Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-05-09
CHE freemau.
MONTPELIER VT.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 0, 1883.
An Old Negro.

Rev. Joseph Henson. full blood negro
died in Dresden, Ontario, last Saturday in
the ninety fourth year of his age. He was
I'M escaped slave having been helped from
Ohio to the Canada shore by the kindness
of a lake captain years ago. He became
Methodist preacher and was worthy Of
his calling, being sensible, upright and Of
persuasive speech.
Mr.. Henson real life however is not that
which has made him known to 60 many
people. His character and some of the
incidents of his life went to make up the
world wide famous "Uncle Tom" of
Harriet Beecher Stowe. And "Uncle
Tom," Henson's double" is one of the
figures in American history. A shadow,
he did more for the liberty of his race
than the most potent real men of that
race and than any of The white men who
in various ways worked for the abolition
of slavery.
The early abolitioniss were strong in
enthusiasm and weak in numbers; many
of them were eccentric and they did not
get hold of the sympathics Of the people
who were busy in work shop and farm
about their daily business. The rich too
did not like their ways and would not
listen to their arguments. This was the
rule, and the exceptions were the few in
all walks of life from which they recruited
their thin ranks.
1t was some bright man who once said
in substance that he cared not who made
the laws if he could have the making of
the ballads of the people. And thirty years
ago and more in the days when the fugi.
tive slave bill was passing, and the Kan
sas-Nebraska, bill was following Mrs.
Stowe was writing and seeing the early
sales of her "Uncle Toms Cabin.''
Her book was not song or ballad of
the people sung at the fresides and moving
the grown and teaching the children but
it was story of "life among the lowly"
that was read once and again in tens OF
thousands of homes and that told as ii
was did more to spread dislike of sla
very than all the lectures and newspapers
in the land. There was n "Key to Uncle
Toms Cabin" Mrs. Stowe had printed to
defend the historical picture she had
drawn but that key was too much like a
lecture and few ever read it. But the
novel went its way through edition after
edition in this country and England and
was translated into many other languages
five remember right the fugitive slave
bill passed short time before Uncle
Toms Cabin" was published. This bill
marked hieh'tide for the slave power. 1t
was followed four years later by the Kan
sas-Nebraska, bill that looked toward
extending the domain of slavery, it is true,
but that was, like the tariff question in
Gen. Hancock's youth, local Meantime
Uncle Toms Cabin had been published
and read, and had had time to make its
influence felt.
The fugitive slave bill offended the north
a good deal but not much came of the
opposition to it, But when the Nebraska |
bill was opposed as new encroachment
of tho slave power the protests of its |
opponents no longer fell on deaf ears |
Dislike of slavery, in many cases ripened |
into hatred, no less fervent because ia |
many cases sentimental, had spread |
among the people throughout the north.
The extent of this feeling was due more
than to any other one thing to Mrs.
Stoves book. The result was that new
party having for its basis the non-extenson
of slavery swept the north and grew on
and on till it elected president, and then
crowded to more advanced ground by the |
slsveholders' rebellion at last destroyed
the peculiar and Internal institution that
had brought so much woe upon the coun-
try.
A free press, debate in legislative bodies
and on the stump, lectures, the pulpit and
private speech were the paths along which
anti-slavery sentiment slowly advanced
but the quickest speed was made when
the hearts of men, women and children
were touched. So that the two great
promoters of the death of slavery were
Uncle Tom, the shadow of shade, living
only in novel, and an imagined edolon,
that phantom image which as John
Browns soul, embodied only in song,
went with our army wherever that army
went to kill the rebellion.