It is no part of my design to offer apologies for, or by any means to
conceal the faults of Southern slaveholders. But the reading of Uncle
Tom's Cabin, has indelibly fixed the impression on my mind that Mrs.
Stowe's narrative is false. The question is, whether such, or similar
occurrences, are _common_ among Southern slaveholders. If they had
been _rare_, she had no right to make the impression on the whole
civilized world, that they are every-day occurrences. Nor had she any
right unless she had been an eye witness of the leading facts detailed
in her story, to publish a book which presents her country in such an
ignoble attitude before the world; she had no right to base such
calumnious charges on heresay, rumor, or common report. I shall
proceed to show that her tale is improbable, and that it is likely
that no such transactions as are detailed in her story, ever have
transpired among Southern slaveholders.
It is doubtful whether one hundreth part of what hag been published in
abolition papers, during the last fifty years, in regard to Southern
slavery, is true; and those who have received their impressions of
African slavery in the South, from that source, are utterly incapable
of expressing correct opinions on the subject. It was never the
intention of abolition writers, to publish the truth on any subject,
having reference to the Southern section of the United States. Their
object was to make false impressions on the minds of Northern men, and
thereby to originate and sustain a party, from whom, they expected to
derive certain benefits. They worked for pay. Many years ago, I
stepped into a court-house, in a small town in Tennessee, and
immediately after I had seated myself, a lawyer arose, and made a very
vehement speech in favor of some scape-gallows who was arraigned
before the court. After he had taken his seat, another gentleman of
the bar arose, and replied to him. The two gentlemen alternately
speechified the judge and jury for several hours; after which the
judge passed sentence on the culprit, and the two lawyers left the
court-house. As they passed on in the direction of their residences, I
overheard one remark to the other, "in the name of ----, how can a man
stand up before the court, and lie as you did to-day." "Oh!" said the
gentleman in reply, "I was well paid, I received a large fee, and
could afford to lie." Some of the abolition editors, I presume, are
well paid for their services. But to return to Uncle Tom's Cabin. No
other mental culture is necessary, in order to qualify an individual
to write such a book as Uncle Tom's Cabin, except the reading of
novels and abolition papers. Mrs. Stowe, I have no doubt, is well read
in both. And she has performed her task in a manner that has excited
the wonder, and elicited the admiration and applause of millions!
Volumes of eulogiums have been lavished upon her! She is now the
wonder and admiration of America, and a goddess in England; and woe to
him who refuses to do her homage! This rare production bids fair to
supplant the Bible in Sabbath Schools in some parts of our country!
What next? This is an age of wonders and humbugs. For aught we know,
Jo. Smith's Bible, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the spiritual rappers, may
yet revolutionize our world. It is, however, difficult to tell, what
is in the womb of the future; for many new wonders and marvelous
revelations may yet spring up in the land of Yankeedom! Nothing is too
hard for them. The word impossible, has no place in their vocabulary.
Having remarked, that I considered the narrative of Mrs. Stowe untrue;
it now devolves on me to show the improbability of some of her
statements. An old negro man, whom she calls Uncle Tom, is the hero of
her tale. Uncle Tom was the servant of a gentlemen, by name Shelby,
who resided in Kentucky. She represents this old negro, Uncle Tom, as
a very remarkable character. She tells us that Tom was pious and
honest; not simply so, indulgent reader, in the ordinary acceptation
of these terms, but that he was really and truly a God-fearing man--a
man of unimpeachable veracity, strict honesty, and ardent piety; above
suspicion--above crime--a perfect man--a man of almost angelic purity.
We, moreover, learn from her narrative, that good old Tom, (God bless
his soul and preserve his dust), was a kind of overseer on Shelby's
farm; that to him was committed the oversight and supervision, of
whatever pertained to Shelby's farming operations and interests. And
as a proof of Shelby's implicit confidence in him, she states, that he
sent Tom alone at one time, to Cincinnati on business, and that he
returned home with five hundred dollars in his pocket. Tom, according
to her account, was a great favorite, not only with his master, but
also with his mistress and the entire family. Shelby's son George was
devotedly attached to him.
