Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-06-29
A NOBLE NOVEL.


Brought TO sight Fresh from the Brain OF
the Celebrated Authores.
After living many years i'll Ohio the
Stoves returned to New England and
settled in Brunswick, Me-, where they
continued their active sympathy with the
anti-slayery movement, but were distress
sed by the general apathy that then
seemed to prevail on the subject through
out the North. Mrs. Stowe thus CON
ceived the idea of writing some sketches
which would give the world a picture of
slavery as she herself had seen it. One
day, while looking over the bound vol
ume OF an anti-slavery magazine edited
in Washington by Mrs. Dr. Bailey, she
read the account Of the escape of slave
woman and her child from Kentucky
over the ice of the Ohio, as related by an
eyewitness who helped the woman up
the bank of the free State shore. This
was the first point of the story formed in
her mind, and the model for Uncle Tom
was afforded by the husband of a former
slave woman who had been employed
in her own family This man was free
to come and go on business between Ken
lucky and Ohio, refusing to break his
pledge to his master, although the latter
deferred from year to year fulfilling his
promise of freedom. The first part of
the work written was the death of Uncle
Tom. The scene framed itself in her
mind while she was at the communion
table IN Brunswick, and il oyercame her
so completely that she was convulsed by
tears and SobS. She fastened home and
quickly wrote it down. In the absence
of her husband she read it to hel bows
OF 10 and II years, who wept bitterly,
and cursed slavery as the most wicked
thing in the world The book then took
form rapidly. After the first two or
three chapters had been written they
were sent to DR.. Bailey, in Washington,
for the National Era. The story was
such an eYer-present reality to her that
she had no difficulty in giving it shape,
and the weekly installments never failed
Each number was read to the family be-
fore it was sent away, and in the domes-
tic circle an intense interest was kept up
in its progress The story attracted the
widest attention which such an unpopu-
larperiOdical as an ''Abolitionist Sheet
could give it, and a young Boston pub
Usher, Mr.. John 7. Jewett, obtained
consent to bring it out. After while
he began to fear that the story was get
ting to be too long for one volume, and
he wrote reminding the author that it
was founded upon an unpopular subject,
and two volumes might be fatal to its
success. OMrs. Stowe replied that she
did not make the story; it made itself,
and she could not stop till it was done.
Mrs. Stowe had no idea of the effect
| nh ,h
ing the attention with which it was read
during its publication as serial, Prof
Stowe remarked one day that it looked
if it might really bring his wife in some
money when brought out as book Mrs
Stowe replied that she hoped it would
bring enough to buy her a silk gown, for
she never had owned one yet. When it
was finished she felt discouraged as to
the result, the slave power having so
wholly enthralled the land with its OBJ
| prcssive laws.
The book was published March 20,
1852. Ten thousand copies were sold
within few days, and over 80, 600. it
said, were i'll circulation within year
Keeping eight power presses running
night and day. Its effect everywhere
was tremendous; not only at home but
abroad. None but work of genius
could 50 flash its light through the world
and touch all hearts and souls with Il,
power. 1t portrayed shareholders who
justly, and gave them credit for such
fine traits, that at first it was predicted
by some that it would act as a pacific
alton, and unite North and South. while
its real effect in engaging the South is
| Il -. 4
may claim large share of the credit for
the triumph of the North in the Civil
! War. and the abolition of slavery from
this Nation of States, while abroad it had
an effect hardly less important. The
sentiment which it aroused in England
undoubtedly restrained that power from
siding with the South during our War,
and it is likely that its influence was i'm
portant in inducing the Russian Emper-
or To proclaim freedom to the serfs.
Although thecause which called Uncle
Tom Cabin into being has triumphed
and passed to its place among the settled
facts of history. the sale of the book is
still large and steady. 1t promises to be
one of the worlds classics. and il PLAYS
upon the sympathes and emotions with
all its old-time vital power. Were there
an international copyright, and had
those taliSnianic words, IAN rights re-
served, been inscribed upon the title
page, Mrs. Stowe would probably have
received from the work the greatest COM
penSation ever earned through author
ship. In England. within a year of its
first appearance. the book was published
by eighteen London houses, and forty
editions had appeared. 1t is estimated
that the aggregate number of copies cir
culated IN Great Britain and her colonies
exceeded 100000.