the
Spanish, Italian, French, Danish
Swedish, Dutch, Flemish, German
Polish, and Magyar languages. Ere
long it was translated into every Eu.
ropean language and also into Ara.
bic and Armenian. There Is book.
case i'm the British Museum, filled
with its various translations, editions
and versions. In Italy the "powers
that be- Published an edition In
which all illusions TO Christ were
changed to the Virgin Mary--a piece