the anti-slavery crusade-第22章

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l　victims　residing　in　Northern　States　were　thrown　into　panic。　Some　rushed　off　to　Canada；　others　organized　means　for　protection。　A　father　and　son　from　Baltimore　came　to　a　town　in　Pennsylvania　to　recover　a　fugitive。　An　alarm　was　sounded；　men；　mostly　colored；　rushed　to　the　protection　of　the　one　whose　liberty　was　threatened。　Two　Quakers　appeared　on　the　scene　and　warned　the　slavehunters　to　desist　and　upon　their　refusal　one　slave…hunter　was　instantly　killed　and　the　other　wounded。　The　fugitive　was　conveyed　to　a　place　of　safety；　and　to　the　murderers　no　punishment　was　meted　out；　though　the　general　Government　made　strenuous　efforts　to　discover　and　punish　them。　In　New　York；　though　Gerrit　Smith　and　a　local　clergyman　with　a　few　assistants　rescued　a　fugitive　from　the　officers　of　the　law　and　sent　him　to　Canada；　openly　proclaiming　and　justifying　the　act；　no　attempt　was　made　to　punish　the　offenders。　After　a　dozen　years　of　intense　and　ever…increasing　excitement；　when　other　causes　of　friction　between　North　and　South　had　apparently　been　removed　and　good　citizens　in　the　two　sections　were　rejoicing　at　the　prospect　of　an　era　of　peace　and　harmony；　public　attention　was　concentrated　upon　the　one　problem　of　conduct　which　would　not　admit　of　peaceable　legal　adjustment。　Abolitionists　had　always　been　stigmatized　as　lawbreakers　whose　aim　was　the　destruction　of　slavery　in　utter　disregard　of　the　rights　of　the　States。　This　charge　was　absolutely　false；　their　settled　program　involved　full　recognition　of　state　and　municipal　control　over　slavery。　Yet　after　public　attention　had　become　fixed　upon　conduct　on　the　part　of　the　abolitionists　which　was　illegal；　it　was　difficult　to　escape　the　implication　that　their　whole　course　was　illegal。　This　was　the　tragic　significance　of　the　Fugitive　Slave　Act　of　1850。

CHAPTER　IX。　BOOKS　AS　ANTI…SLAVERY　WEAPONS　Whittier　offered　up　〃thanks　for　the　fugitive　slave　law；　for　it　gave　occasion　for　'Uncle　Tom's　Cabin。'〃　Mrs。　Harriet　Beecher　Stowe　had　been　mistress　of　a　station　on　the　Underground　Railroad　at　Cincinnati；　the　storm…center　of　the　West；　and　out　of　her　experience　she　has　transmitted　to　the　world　a　knowledge　of　the　elemental　and　tragic　human　experiences　of　the　slaves　which　would　otherwise　have　been　restricted　to　a　select　few。　The　mistress　of　a　similar　station　in　eastern　Indiana；　though　she　held　novel　reading　a　deadly　sin；　said：　〃'Uncle　Tom's　Cabin'　is　not　a　novel；　it　is　a　record　of　facts。　I　myself　have　listened　to　the　same　stories。〃　The　reading　public　in　all　lands　soon　became　sympathetic　participants　in　the　labors　of　those　who；　in　defiance　of　law；　were　lending　a　hand　to　the　aspirants　for　liberty。　At　the　time　of　the　publication　of　the　story　in　book　form　in　March；　1852；　America　was　being　profoundly　stirred　by　the　stories　of　fugitives　who　had　escaped　from　European　despotism。　Mrs。　Stowe　refers　to　these　incidents　in　her　question：　〃When　despairing　Hungarian　fugitives　make　their　way；　against　all　the　search…warrants　and　authorities　of　their　lawful　governments　to　America；　press　and　political　cabinet　ring　with　applause　and　welcome。　When　despairing　African　fugitives　do　the　same　thingit　iswhat　IS　it？〃　Little　did　she　think　that　when　the　eloquence　of　the　Hungarian　refugee　had　been　forgotten；　the　story　of　Eliza　and　Uncle　Tom　would　ring　throughout　the　world。　The　book　did　far　more　than　vindicate　the　conduct　of　those　who　rendered　assistance　to　the　fugitive　from　slavery；　it　let　in　daylight　upon　the　essential　nature　of　slavery。　Humane　and　just　masters　are　shown　to　be　forced　into　participation　in　acts　which　result　in　intolerable　cruelty。　