UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

50 KEY TO UNCLE TOM S CABIN.
The writer very well remembers hearingof rising above it ; feeling the black skin on
this story narrated among a group of liberated
them,like the mark of Cain,to be a signof
negroes, and their comments on it. A reprobation and infamy, and urged on by a
peculiar form of grave and solemn ironykind of secret desperation to make their
"
often characterizes the communications of calling and in sin election" " sure."
this class of people.It is a habit engendered
in slavery to comment upon proceedings
astonished and discouraged, as Miss Ophelia
of this kind in languageapparently was, in the attempt to bringup such children
respectful to the perpetrators, and which is decently and Christianly, under a state
feltto be ironyonlyby a certain peculiarity of thingswhich takes away every stimulant
difficult to describe. After the which God meant should operate healthfullv
of manner,
relation of this story, when
the writer expressed
on the human mind.
her indignation
no measured We are not now speaking of the Southern
terms, one of the oldestof the sable circle
remarked,gravely,
States;for,startling it may appear,
"
The man was a mightygreat Christian, is not yet whollyabolished in the
anyhow."
The writer warmlyexpressed
from thisview,when another of the same
the circle,but no further comments were keptequal pace with, and were often superior
made. This incidenthas often recurred to to,the white childrenwith whom they
the writer'smind,as showingthe dangerto were associated ; but that there came a time
the welfare of the master's soul from the possession
when they became indifferentto learning,
of absolute power. A man of justice and made no further progress. This was
and humanitywhen in health,is often invariably at the age when theywere old
temptedto become unjust,exacting and enough to reflect upon life, and to perceive
exorbitant, in sickness. If,in these circumstances,
that society had no placeto offerthem for
he is surrounded by inferiors, from
whom law and publicopinionhave taken
away the rights of common humanity, how
is he temptedto the exercise of the most
despotic passions, and,like this unfortunate
man, to leave the world with the weight of
these awful words upon his head: "If ye
forgive not men their trespasses, neitherwill
your Father forgive your
CHAPTER
TOPSY.
trespasses."
XII.
Topsy stands as the representative of a
in lifețo possess
largeclassof the childrenwho are growingthis or that acquirement or
up
under the institutionof "
slavery, quick, How could you
ever become a merchant,
activeșubtle and ingenious,apparently without understanding accounts 1 How
utterly devoid of principle and conscience,
keenlypenetrating, by an instinct which
languages 1 If you
could you enter the learned professions,
without understanding
existsin the childish mind,the degradation are ignorantand uninformed, you -cannot
of theircondition, and the utter hopelessness take rank as a gentleman in society."
Christianpeoplehave oftenbeen perfectly
States merely, but of the New England
slavery
freestates of lhe_North. The most unchristian
her dissent part of it țhat which givesto itall
the bitternessand all the sting, is yet, in a
circleadded,
greatmeasure, unrepealed ; itisthe practical
"Went to glory,anyhow."
denial to the negro of the rightsof
And another continued,
human brotherhood. In consequence of
"Had the greatestkind of a time when this,Topsy is a character which may be
he was a-dyin' ; said he was goin'straight found at the North as wTell as at the South.
into heaven."
In conductingthe education of negro,
And when thewriterremarked that many
mulatto and quadroonchildrențhe writer
peoplethought so who never gotthere, a singularhas
often observed this fact :
"
that,for a
smile of grimapprovalpassed round certain time,and up to a certain age, they
which anythingmore would be requisite
than the rudestand most
elementary knowledge.
Let us consider how it is with our own
children ; how few of them would ever
acquire an education fromțhe mere love of
learning.
In the process necessary to acquire a
style of hand-writing, to master
handsome
the intricaciesof any language, or to conquer
the difficultiesof mathematical
how often does the perseverance of the child
study,
flag, and need to be stimulated by his
parents and teachers by such considerations
as these : "It will be necessary for you, in
such or such a position
accomplishment.