The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-12-21
Dickens IN NEW YORK.
Row He Looks, HOW He Reads, and
How He Acts-ssChriStma taF0l"
and s'Burdell versus PickWlek.7

SOulu ICSlSb luS COAtdzAOA " AAOA ROA
vades, not only the literary circles,
but the entire country, to hear the
author himself in the reading of his
own writings. The Dickens Read
ings" are the holiday attractions of
the Metropolis, and it would be
poor tribute on our part to our init
mate friends Copperfeld, Pickwick
and the host of others whose society
had delighted US so vastly in times
past, did we omit this rare chance of
renewing our acquaintance in the very
presence of the author himself. We
did not arrive in the cay in time for
the sale of tickets last week, and
therefore had not the opportunity of
manifesting our devotion to our excel
lent friends, as many others had, by
rising soon after midnight to stand in.
line for hours, waiting aaehance to
procure tickets of admission to Stein
way Hall. But an enterprising indi-
vidual who rejoices in the proprietor
ship of a barber-shop. just off Broad
way, + am happy to say, turned
out at al early hour with his
whole. force of employees. rather,
| fear, from a. 'devotionsto the pros
pective premiums than from any ad-
miration fox the gifted author, aud, as
their turn arrived in the long
liue of Observation-Disclosures served out
their quota. Through the enterprise
Of this individual, our company were
enabled AZ g reasonable adrancet To-
gain ADMISSION to Steinyay Hall last
night. fashionable and -aristqeratie,
New York is ia quite1a state of exG
element and ihdignatioboat the mau-I
ner in which the sale offiekets was
made, but we are disposed to COM
mend the zeal of the Broadway barr
Der and his employees whereby our
Hoosier delegation gained an audi.
ence with the novelist, to the exclu-
sion of disappointed residents of
Fifth Avenue.
The thirty or forty thousand read
ers of the JOURNAL few of whom,
will have the privilege Of seeing or
hearing the great English writer, will
justly require to know of US how
DICKENS looked, how he read, and
how helpfesentsto his audiences his
illustrated characters, so familiar to
all American readers l can only
briefly notice the two hours interview
I we had last night.
Mr.. DICKENS, as he appeared be-
hind his little crimson table, with
note book in hand, in. the brilliant
glare OF the gas jets above him, pre-
sented a face a littge older, and with
slight wrinkles, not traceable in the
pictures familiar to his millions Of
readers in the frontispieces of his
works His hair is. somewhat thin
ner, and there IS more of a silver
tinge to it. Butthere is the youthful
elasticity Of action and nicely of man
ner which the readers of his versa
tile stories would naturally conceive
in the writer. The connoisseur of dress
would doubtless have pronounced his
appearance on the platform in
faultless taste and simple neatness-at
least by the New York standard of
simplicity. A plain black suit, with
white cravat, giving him an air of
ministerial soberness, readily relieved
as he entered upon his reading, was
worn. A white carnation aud a pink
rose bud adorned the left lapel of
his coat. a rather superintendent dis
play of gold watch-chain visible on
his vest, and a brilliant diamond
sparkled on his finger. But, withal,
4 Quiet English gentleman, such as an
American audience might expect to
SHnd CHARLES DIcKENs. arr.
In his readings, Mr.. Dickens has
an immense advantage in possessing
the hearty goodwill and sympathy of
his audiences, who have for years
been his admirers through his writ
ings, and with anything above medi
OGRE talent, he could hardly fail to
ypfease his hearers. And yet, after
listening to him for two hours. the
judgment Of the most critical is,
that he is capital reader. He so
Thoroughly understands his charac-.
tiers, the creations of his own fertile
imaginations, and he has 50 long
and fully studied tn. proper methods