The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-11-19

| the United States.
Dickens Farewell English Dinner.
The London journals give full descriptions
Of the farewell dinner to Charles Dickens at
the Freemasons' Tavern, in London, on the I'd
of November. This dinner was very tolera-
BILE imitation, it appears, Of the ovation which
Mr.. Dickens received on his first visit to this
country, twenty-five years ago, in New York,
Boston, Philadelphia and other American
cities. Twenty-Five years ago the English,
although tickled to laughter by the humorous
adventures of Mr.. Pickwick and his compan-
ions, had not learned to appreciate the genius
of the author Of the Pickwick Papers, genius
which was destined to bring to light an en-
tirely new world of human interest out of the
depths oflow life in England. Ths genius Of
Mr.. Dickens received 10 this country, where
his readers have always far outnumbered his
readers in England, its first spontaneous and
hearty public recognition. To be sure, the
generation which, as he intimates in his reply
to Lord Lytton's speech at the recent London
dinner, has almost wholly passed away, did
not exactly know how to express its admira-
ton for the novelist who had just discovered
new mine in fictitious literature. But although
the American admirers Of Dickens sometimes
cut queer capers and made FOOLS Of them
selves generally in their eagerness to
do him honor, yet underlying all the
ridiculous toadyism of his reception was deep
and sincere and intelligent appreciation of the
genius which he had already exhibited. The
Americans proved themselves, as Dickens him
self gratefully acknowledges, ia kind, large
hearted, generous and great people" Perhaps
they scarcely merited such . dis ,grcable re-
turn for the welcome extended by them as the
sweeping criticisms of the American Notes"
However, almost everybody rs dead vino was
| so thin-skinned as to suffer from the mosquito
bites that foreign tourists were in the habit Of
infliciin,, after the style Of Parson Fiddler
and Mrs. Trollope. As Mr.. Dickens says in
his dinner speech "a vast, entirely new genera
ton has arisen in the Unit ID States" since he
was here. Very lew of this present 8 generation
have ever cared to read The Americ n Notes."
and the pains taken by Mr.. Dickens and his
friends to ward of by anticipation any retalia-
tory ill-ieeling which they fear may have
been provoked by his unaatterng cagicitures
of American society in the Notes." and In
martin Chnzzlewit" are quito superduous,
except so far as they indicate the total change
which has come over The spirit Of English
students Of our institutions, our history and
merely to their somewhat tardy recognition Of
the fact attested in the most forcible manner
by the results of our recent civil war, that the
United States must be ranked among the
greatest and most powerful nations OF the earth,
but also 10 the fact that American influences
have wonderfully fastened the political and
social revolution which is now in progress
in Great Britain. These two facts sufficiently
account at once for the apologies and the culo-
gies which the orators at Mr.. Dickens dinner
werc careful to substitute Tor the snccrs that
used to be ELECTED in England by allusioas to
America. Obviously our old English enemies
have schanged their base" They have raised
flag of truce. Lord Lytton in his speech
invests Charles Dickens with iull powers TO
contract new treaty Of friendship between
the two nations "Out OF all Eng and" be
says, 1--WE could not have selected an envoy
more calculated to allay irritation and pro-
pitiate good will" Lord Lytton may exag-
gerate somewhat the diplomatic importance OF
his envoy extraordinary, who, after all, will
probably be satisfied with a successful Icc.ur-
ing tour in this country, even il his visit should
not effect any miraculous changes in the inter-
national relations of toe United States and
Great Britain.
Among the guests at the Dickens dinner Ia
London were one or two Am orleans who mus.
have been amused at hearing Lord Lytton
repeat the same honcyed compliments which
they heard twenty-five years ago at th Dickens
dinners in New York, Boston and Philadcl-
phia Nearly oil the fine phrases about the
genius OF Dickens the atinities of the giant
family OF the United States with the Anglo
Saxon race, Notwithstanding the differences
Of origin due 10 German and Dutch and Celtic,
rs well as English, foreathers, and the cement
ing of these diff .rcnccs OF ancestral origin by
the agency Of one language in common aud SO
forth, and 80 forth, might have been cnlicd
from the HERlLos reports of the sp eches at
tuosc hmcItcau ovaAOhS " Dich-HS twenty
Eve years ago, Of which the late London ova-
ton was but an imitation. Thus, in apprccia-
ting and in feasting Dickens we got the start
OF his sluggish countrymen by quarter Of
century. The genius OF Dickens, like that Of
Malibran and many other European celebri-
ties, was first recognized and honored on this
side Of the Atlantic.
The Social Science Association.
This society commences its fifth general