The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-11
CHARLES DICKENS.


Another crowd greeted Mr. Dickens with
afectionate welcome last night, at Steinway
Hall. The reading that was given comprised
six chapters selected from ''David Copperheld,"
and one from 'Pickwickn In the former were
included the episode Of David and Dora and
steerforth and Emily, together with the descrip-
tion of dinner with wilkins Micswber. The
latter was descriptive Of Mr.. Bob Sawyer's
paTty in the lodging-house of Mrs. Raddle.
The shadows OF pathos aud the lights OF humor
are deftly blended in these selections, and
they were faithfully and delightfully."- repro
duced in the readers Interpretation, simplicity,
delicacy, realty-these are the cher elements OF
Mr.. Dickens method as reader and as an
actor, That they are the elements OF his
method at a writer was long ago known to
every student of his literary art. The works
that he has created could only have been Gre
ated In one ways by minute, dlllgent, and long,
continued observation of external life, faithful
retrospection, and conscientious labor-directed
and governed by the instinct of taste. It was
the opinion of Voltaire that the man of taste is
more rare even than the thinker. Mr.. Dickens is
bothin one. He has been and is o great OBJ
server. He has looked quite through the deeds
of men, The object or the mood that he
wishes to describe is definitely fixed in
in words. No vaguenees mars either the con-
cepton or the painting. His characters are real
to him, and he makes them real to his readers:
and therein consists the spell that he wields,
no less as an actor than as writer. In reflect
ing upon the readings that he has given, the
conviction of his absolute truthfulness comes
home to the mind with new and irresistible
force. He has worn no mask. He has been
an honest artist from the first; and what
he is doing now is only the natural outgrowth
of what he has been doing all the days of
bis lie. To have heard these readings is to
have witnessed the spontaneous expression OF
a great nature in the maturity OF its great
ness. There is something fine and touch
ing, in the spectacle OF life SO earnest
and career so symmetrical, Writers and
actors may we'll take to their hearts the mean
ing of the success of Charles Dickens. To
learn the lesson of his fidelity to the simple
mechanical requisites of art would be an in
valuable gain to many persons of both those
classes. His reading, last night was full of
this excellence. As on the first occasion he
perfectly personated Bob Cratchit, the Little
Judge, Winkle, Weller, and old Scrooge-in the
latter case even to so slight detail as the
habit ofputting the hand to the mouth when
speak aking-so, on the second occasion, he omitted
DO characteristic of the unctuous humor and
stately bombast of the heroic Micawber, nor Mrs.
Mlcawber's sweetly insinuating gable, nor q
particle OF Mrs. CruDps garrulity, nor the dole
ful drawl OF 'lorn' Mrs. Gummidge, nor the
shrill. vixenish spitefulness OF Mrs. Raddle, nor
the bland beneyolence and childlike simplicity
of Mr.. Pickwick. Hard work was evident at
every point; but 1t was work that had been
done, and that now told only in its perfect
results. Ia this reading, as before, Mr.. Dickens
was happiest in his humorous embodiments
The moment he enters the realm of humor he
is monarch, and merry one. His clear eyes
twinkle, his face is expressive of bubbling
mirth that is almost forcibly restrained, his
voice grows richer with jollity, his whole
being seems aroused. His great comic hits
last night were Mrs. Gummidge. Mrs. Rad
dles, and the story. of the necklace. There
was true humor, also, in his personation of
Bob SaWyer's servant, and in the deli
cious episode of poor little Dora If he is
less effective in outbursts of pas
sionate emotion, it is from lack of strength
of voice, and not from lack of sympathy.
Such bursts, howbeit, seldom occur in his read
ings-and, for the rest, his Interpretation of
simple pathos is altogether perfect and admira-
BILE, Who can forget Bob Grateful, holding
Tiny Tim's hand, then throwing him a kiss, and
brushing tear from his eyes, as he prepares to
propose the health OF Scrooge? 1t was a little
action, but it meant so much Those only who
have children and fear to lose them, or loving
them hdCe lost, can know how muchit meant.
There we're kindred touches in Mr.. Dickens
Interpretation of Pegotty. As the poor old man
told, in such a sad, sraightfor ward, simple way,
the story OF his wanderings in search of Little
Emily, there could not have been dry eye in
the audience. The noble, affectionate, almost
Christ-ike hero stood very visibly before us.
There was fine, massive grandeur in his
face" says the story; and that same exaltation
shone in the face Of Charles Dickens, as he
spoke the words-"And God only knows how
good them mothers was to me-" In description,
Mr.. Dickens excels all writers OF fiction, past
or present-excepting perhaps, his great and
lsmented brother in art, Thackeray. The
pest chapter, In David Copperheld," /" Is q
noble specimen of his power in this direction.
That chapter he read, in a a greatly condensed
form, last night; and his reading Of it was a
brilliant and remarkable triumph of simple and
natural elocution. The storm seemed to grow rs
he proceeded /; and every imaginative listener
must have felt that strange, subtle sympathy
which sometimes seems 70 exist between
the strife of the elements and the tragic
culminatiOns Of human fate. Death and Tenn
pest clasp hands, at the climax of that thrilling
scene. One of the best artistic points in the
novel is made as the narrative closes; and Mr..
Dickens gave it ample force, last night as he
described the dead man, whose name is unmen-
tioned:-"But he led me to the shore. Aud on
that part of it where she and ] had looked
for shells-two children-on that part of it
where some lighter fragments of the old boat
blown down lastnight had been scattered by the
winds-among the ruins OF the house he had
wIonged-I saw him lying with his head upon
his arm, as had often seen him lie at school,"
IN. p, Tribune.
in p1 n