美国学生历史 第163期:1850年的折中法案(6)

 The law of 1850 gave the enforcement of the act to United States officials. 1850年的法律将强制执行这个法案的权力交给美国政府官员，

The agents of slave owners claimed many persons as fugitives². 奴隶主代表们宣称许多人都是逃亡者，

But few were returned to the South. 但是，很少有奴隶移交给南方。

The important result of these attempts to enforce the law was to strengthen Northern public opinion against slavery. 强制执行这个法律的重要结果是强化北方公共舆论反对奴隶制，

It led to redoubled efforts to help runaway³ slaves through the Northern states to Canada. 这使得北方人帮助逃亡奴隶通过北方各州逃往加拿大的努力倍增；

A regular system was established. 人们建成一个正规的体系，

This was called the "Underground Railway." 并称之为"地下铁路"。

In short, instead of bringing about "a union of hearts," the Compromise of 1850 increased the ill feeling between the people of the two sections of the country. 简而言之，1850年的折中法案没有带来"心灵的联邦"，而是助长了国家南北双方之间的敌意。

348. "Uncle Tom's Cabin." 348．《汤姆叔叔的小屋》

It was at this time that Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin." 就在这个时候哈里特o比奇尔o斯托夫人写下了《汤姆叔叔的小屋》。

In this story she set forth⁴ the pleasant side of slavery-the light-heartedness and kind-heartedness of the negroes. 在这个故事中，她写出了奴隶制令人高兴的一面--黑人们无忧无虑而又有仁慈之心；

In it she also set forth the unpleasant side of slavery-the whipping of human beings, the selling of human beings, the hunting of human beings. 她还写出了奴隶制令人讨厌的一面--奴隶遭受鞭打、被买卖、被追猎。

Of course, there never was such a slave as Uncle Tom. 当然，从来就没有像汤姆叔叔这样的一个奴隶。

The story is simply a wonderful picture of slavery as it appeared to a brilliant woman of the North. 这个故事简直是一个美妙的奴隶制的画面，因为它似乎是一个优秀的北方女人。

Hundreds of thousands of copies of this book were sold in the South as well as in the North. 这本书在南方和北方卖出成千上万册，

Plays founded on the book were acted on the stage. 舞台上演出根据这本书改编而成的剧目。

Southern people when reading "Uncle Tom" thought little of the unpleasant things in it: they liked the pleasant things in it. 南方人在阅读这本书时很少考虑其中令人讨厌的东西，他们喜欢其中令人高兴的事；

Northern people laughed at the pretty pictures of plantation⁵ life: they were moved to tears by the tales of cruelty. 北方人因为种植园生活的漂亮图片而发笑，又因这些残忍的故事而流泪。

"Uncle Tom's Cabin" and the Fugitive¹ Slave Law convinced the people of the North that bounds must be set to the extension of slavery. 《汤姆叔叔的小屋》和《逃亡奴隶法案》让北方人相信必须要限制奴隶制的扩张。

1 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

2 fugitives   

n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Three fugitives from the prison are still at large. 三名逃犯仍然未被抓获。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Members of the provisional government were prisoners or fugitives. 临时政府的成员或被捕或逃亡。 来自演讲部分

3 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

4 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

5 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。