Full　justice　is　done　to　the　noble　and　admirable　character　of　Southern　slave…owners。　The　author　had　been　a　guest　in　the　home　of　the　〃Shelbys；〃　in　Kentucky。　She　had　taken　great　pains　to　understand　the　Southern　point　of　view　on　the　subject　of　slavery；　she　had　entered　into　the　real　trials　and　difficulties　involved　in　any　plan　of　emancipation。　St。　Clair；　speaking　to　Miss　Ophelia；　his　New　England　cousin；　says：　〃If　we　emancipate；　are　you　willing　to　educate？　How　many　families　of　your　town　would　take　in　a　negro　man　or　woman；　teach　them；　bear　with　them；　and　seek　to　make　them　Christians？　How　many　merchants　would　take　Adolph；　if　I　wanted　to　make　him　a　clerk；　or　mechanics；　if　I　wanted　to　teach　him　a　trade？　If　I　wanted　to　put　Jane　and　Rosa　to　a　school；　how　many　schools　are　there　in　the　Northern　States　that　would　take　them　in？　How　many　families　that　would　board　them？　And　yet　they　are　as　white　as　many　a　woman　north　or　south。　You　see；　cousin；　I　want　justice　done　us。　We　are　in　a　bad　position。　We　are　the　more　obvious　oppressors　of　the　negro；　but　the　unchristian　prejudice　of　the　north　is　an　oppressor　almost　equally　severe。〃　Throughout　the　book　the　idea　is　elaborated　in　many　ways。　Miss　Ophelia　is　introduced　for　the　purpose　of　contrasting　Northern　ignorance　and　New　England　prejudice　with　the　patience　and　forbearance　of　the　better　class　of　slave…owners　of　the　South。　The　genuine　affection　of　an　unspoiled　child　for　negro　friends　is　made　especially　emphatic。　Miss　Ophelia　objected　to　Eva's　expressions　of　devotion　to　Uncle　Tom。　Her　father　insists　that　his　daughter　shall　not　be　robbed　of　the　free　utterance　of　her　high　regard；　observing　that　〃the　child　is　the　only　true　democrat。〃　There　is　only　one　Simon　Legree　in　the　book；　and　he　is　of　New　England　extraction。　The　story　is　as　distinctly　intended　to　inform　Northern　ignorance　and　to　remove　Northern　prejudice　as　it　is　to　justify　the　conduct　of　abolitionists。　What　was　the　effect　of　the　publication？　In　European　countries　far　removed　from　local　partizan　prejudice；　it　was　immediately　received　as　a　great　revelation　of　the　spirit　of　liberty。　It　was　translated　into　twenty…three　different　languages。　So　devoted　were　the　Italians　to　the　reading　of　the　story　that　there　was　earnest　effort　to　suppress　its　circulation。　As　a　drama　it　proved　a　great　success；　not　only　in　America　and　England　but　in　France　and　other　countries　as　well。　More　than　a　million　copies　of　the　story　were　sold　in　the　British　Empire。　Lord　Palmerston　avers　that　he　had　not　read　a　novel　for　thirty　years；　yet　he　read　Uncle　Tom's　Cabin　three　times　and　commended　the　book　for　the　statesmanship　displayed　in　it。　What　is　in　the　story　to　call　forth　such　commendation　from　the　cold…blooded　English　statesman？　The　book　revealed；　in　a　way　fitted　to　carry　conviction　to　every　unprejudiced　reader；　the　impossibility　of　uniting　slavery　with　freedom　under　the　same　Government。　Either　all　must　be　free　or　the　mass　subject　to　the　fewor　there　is　actual　war。　This　principle　is　finely　brought　out　in　the　predicament　of　the　Quaker　confronted　by　a　fugitive　with　wife　and　child　who　had　seen　a　sister　sold　and　conveyed　to　a　life　of　shame　on　a　Southern　plantation。　〃Am　I　going　to　stand　by　and　see　them　take　my　wife　and　sell　her？〃　exclaimed　the　negro。　〃No；　God　help　me！　I'll　fight　to　the　last　breath　before　they　shall　take　my　wife　and　son。　Can　you　blame　me？〃　To　which　the　Quaker　replied：　〃Mortal　man　cannot　blame　thee；　George。　Flesh　and　blood　could　not　do　otherwise。　'Woe　unto　the　world　because　of　offences　but　woe　unto　them　through　whom　the　offence　cometh。'〃　〃Would　not　even　you；　sir；　do　the　same；　in　my　place？〃　〃I　pray　that　I　be　not　tried。〃　And　in　the　ensuing　events　the　Quaker　played　an　important　p