Evening star., 1899-11-24
HARRIET BEECHER STOWE
Address by Mrs. Terrell, With Famous
Authoress as Her Theme.
Origin of "UncIe Toms Cabin"-Mrs.
Stoves Struggle Against Poverty
Incidents In Her Life.

ard University, Mrs. Mary Church Terrell.
former member of the board Of school
trustees, delivered an address on Harriet
Beecher Stowe" before the students of that
institution yesterday afternoon. In part
the speaker said:
In the college church of Brunswick,
Maine. not fifty years ago sat little wo-
man. As the Lords supper was admini5-
tered she was blinded by tears and con-
Vulsed with sobs. In her minds eye she
saw the bruised and bleeding body of
man, whose life was fast ebbing away.
Through the long night he had been re-
peatedly lashed into unconsciousness. then
revived with water, only to be beaten
senseesS again. until now his strength had
failed him and he lay dying.
Almost overcome with the burden which
Ihls scene mad laid on her heart, she rushed
from the house of God to her home. Seiz
mad swept her soul with such tempest of
emotion. This sketch was the foundation of
Uncle Toms Cabin She who wrote it was
harriet Beecher Stowe.
Effect of the story.
The dark cloud of oppression hung over
the land and the friends of liberty were
enveloped in gloom. Having made every
possible appeal that could move men to
Justice, and mercy and right having ex-
hausted their powers of speech to bring
conviction to strong hearts the abolition
lists saw that their efforts had failed of
success. Then it was that book appeared
"hlch painted a picture of the nations sin,
so true TO life, SO shocking In all its fidelity
to fact, in words which burned so deeply
and indelibly into the souls of men, that
all Chrlstendom stood aghast. So power
lul SO searching, was its tone that it pene-
trated the heart, touched the conscience
ana rang IN the ears of men TIL they could
reDrO3ch longer
In estimating the value of Uncle Toms
Capin, 1t is not too much to say that the
work or no writer of modern times has ex-
clted more general and profound interest
than did this masterpiece of Harriet Beech
OF stowe. truer estimate of the work, ac-
complished by Uncle Toms Cabin was
rever made than that expressed by Abra-
ham Lincoln, when on seeing Mrs. Stowe
at the White House he seized her hand
and exclaimed: Are you the little woman
that made the great war?
After seeing what power her book pos
sessed Mrs. Stowe repeatedly disclaimed the
authorship of this child Of her heart and
brain, and declared she was but the hum
blest instrument In the Lords hands, and
to Him alone should be given all the praise.
about a year after the publication Of
Uncle Toms Cabin being asked by an
English authoress to give some informa-
tion concerning herself her family and the
circumstances of her writing this wonder
full book. Mrs. Stowe replied. with charac-
teristic rrankness: To begin. then. I am
little bit of woman, az thin and dry
as pinch of snuff never much to look at
in my best days, and looking like used-up
article now. | was married when l was
twenty-five to a man rich in Greek ard
Hebrew. Latin and Arabic, but alas. rich
In nothing else
Struggle Against Poverty.
''Foc nearly fifteen years after her mar
riage Mrs Stoves life was desperate
struggle against poverty and Illness. At
one time she was so prostrated to be
obliged to remain from her family for near
ly year at famous water cure in the
hope of recuperating her shattered forces
So poor We're they a one time that they
gladly accepted the financial aid of charita-
BILE people. >4 ..
Even after Mrs, StoEe found in her pen
a means Of earning a livelihood. she had
very little time and strength to devote to
writing. So great was the difficulty Of
making financial ends meet that much Of
her thought was occupied with solving the
problem. What shah we eat and where
withal shall we be clothed? rather than.
What theme shall l treat and what shall /
say?
For the most powerful magazine article
Of modern times Harriet Beecher Stowe re-
cefved the small sum Of $500. Going to get
the proceeds from the sale of this same
story four months after it appeared in
book form. PrPof Stowe was asked how
much he thought was coming to him. Oh
he laughingly replied, Il hope It will be
enough to buy my wife a new silk dress.
Whereupon he was handed $4,000 by the
publisher"
After relating many incidents in the life
Of Mrs Stowe, Mrs. Terrell said:
"On the 1st of July, 1896 came the angel
of death to release Harriet Beecher Stowe
from suffering and toll. AS her coffin de-
scended into the earth there disappeared
from view a woman whom no threat terri
ned, no task discouraged, and nothing de-
TERED in her labor of duty and love
IN the hearts of a grateful people she
lives and Harriet Beecher Stowe can never
die