We learn also from the narrative, that Tom was an old man, not less
than forty-five, and probably fifty years of age. She tells us that
Shelby had a son, by name George, who was thirteen years of age; and
that Tom was seven years older than his master Shelby. Supposing that
Shelby was twenty-five years of age when his son George was born; and
that George was thirteen years of age, and that Tom was seven years
older than his master, it stands thus: seven added to twenty-five make
thirty-two, and thirteen added to thirty-two, make forty-five. But
supposing that Shelby was thirty, when George was born, the result
would be fifty.
From the narrative, we infer, that Shelby was in possession of many
slaves; for Mrs. Stowe speaks of a dozen black children perched on the
veranda railings at one time; and it is not presumable, that all the
little boys and girls in his possession, would happen to be perched on
the veranda railings at the same time; and these children must have
had fathers and mothers, and many of them of course, brothers and
sisters, who were men and women. She also tells us, that there were
various negro cabins on the place; each cabin must have contained one
family of negroes at least, if not more. She speaks of a couple of
negro men who went with Haley, the trader, in search of Eliza and her
child.
The labor on Shelby's farm was performed by slaves, and it is a fair
supposition, that there were from fifty to seventy-five slaves on the
farm. This is common through the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, and
farther South it is no uncommon occurrence, to find from one hundred
to five hundred slaves on the same farm, or otherwise in the
possession of the same man.
Hence, we learn that Tom was an old man; that he nursed Shelby when an
infant; that he was a trusty servant; that he had charge of everything
about the place; that he was a pious man, and that Shelby entertained
for him the kindest feelings; and that Mrs. Shelby was warmly attached
to him; and that their son George's attachment to the good old servant
knew no bounds; and that he was the husband of Aunt Chloe, the old
cook; who, (by the by,) is always a great favorite in a Southern
family. But strange as it may appear to those who have never read
Uncle Tom's Cabin, Mrs. Stowe tells us, notwithstanding, that Shelby
sold good old Tom to a negro trader; and that he was again sold to a
gentleman in New Orleans, and that after the death of this gentleman,
he was purchased by an inhumane wretch by the name of Legree.
This man Shelby, nevertheless, according to her tale, was a very
gentlemanly, humane man. I suppose that she would have us to
understand, that he was altogether a pretty fair character for the
South.
I believe the statements of Mrs. Stowe to be untrue, for the following
reasons. First, because Shelby had a number of slaves from whom he
could select; and I know from personal observation, that it is a
universal practice among slaveholders to sell their most worthless and
vicious slaves to negro traders. If they are forced to sell such a
negro as she represents Tom to be, some neighbor who is acquainted
with the slave, will give a higher price for him than a negro trader
will. A negro trader will give as much for a negro who is a rogue, as
he will for one who is an honest man. The negro trader pays no
attention to the character of a negro; for the very good reason that
the character of the negro is unknown to those to whom he expects to
sell. No representation or recommendation whatever, can have any
influence with those to whom they sell. They know nothing about the
character of the negroes whom they purchase, and they have no reliable
means of learning anything about them. Tom was purchased in Kentucky
and sold in New Orleans. Therefore, Haley, the negro trader, would not
have given one dime more for Tom on account of his good qualities. But
Mrs. Stowe tells us, that Shelby was indebted to Haley, and that he
preferred to purchase Tom on account of his good qualities; and that
Shelby expected a high price from him on that account. Haley would
have given several hundred dollars more for a man who was about
twenty-five years of age, than he would have given for poor old Tom;
though the young man might have been as vile a rogue, as ever went
unhung. No man of common sense can fail for one moment, to discover
the truth and justness of the above reasoning. Thus we see that
falsehood is indelibly stamped on Mrs. Stowe's narrative at the very
outset. What is it that enhances the value of negroes in the
estimation of the negro trader? And what is it that recommends them,
or enhances their value in market? First, the age of the slave is
taken into consideration. Nobody will give as much for an old negro as
he will for a young one in the prime of life. Tom was an old man, and
Shelby had in his possession a number of young negroes. These facts
alone stamp falsehood on the face of Mrs. Stowe's tale. Secondly, the
physical force or power of the negro, and his apparent health, are
taken into consideration. The purchaser, if he knows nothing about the
qualities of negroes, will give the highest price for those (judging
from appearances) that can perform the most labor. Now, is it
reasonable to suppose, that a purchaser would have given as much for
poor old Tom, as he would have given for a negro who was twenty-five
or thirty years of age? There are from twenty to twenty-five years
difference in the ages of the negroes, and there is a proportionate
difference in their values. Reader, what do you suppose is the value
of twenty years' labor in dollars and cents? Well, whatever it is,
poor old Tom was precisely that amount less valuable, than many other
negroes in the possession of Shelby; and yet Mrs. Stowe tells us that
Shelby sold Tom, because he could get a higher price for him than any
other negro in his possession. Why? Because of his good qualities. I
have clearly and indisputably shown that Tom's good qualities did not
enhance his value one cent with Haley. And at the same time, Tom was
worth more to Shelby than any half dozen negroes on the farm. How
absurd! Was a more barefaced, palpable, glaring and malicious
falsehood ever fabricated? I am sorry that justice to my countrymen,
my friends and my relatives, requires at my hands, an expose of this
low, scurrilous production, entitled "Uncle Tom's Cabin." This is a
fair sample of abolitionism. But I am not done with Uncle Tom. Mrs.
