New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-10-17
UNCLE TOMS CABIN.

6ASSSSD
afterward to attain, and was completed |
Apiil l, 1852. In the same year it was
issued in book form, in two Volumes Dy |
Boston house. Its success was immediate
and wonderful. One hundred thousand
copies were sold in three weeks. In Lon
| don it was published in 1843, with mrch
doubt of its effect. Its prosperity in Eng
| land surpassed the promise of its American
reputation. Ten thousand copies were sold
by one house daily for four weeks. Thirty
editions were issued in six months. mil
lion copies we're sold in twelve years. 1t
has been translated into nineteen languages,
with many different versions, even into
| Polish, Magyar, Chinese and Japanese.
On its first appearance it was violently
attacked and extravagantly praised. Its
literary excellence was conceded by al,
but its assailants in some cases denounced
it more vindictively on that account. 1t
was used as a political engine by all par
ties. The reviews, essays and treatises on
it would make respectable library. In
the North popular opinion was divided and
bitter Conservative people regarded 1t as
incendiary, refused to read it, and many
have not read it YET One gentleman of
our acquaintance said yesterday that he
never, although Northern man, had read
it, being prejudiced against it on its appear
auce. OF course in the South in those days
one would rather handle hot shot than
open It's pages.
The story had hundreds of imitators, but
their productions were all inferior to the
model in design and execution, and few had
any success.
1t is now little over twenty one years
since the first number appeared and OF all
the changes that have taken place in our
country none are go strange as those which
have happened to the story and the scene
of its principal events. Its sale to-day is
merely nominal and the peculiar "Life
Among the Lowly" is one of the things of
. the past.
The excitement the novel created was
sufficient to induce nearly every manager
in the North and England to place it on the
t stage In many cities several theatres
! | presented it at the same time and tC
crowded audiences. Many thousand eyes
have watered when witnessing the suffer
inrs of Uncle Tom, and many hands ap
plauded the eccentric Phineds. 1t was re
S garded by some as true picture of South
ern life, while others denounc ed 1T as {
malicious libel
Both story and play have had their day
= in the North. The sale of one and per
formance of the other have almost ceased
but it is because the readers and auditors
L have all become acquainted with it in thu
regions of its original appearance. Blu
=, new audiences are waiting to enjoy tn
d pleasures they were deprived of then. Th
ts simple story of weakness and crime, inno
N cence and suffering, has no longer power u
= rouse the passions of men as it had in tn
I. old days. Its excellence as a composition
g. or adaptation is now almost the only al
s. traction of either story or play.
or Many versions have been offered to tn
public, but the one of Mr.. George L. Aikel
has received the most favor.
: 1t tells the story as follows;
The first act is in Kentucky. Elsa,
:" slave of Mr.. Shelby, is married to Georg'
who is owned by lfr. Harris The pla
opens with an interview between them, /
p which George tells his wife how cruelty b
g ia treated by his master, who intends t
separate them and marry him to q slave {
u his own, and leaves her and his boy HaiT
al to fee to Canada. Mr. Shelby represente
G. as an indulgent master, but oppressed b
er debt, is forced to sell Uncle I0m to I'll
ey slave dealer, Haley, who at the same tin
induces him to part with Eli=a'S little be
Harry. Her suspicious are aroused, an
- she listens to a conversation with Shea
and his wife, in which he tells of the sal
Like George, she resolves TO run away 81
goes to the cabin of Uncle Tom in the snow
night and tells him. Chloe, TOMS wife, tr.
to make him go too, but no, he has "neV
he broken trust" and will remain. In Il
IN. tavern by the river side she meets wi
se) Phineas Fletcher, director of the "Undt
lis. ground Railroad" At the same tave
HALEY finds Marks and Tom LOkGr, 'and E
cages them to capture the boy. Elisa owe
. hears the conversation, and conspiracy
smuggle her to New Orleans. She is d
covered and makes for the river. s.
springs upon the broken ice, and the a
closes as she floats across, while Ph'a'eC
nd Httley, and the rest, watch her from T.
we shore.
he The second act opens in New Orleans
IVA the home of 81. Clair. the father Of Lit
Era and purchaser of Uncle Tom, who
''A the steamboat has saved her life. IopSV
nd here first introduced as a specimen OF Il
- uneducated misehievous darkey and place
uader the general supervision of OphetiG,
Down East cousin of st. Clair, and w
sD gave her a hard time of it. PhiHcds Is Sc
by Elsa, who is safe in Ohio, to find GeOrt
He meets him in the tavern with Mr.. NILSo
who, while believing George is wrong hel
him on his way with money and go
wishes. George has disguised himself b
not sufficient to prevent Haley and his m
oS' from tracing him. They are, however, ski
fully outwitted by Phineas and kept doV
0m a cellar trap while George escapes. Phinet
who has been former slave owner, but
love of pretty Quakeress given them
away and assumes the garb of Villa
Penn, shelters George and his wife al
child in his house They propose to ia
the road for Canada that night, but t
slave hunters have discOv cred and int
cept them A conflict follows, in VIII
,o a Pl4ineds filings Loker over elif and Geo'
the and Elisa escape.
In the third act the charac tiers OF y
and Eva are more clearly defined. Even