The Republican journal., 1872-10-03


Boston hs ID to be the guest of Mr.. James
L. Fields at his residence in Charles street,
and he or other of his countrymen can re-
ceive no better idea of American hospi-
tality than in such an atmosphere of re-
fined comfort and culture | think it
would be impossible to find in the coun-
try house or home fuller of poetic asso-
Citations or one where luxury and artistic
taste more happily blend. From the
original portrait Of Pope to a glitterng
Brazilian butterfly; books without end :;
flowers; and curious gifts from poets {;
and honored hearts that died, but will
live always in their works; rare pictures
and portraits of those authors that were
in many yesterdays dainty morsels of
art hidden in every corner Of rooms that
have not said an upholstered farewell to
resttul comfort but every where cOsev
hooks, luxurious places for quiet thought -
sunshine and inspiration--t is a pleasant
place for any mortal to larry in. Why
can't we all have paradises in Charles
street? Other people abide in delightful
homes with as much and more around
them, but somehow those | see need a
few associations or 4 few illustrious ghosts
to give the half tone to their prosaic
penates.
Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe gave read
ngs in fremont Temple last week. 1t
any body could have heard her it might
haye been an agreeable entertainment, as
her selections were good and the author
of "lTnce Tom is still an object of rever-
auce in spite OF her Byron affair But no
one save Il Midas could have understood
half she said unless directly i'm front of
her-even then the effort was tiresome
Mrs. Stowe has not leart the first elements
OF elocution, and though \ finished read
ing was not expected. she utterly failed
to meet our mildest expectations. In a
smaller hall she will succeed better and
she will draw because she is Mrs Stowe.
Her voice is pitched high, with no variety
in its expression except when she sinks it
so low we instinctively look under the
table for it. The nasal Yankee twang =.
and her difficulty in keeping n pair of
eyeglasses in their right osition, destroy
any illusion you may try to keep up dur
ing the reading. Strange to say her negro
character suffers greatly in her oral in
terpretation We used to cry over Uncle
Tom, but some how we couldn't squeeze
q tear for sake of anld lang svne was
much amused at the criticism Of Il c0lored
gentleman, occupying the positonot in
door man. in a family in this city, who
went to hear Mrs. Stowe ON her opening,
night. "Well, John" asked his mistress
next morning, chow did you like the
reading last evening ?" 1T was per
feet failure, marm," was the indignant
reply. And venture to add my voice to
his; it was a failure for which we are real
ly sorry, Reading ones own composition
tor an hour or so is an easy way of max
ing money. Ii would be u snrer method
II one had a good voice and could see the
text without glasses, rs Mrs Stowe can
not Her friends and ancient admirers
OF Uncle Tom rallied round her, however.
and she seemed SO satisfied with herself
it would he unkind 10 deny her the sue
cess OF former years, and especially us
this attempt is made not for fame. In
face and figure, Mrs. Stowe looked re
markably we'll Her dress was a light
grey silk, trimmed with black simple
matronly costume but one that improved
her immensely. In general, a Beecher is
not given to following the fashions its as
much rs they can do, to keep pace with
their earnest brains-but it was crafty
ing TO find, the other evening, in her the
two compatible. JAY.