The Portland daily press., 1896-07-28
"REMINISCENCES OF MRS. STOWE.
By Mrs. James I. Fields in the Atlantic
Monthly.

Mrs. Stoves personal appearance has
received soant justice. and no mercy at
the hand of the photographer. She says
herself during her triumphinal visit to
England after the publication of Uncle
Tom: tThe general topic of remark on
meeting me seems to be that l am not so
bad looking as they were afraid I was;
and do assure you, when have seen
the things that are put in the shop win
dows here with my name under them, l
have been lost in wondering imagination
at the boundless loving kindness of my
English and Scottish friends in keeping
up such a warm heart for such a Gorgon.
should think that the Sphinx in the
London museum might have sat for
most of them am going to make a
collection of these portraits to bring
home to you. There is great variety
of them, and they will be useful, like
the Irishman's guide board which showed
where the road did not CO. y
l remember once accompanying her to
reception at q well-known house in
Boston, where before the evening was
over the hostess drew me aside, saying,
s'Why did you never tell me that Mrs.
Stowe was beautifulp And indeed
whom l observed her in the full ardor Of
conversation, with her heightened color,
her eyes shining and awake, but filled
with groat softness, her abundant cur
ling hair ripping naturally about her
head and falling a little at the sides Gas
in the portrait by Riohmondl, l quito
agreed with my hostess. Nor was that
the first time her beauty had boen re-
vealed to me. but she was seldom seen to
be beautiful by the great world, and the
pleasure OF this recognition WAS very
great to those who loved her.
Her friendship with George Eliot was
ono that greatly enlisted Mrs. Stoves
sympathies and enriched her life. Her
interest in any woman who WAS support
ing herself, and especially in any one
who found daily taskmaster in the pen,
and above all, when, as in this case, the
woman was one possessed Of great moral
aspiration half-paralyzed in its action by
finding itself in an anomalous and Ito
the world in general) utterly inGompre-
hen6lble position, such woman was like
magnet to Mrs. Stowe. She inherited
from her father faith In the divine
power of sympathy which only waved
greater with years and experience.
Wherever she found a fellow mortal
suffering trouble or dishonor in spite of
hindrauce her feet were turned that way.
The genius of George Eliot and tho con-
trasting elements of her life and oharact-
er drew Mrs. Stowe TO her side in sisterly
solicitude. Her attitude, her sweetness,
her sincerity could not fail to win the
Heart of George Eliot. They became low
ing friends.
1t was the same Unborn sense of frater-
nifty which led her, when child, on
hearing of the death of Lord Byron, Eto
go out into the fields and fling herself
weeping on The mounded hay. where she
might pray alone for his forgiveness and
salvation. 1t is wonderful to record the
influence of Byron upon that genera
tion. 1t is on record that when Tenny-
son, boy of Is. hoard they say "Byron
is Dead" he thought the whole world at
an end. I" l thought" he said one day,
everything was over and finished for
everyone; that nothing else mattered. l
remember that went alone ana carved
Byron is dead into the sandstone"
1t WAS much at variance with her
natural taste to appear before the public
as reader of her own Stories as she did
in the autumn and winter of 1879 and
1873. She was no longer able to venture
on the effort of another long story, and
yet it was unwise for her to forego the
income which was extended to her
through this channel She wrote: II
have had very urgent business letter
saying that the Iyceums of different
towns were making up their engage
ments, and that if l were going into it l
must make my engagements now. 1t
seems to ME that cannot do this.
feel entirely uncertain, and, as the
Yankees say, didn't know what to do
nor to DON'T My state in regard to it
may be described by the phrase, Kind
o. love to-hate to-wish / didn't want
teri suppose the result will be I shall
not work into their lectura SyStam ),