Stowe tells us that he was a great favorite with Mrs. Shelby, and
Shelby knew of course that it would almost break his wife's heart, and
that young master George would almost go beside himself; yet he sells
poor old Tom to this infamous negro trader, notwithstanding! Ah!
"murder will out," and falsehood will out, likewise. The statements of
Mrs. Stowe are inconsistent; they are sheer fabrications: the figments
of a diseased brain.
I will again remark, that strictly honest, upright negroes, those
remarkable for their good qualities, and those who are withal, negroes
of more than ordinary value, are never sold to negro traders. The
statement that Shelby was guilty of such an act, under the
circumstances, as detailed in the preceding pages, is too absurd, too
futile, too foolish to deceive or mislead any one who knows anything
about the institution of slavery in the South; or the customs, habits,
or manners of slaveholders. The work, however, was prepared for those
whoso minds were warped by prejudice, whose judgments were beclouded
and perverted by sectional hatred and bigotry, and whose imaginations
were bewildered and distempered by the reading of abolition
publications and novels. To such it has proved a treat, yea, they have
read it with avidity and delight.
Mrs. Stowe, presuming on the gullibility of her readers, has made
other statements that I will notice. The wife of this very
kind-hearted, humane and gentlemanly man, Shelby, had a maid-servant,
by name Eliza; and Eliza had an only child; a very remarkable boy
indeed! probably about five or six years of age; if there is any truth
in her tale. Eliza was a delicate bright mulatto girl; a great
favorite with her mistress; and her child of course a great favorite
with the entire family. But, as if determined to break his wife's
heart, Shelby sells Eliza's child also, to the negro trader, Haley.
Here is another, to say the least of it, very improbable statement. If
Shelby was the man that she represents him, he would have sold the
entire dozen woolly heads that were perched on the veranda railings,
on the morning after the transaction, before he would have sold the
only child of his wife's maid-servant. The estimation in which
maid-servants and their children are held by Southern ladies, is
probably unknown to most of my Northern readers. Unless driven to it
by dire necessity, a Southern gentleman would almost as soon part
with his own children, as with his wife's maid-servant, or her
children, except for crime. Eliza is represented by Mrs. Stowe as all
perfection and beauty, and her darling boy as a little angel.
Maid-servants occupy a position in Southern families far above that of
any other class of servants; but little below the white members of the
family. I resided forty-four years in the Southern States, and it is
with pride that I record the fact, that a Southern gentleman would
dispose of anything--everything--carriages, horses, stocks, tenements
and lands, before he would dispose of such servants as Uncle Tom, and
his wife's maid-servant's child, and thereby break his wife's heart.
No! far be it from Southern men; their wives are their all; and far be
it from them, to say or do aught in opposition to the will of their
wives, anything that will deeply mortify or afflict them. A man would
be hooted from genteel society in the Southern States, for such an
ignoble act. Whatever the faults of Southern men may be, they feel
themselves bound to treat their wives with consideration, respect and
kindness. But I must return to Eliza and her boy. Eliza, overhearing
the conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Shelby, on the night after the
interview between Shelby and Haley, she cautiously and quietly takes
her boy out of the bed, and elopes. She hastens with all possible
speed to the State of Ohio. Haley returns to Shelby's on the
succeeding morning for the purpose of taking possession of Tom, and
Eliza's child; but Eliza having decamped with the child, he and a
couple of Shelby's negro men go in pursuit of her. They overtook her
at the river; and Mrs. Stowe tells us, that she fled precipitately
across the river on floating fragments of ice, with her boy in her
arms! She tells us, that the ice was floating, and that a boat was
expected to pass over the river that night. Was ever a more glaring
falsehood penned. As well might she have told us, that Eliza walked
over the river on the water, with a boy who was probably five or six
years of age, in her arms! How inconsistent! How foolish! How
superlatively ridiculous are such tales!! It is enough; I need not
wade through the entire work, in order to show the falsity of Mrs.
