[72]
Afterwards, however, in reading “Uncle Tom,” I recognized scene after scene of that visit portrayed with the most minute fidelity, and knew at once where the material for that portion of the story had been gathered.
At this time, however,
Mrs. Stowe was more deeply interested in the subject of education than in that of slavery, as is shown by the following extract from one of her letters to
Miss May, who was herself a teacher.
She says:--
We mean to turn over the West by means of model schools in this, its capital.
We mean to have a young lady's school of about fifty or sixty, a primary school of little girls to the same amount, and then a primary school for boys. We have come to the conclusion that the work of teaching will never be rightly done till it passes into female hands.
This is especially true with regard to boys.
To govern boys by moral influences requires tact and talent and versatility; it requires also the same division of labor that female education does.
But men of tact, versatility, talent, and piety will not devote their lives to teaching.
They must be ministers and missionaries, and all that, and while there is such a thrilling call for action in this way, every man who is merely teaching feels as if he were a Hercules with a distaff, ready to spring to the first trumpet that calls him away.
As for division of labor, men must have salaries that can support wife and family, and, of course, a revenue would be required to support a requisite number of teachers if they could be found.
Then, if men have more knowledge they have less
