The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1867-12-12

them. ana while cheer after checr brok.
forth, and cries Of welcome and ciaDpiao
Of innumerable kids. rose and fell ana
rose again in a friendly roar. he tried t.
lspeak and vas defeated and returned ga
lantly to the charge again, but had scarce
" got as far as ''Ladies." when he wa
obliged to srccumb and made anothe;
dash at Gentlemen. and gave it ~, and
at last saw that ore Englishman was moth
inc - 80 many hundred Yankees, anj
waited smiling and bowing until they had
their will. and were ready to let him nave
his
The very first words, Marley was dead
to begin with That was certain, set
tied the question OF success. The way II
which those words we're uttered. showej
also that the reading was to depend for al
effect upon the worth of what was read
and upon the sincerity of the reader
from first to last there is no trickery in il
full Of action. abounding in gesture
with voice for every character in every
mood with face for every man, woman
aud child, rejecting every feeling,
there is no straining for stage effect, M
attitudinizing, no afectation The most
effective reading we ever listened tot
was the most beautifully simple. straight
forward, hearty piece of painting from
life. Dear Bob Cratchite made twenty
five hundred friends before he had spoken
two words, and if everybody had obeycd
the impulse Of his heart, ana sent him n
Christmas goose, he would have been suf-
focated in 4 twinkling. under mountain
Of poultry. As for the delightful Fizzi-
wigs, not the coolest heart in the audience
but warmed to them at once. Probably
never was bali so thoroughly enjoyed as
the one given by these worthy people
to their apprentices. The greatest hit Of
the evening was the point where the
dance executed by Ar. and Mrs. Fizzi-
wigs to Miss Fizziwigs was described
The contagion Of the audiences laughter
reached Mr.. Dickens himself, who with
difficulty brought out the inimitable drol-
lery; "after which Mr.. Fizziwig cut posi-
tively-cut SO that light seemed to shine
from his very calves, and he actually
winked with his legs" This was too
much for Boston. and thought the roof
wouli go off. Next to this, the most ef-
fective point was Tiny Tim, whose plain
tive treble, with Bob Cratchite's way Of
speaking Of him, brought out so many
pocket handkerchiefs that it looked az If.
snow storm had somehow got into the
hall without tickets. Seldom do We. hear
such genuine pathos as that with which
Mr.. Dickens read the poor fathers lament
over his little lame child, and great was
the genius which enabled him 10 walk so
safely on the dangerous edge that sepa-
rates nature, pure and simple, from mere
trayestie. The Christmas party at the
house of Scroggs nephew, where Tuppiue
plays blind mans buf with the plump
sister III the lace tucker, was "A thing never
to be forgotten. When Dickens said -
no more believe that that man was blind
folded than / believe that he had eyes in
his boots" his facial ression-indic-
nant as of a man who is being put upon,
and yet with a consciousness Of the ab-
Surdity Of the statement that makes him
laugh in spite OF his aDgcr-was inimita-
ble and it was long before the audience
would let him get or. IS he closed the
book with Tiny Tins God bless Us every
one" the enthusiasm of the vast assembly
broke forth in such expressions as, to
those who know the imnas-ire nature of
Boston audiences. showed plainly enough
that the heart under all their silk and
broadcloth was fairly stirred and beating
with warm good will But Dickens was
plainly not to be persuaded into = speech.
For all the uproar, he did not appear
again, until the court called up the case Of
Bardel rs piclwick. 1t was easy to see
that the reader himself had a peculiar af-
lection fer this part-a leaf torn from
book that is associated with the beginning
of his fame, the end out OF which this
splendid tree stock. set with flower an:
fruit, has growu. iie read it with full
force, throwing himself into it with all
his heart, and, ! may add, with all his
body, for he put much more acting into
this part Of his reading than into the first
part Sergeant Buzfuz's speech to the
jury was without a flaw, pearl of the
art OF acting, and no words of mine or
anybody could express the way in which
Nathaniel Winkle was before US. Not
less excellent was the juige-the sourest,
aryest, most crosS-grained piece Of legal
stupidity that ever was seen or heard of.
Talk about facial expression, nothing
more wonderful was ever seer than the
change from the judge, who seemed to
always be smelling something disagreeable,
to the frank, cherry face of Samuel Vel
Ter. as fresh as rose and "a good to look
at. Here was a scene: The minute the
court said, "CalI up Samuel Weller that
friend of near 30 years standing was
by al Boston at Il glance, aud
his mounting the stand was a signal for
such a handshaking Speaking in figure
that he will never forget. And wasn';
it jolly to see HIN, jolly to hear him, and,
jOlllest Of all, to hear that deep, rich voice
OF his Old father, deep and rich as the
foam on his quart-pot Of ale, calling out
from the gallery. Put it down with a 'ce,
my lord, pat it down With a ace
In reading these works OF his, Ny.
Dickens neither follows the original text,
nor adheres closely by any means to the
text of the pretty and convenient hand
books winch he has himself condensed
and prepared. lie leaves cut good deal,
chances words. mistakes words sometimes.
and really much of it seems iDsprontH. |
thought now and then, that he was think
ing of his present audience, aud putting
in what he iancied would suit better here
than in London, His delivery has mark
ed peculiarities, and is thoroughly orig
inal. He deals much in the rising rehec