THE TIVOLI

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6887, 17 April 1929, Page 3

THE TIVOLI

UNCLE TOM’S CABH{. « r phat Uncle Tom’s Cabin as a novel had a tremendous appeal on its first publication aside from the effect it had 01: the question of slavery is demonstrated by the enthusiastic preface written to the book by George Band, the brilliant woman novelist in 1563. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel was regarded as tremendously important, if one may take the praise of it by George Hand as a standard of the way in which it was received in Europe. Harry Pollard who directfc.’. the tremendous film version of Uncle Tom s Cabin for Universal Pictures Corporation recently found through a friend in Paris ,and purchased a rare volume of the first edition of the novel in the French language. The book contains the preface written by George Sand. Madame Sand’s article on Uncle Tom’s Cabin was first published in the Parisian newspaper La Prcsse and later used as a preface to tho volume published in French in 18(33. The article is not greatly unlike the book reviews of tu-day. The novel is criticised from a technical standpoint and its natural faults arc pointed out. One paragraph will suffice to indicate the enthusiastic tone in which the book is praised in the preface: “It cannot be an officious publicity to praise Mrs Stowe’s book. Wc repeat, it is a homage that never has a work so merited. She is far from here, wc do not know here who has penetrated our hearts with emotions so sad and sweet. Let us thank her the more for that. Let the tender voices of women, the generous voices of men and those of children so adorably glorified in the book, and those of the oppressed of all the world cross the seas and tell her that she is esteemed and that she is loved.” A matinee is to be held to-day at 3 p.m.