_FROM THE "NATION," N.Y._
It is, nevertheless, a chapter in our history which connot be skipped or
obliterated, inasmuch as it marks one stage of the disease of which the
crisis was passed at Gettysburg. It is one, too, for which we ought not
to be dependent on tradition; and, all things considered, no one was so
well qualified as Mr. Still to reproduce that phase of it with which he
was so intimately concerned, as chairman of the Acting Committee of the
Vigilance Committee of Philadelphia.
Of all the Border States, Pennsylvania was the most accessible to
fugitives from slavery; and as the organization just named was probably
the most perfect and efficient of its kind, and served as a distributor
to the branches in other States, its record doubtless covers the larger
part of the field of operations of the Underground Railroad; or, in
other words, of the systematic but secret efforts to promote the escape
of slaves.
* * * * *
_FROM THE CHRISTIAN UNION, N.Y._
"The narratives themselves, told with the simplicity and directness of
obvious truth, are full of terror, of pathos, the shame of human
baseness and the glory of human virtue; and though the time is not yet
sufficiently distant from the date of their occurrence to give to this
record the universal acceptance it deserves, there are few, we think,
even now, who can read it without amazement that such things could be in
our very day, and be regarded with such general apathy. When the
question, still so momentous and exciting, of the relations of the two
races in this country, shall have passed from the vortex of political
strife and social prejudice, and taken its place among the ethical
axioms of a Christian civilization, then this faithful account of some
of the darkest and some of the brightest incidents in our history--this
cyclopædia of all the virtues and all the vices of humanity--will be
accepted as a most valuable contribution to the annals of one of the
important eras of the world."
* * * * *
_FROM THE "LUTHERAN OBSERVER," PHILADELPHIA._
"It is a remarkable book in many respects. Like the 'Key to Uncle Tom's
Cabin,' by Mrs. Stowe, it reveals many of the most thrilling personal
dramas and tragedies in the entire history of slavery. That 'truth is
stranger than fiction' has hundreds of striking illustrations in this
volume, which is a narrative of facts, the records of which were kept by
Mr. Still, and are the only records in existence of the famous
organization known as the Underground Railroad. It was established for
the purpose of aiding slaves to escape from their masters in the South,
but its operations were so mysterious and secret that, although
everybody knew and spoke vaguely of its existence during the time of
slavery, yet none but the initiated knew the secrets of its management
and operations. These are now revealed for the first time in this work,
and are as strange and wonderful as the most absorbing pictures of
romance."
* * * * *
_FROM, THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER, PHILA._
There has been no such work produced by any colored man in the country.
"My Bondage and my Freedom," by Douglass, was a remarkable book, and was
justly appreciated by the liberty-loving people of the North and of
England, but it was the story of a single hero. Comparatively, the same
may be said of the lives of Jermain Logan and others. But all these were
but the exploits of individuals. The work of Mr. Still, however, takes a
broader scope. It is the story of scores of heroes--heroes that equalled
Douglass in nerve, and Logan in tact, and excelled either in thrilling
adventure.
* * * * *
_FROM "ZION'S HERALD," BOSTON._
"It is a big book in manner, matter, and spirit; the biggest book
America has yet written. It is our 'Book of Martyrs,' and William Still
is our Fox the Chronicler. It is the 'thousand witnesses' of Theodore
Weld, enlarged and intensified. It is more than Uncle Tom, Wilson's
'History of the Anti-slavery War,' or the hundred histories of the war
itself....
"The book is well illustrated with portraits of the railroad managers,
and with scenes taken from life, and is far the most entertaining and
instructive story ever issued from the American press. Everybody should
buy, read, and transmit to his children these annals of our heroic age."
* * * * *
_FROM THE "MORNING STAR," DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE._
"The work is intensely interesting. Many of the narratives thrill the
reader through and through. Some of them awaken an indignation, a
horror, or a sense of humiliation and shame that makes the blood curdle
or the cheek flush, or the breathing difficult. The best and the worst
sides of human nature are successfully exhibited. Here heroism and
patience stand out transfigured; there selfishness and brutality hold
carnival till it seems as though justice had been exiled and God had
forgotten his own. The number of cases reported is very large, and the
method in which the author has done his work is commendable. There is no
rhetorical ambition. The narratives are embodied in plain language. The
facts are left to make their own impression, without an attempt to
embellish them by the aid of imagination. And the work is timely."
* * * * *
_FROM THE "FRIENDS' REVIEW," PHILADELPHIA._
"We are glad to see this book. We anticipate for it a large circulation,
and a permanent rank in a peculiar and painful department of history.
The writer is one among very many who are entitled to the hearty support
of philanthropists for their services rendered, often at considerable
sacrifices and imminent peril, for the rescue and aid of those who were
wickedly held in bondage.... The _Underground Railroad_ should have a
place in every comprehensive library, private or public.