Stowe's tale.
She has calumniated her countrymen, and the slander has gone with
electric speed on the pinions of the press, to the ends of the earth.
Her country lies bleeding at her feet; its institutions totter. But
ah! if she can but luxuriate in her ill-gotten gains, but little does
she care what becomes of her country. She, truly, has been well paid
for her services. She has received a "large fee," and all this was
done under the pretense of serving the cause of liberty! Yes, truly,
she is serving the cause of liberty with a vengeance. Had all the
despots of earth leagued themselves together, for the purpose of
crushing civil liberty, they could not have given it such a shock, as
has been done by the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Well may the
friends of republican institutions bow their heads with shame and
regret. The moral influence of the great American republic is
destroyed. The friends of liberty throughout the world, mourn the
disaster.
Mrs. Stowe is the modern Eve. Old mother Eve said, "The serpent
beguiled me, and I did eat." Mrs. Stowe may say, "The serpent beguiled
me, and I did write." Yes, she did write. The daughter of a clergyman
and the wife of a clergyman did write a novel; and other clergymen
seem to think it a fit substitute for the Bible in Sabbath schools;
and ere long, other clergymen will, I have no doubt, read their text
from it in the pulpit. God preserve the world, from clerical knaves
and fools. Of all the curses, that ever were permitted by Almighty God
to fall on wicked and deluded nations, there are none so much to be
dreaded, as corrupt, bigoted, fanatical clergymen. A clergyman--a
minister of God--a minister of the gospel of peace and glad tidings to
all--who with his eyes open, will countenance, aid, or abet, any thing
that destroys the peace and harmony of this nation, or that threatens
to result in disunion and civil war, ought to be hurled forty leagues
deep into perdition.
I entreat you my fellow citizens, to open your eyes and look around
you! Behold hydra-headed infidelity stalking over New England, in
clerical robes. Behold _others_, who have so far lost sight of their
calling, and the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that they are
opposing the execution of the laws of our common country! Sowing
dissentions and exciting feelings of envy, jealousy and hatred among
our citizens. Be not deceived by their clerical robes and assumed
sanctity; it is all lighter than a feather in the balance. My friends,
there is danger ahead. Beware lest you be led blindfold to ruin by
canting hypocrites. These are the men that endanger our liberties.
Stand aloof, give no support to religious bigotry and fanaticism. I
call on you as Christians, as patriots, "to touch not, taste not,
handle not the unclean thing."
Pardon me, my countrymen; I am an American citizen, and as such, I
speak and write. I know that I shall incur the displeasure of many by
the expression of such sentiments as the above; but shall the fear of
man deter me from warning you of your danger? No! heaven forbid! My
country is my pride; my country is my boast; my country is my all; and
woe to him, that would dissolve this glorious and heaven favored
Union, and stain her fair fields with the blood of her own citizens.
He that rebels against the laws of his country, or bids defiance to
the solemn compact which binds together these States, is a traitor to
his country--a traitor to his God. He that would destroy the
Constitution, which was framed by our revolutionary sires, let him be
accursed of God, and driven forth from the habitations of civilized
man. Let every Christian--every friend of our beloved country,
respond, a hearty Amen.
Mrs. Stowe has slandered her countrymen; hence, the great popularity
of her book! We listen with pleasure to a recital, of the vices of our
neighbors; we roll it as a sweet morsel under our tongues; but oh! I
don't tell us anything about their virtues; we don't want to hear them
spoken of! Friend, speak evil only of your neighbors, or else, be
silent! We don't wish to hear you speak well of any one. We have no
taste for eulogy, but give us slander, by wholesale and retail, and we
will gulph it down!
This is a dark picture of the human heart, but I believe a tolerably
correct one!