The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-02-19
MRS. STOWE IN FLORIDA.
Pen Picture !, OF Her HOUSEHOLDS.


PEN Picture OF Her Household.
A correspondent Of the Nashville Union and
American, who was one of the Green Line
excursion party, writes to that paper a long
and interesting letter from Jacksonville, Fla.
giving description of the country along the
beautiful st. Johns, and visit paid BY a few
of the s'excursionists' to Mrs. ("Uncle Toms
Cabin,) Stowe, who Is now spending the win
ter amid the orange groves of the Land OF
Flowers. We give his report OF the visit In his
own words. He says: .sr. u
About IL o'clock. party of about thlrty,
laSies and gentlemen took an excursion on
small steamboat twelve or fifteen miles mp the"
St. Johns. Alter ws had been sometime ouf
the captain informed us that Mrs. Harriet.
Beecher Stoves plantation lay Immediately on =
the bank of the river, and that the old lady
had arrived there but few days previous, for
her usual winter sojourn. 1t was then deter
mined that the eXclirsionists would call upon
her, and when the boat arrived opposite her
residence, committee of Cincinnati gentle
men called at the house to learn whether Ii
would be .--reeabe for us to pay our respects
to her. She informed the committee that she
would be pleased to receive the ladies and gen.
tlemen of the excursion. Accordingly all
marched up to the house and were presented
to Mrs. Stowe. We were very much dlsappoint-
ed in her appearance. She Is scarcely up TO
the medium height, and has strong mascalime ,
gence she has displayed In her contributions
to the literature of the day. Were she placed
in room with number OF ladies selected
promiscuously, there Is scarcely one IN hun.
dred who would select her as woman OF
genius. She appeared difldent and II! az ease @
In the company OF our ladies. Whether she
was embarrassed and forgot or whether it is
Characteristic of her, she certainly exhibited
none of the hospitality with which iady1n,
the South receives visitors.
She left the ladies Of our party TO get seau
as best they could, did not introduce them TO
her daughters, who were present, nor did she
offer them cup of water nor an orange, which
hung in prorusion on the trees around her
door, Her daughters, twin sisters, had moth
ing to say; indeed, we believe, they did not
speak to one of the visitors. One OF them was
engaged on piece Of crochet work, and she
piled herself to the work before her, az
though she were hired seamstress, who had
no right to speak, This conduct attracted the
attention of both ladies and gentlemen OF tho
party, and 1t was suggested In extenuation OF
their want Of hospitality, that, being the farn1-
ly ofa distinguished authoress, they were, per.
haps, subjected to visits from grsaS
and that they had adopted this meth
cd to rid themselves OF both boors
and bores. One OF our party, mischieVous,
fun-loving disciple Of Blackstone, from Az
lanta, states that while one portion OF the
party were interviewing sthe old woman" on
the Yerandah fronting the river, and others
were viewing the oranges as they hung tempt.
ingly on the trees on either side, and in the
rear of the house, he made his way to the
kitchen to interview the servants. He en-
colntered rather pretty and witty irish girl,
from whom he learned good dea! IN regard
to the domestic habits Of the Stowe family: In
Stoves twin daughters were thirty years old,
and that they did not want TO marry. Our Al
lanta friend said he thought as much from their
behavior.
Mrs. Stowe looks to oe sxty-ive years old,
though under fity-eight having been born
June 10, 1872 She wears her hair, which is quite
gray, In curls, aud was dressed In very pain,
iinpretendlng STYLE She was married In 1885
to the Rev. Professor Calvin Ellis Stowe.
Shortly afterwards she commenced her Ater-
ary career, and In 1851 began the publication
in the National Era, an anli-slavery paper In
Washington, as serial tale, ner celeolaese
work entitled Uncle Toms Cabin. IL AZ
tracted so much attention, that when COM
Rffsd @ 4 bosf5 s55 i was gHesnsa II eeSs
Wwe4s weg4Rsd sSSd soId TINT at lsast 10000 copies
estimated to have reached 500, 900 copies,
and it was rapidly translated into all
European and some Asiatic languages, and IL
was also extensively dramatized. It has been
Justly said, with reference to this book, that
Eneyer did an American writer achieve 30
sudden and great q literary success, or exert
a more profound influence upon American
politics and society,"" One Of our party, q
Republican, remarked that our troubles dated
from the PRONUNCIATION Of this WORK, and the
memory OF the '.lat, sleek negroes" he lost by
L., htryhr
Mrs. Stowe. Although she has written two other
anti-slavery and number of literary Dooks,
none of them are remembered, except her
last, which has called forth the denunciatton
of almost every press in the country. Not
withstanding her abuse and misrepresenta-;
tion of the people of the. South, she Is treated
by them with the courtesy due to lady;
It was learned from the gentleman who has
charge of the place, that Mrs. Stowe owns
about ninety acres of laud, on which there isa
small orange grove. He stated that the trees
Yield from 2O0O to 5000 oranges each, and that
they sell for SIS to So per barrel, averaging ESQ
to 800 ornnges per barrel. The demand 1or
oranges Is not 80 good this season as formerly,
and prices are lower. 1t was noted that Mra
Stoves oranges were not so large as those on
an adjoining place ; but perhaps the larger
ones had. been gathered and marketed.
A few minutes before the party returned TO
the boat Professor Stowe made his appear.
ance, and was introduced TO few Wlo SILL
fingered at the house. He isa venerable, pa
triachlal looking man. and made rather Ia
vorable impression upon those who conVersed
with him. Mrs Stowe stated that she would
return to her New England home In May. Her
residence on the st. Johns Is an unpretend.
ing but neat cottage, and it is claimed to have
been built upon the spot where the frst
dwelling was erected in Florida. 1t may be
historic ground, as the French attempted 20
make settlementsi in Florida as early as 1883,
but were subsequently driven out by the SPan-
iards, who founded the first permanent colony
at St. Augustine about 1865.
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