The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-07
THE Dickens FURORE.
CHARLES DICKENS AND THE ~ Y.
HERALD.

o,sr, and an exhibition OF malice, and 1t too fre
ouenilv barpens that the one is put forth under
tbe assumption. of the other. It may be per-
foc,lv proper and in good taste for many
Americans TO treat Mr.. Dickens with that respect,
h,,t not enthusiasm, which his great talents
',,or,,, but when the attack comes from one
wbo Is stinging under the causic pen OF the
ou,hor of MARTIN Chuzzle wit ~ its taste is very
questionable. The persistent attacks on Mr.
Dickens indulged in by James Gordon Bennett
form noted contrast to the toadyism ehown
him BY that gentleman when he was here last.
The question is natural, why the virtuous indig-
nation of the New York Herald against Dickens
now and its fawning them The result is found
in the disgust evinced by Mr.. Dickens for
Mr.. Bennett, and not concealed by him when
he returned to England. To show how the
notorious James Gordon now seeks to reply to
the criticism expended upon HIM, we quote the
following letter by his special correspondent,
who is following MIR. Dickens from post to
pOst:--
BosroN, Nov. 3O--AIl the Dickens excitement
is confined to one class of persons-ac class some
times useful, perhaps but never popular. These
monopolists of the furore are the spectators in
tickets-those Jews of amusement who live on
the edge of every body's pleasure without ever
having their souls soltened by taking little
themselves, and who are equally ready 10 st MAKE
lampooner, or out of the popular hunger ana
thirst for the exquisite notes OF some marvel
lous prima donna. AS there are TO be but Tour
''readings" here, and as the charge for tickets
was put very low, all these were readily sold
out. Some, but apparently not many, were
bought to Sell. nearly the whole number falling
from the first into the hands OF bona nae pur-
chasers-solid men of Boston, who wish TO treat
their wives and very respectable families to
sight of the only foreigner who ever appreciated
Boston, admired Boston,, and hattered and
that even-to sight of the man who praised
Boston and the Boston people on those very
pages on which he rtdiculed and vilihed all the
rest OF the country. Here is distinction that
does not come often! Surely the privilege OF
sitting and gazing on that man for two hours
must be we'll worth ITO any, Rostonian pos
sessiDg particle of sectional pride; and where
that particular article of intellectual furni-
ture9
But let the Bostonians take care. They may
coming may be very like the following extract
from Mr.. Dickens novel of -" Martin Uhuz-
zlewii."
or course the man who writes thus must be
himself the pnrest Of the pure pure In every possible
people, even the dullest, always talk like the
fellows in CoDgreves comedies; who are not
mercenRry, and never discuss money; aud the
most depraved of whom never says anything
worse than is TO be found in Spurgeons SER
ton that it. regards "honor and fair DEALING as
"worthless ballast" Wouldn't Boston be cut
mp and put down at that?
or imaesne Bostonians reading future vol.
umes Xot Dickens to. find their dinner parties
in Chapter XII IL "Amercan dc n Notes:,m @ wni0n occur
never In my life did such iistless heavy dull
ness es brooded over those meas the very recollec
ment wretehed. - y v" Healthy -cheerfulness
ssToIIipE players ESS 4evSi il th%iT glad enjoy
@ nfsS bis s9e auey f@ ean eaGd
then siink suIIenlyaw to have those social sacra
menls stripped of everything but the mere greedy
the grain with me that i seriously believe the reco
lection Of these funeral feasts VIII be waking night
How would Boston like that for the great au-
thor's account of a lively dinner party? or this
Ior any other sort of gathering OF lts wits and
philosophers
Nothing could have made head against the depress-
nsssm Of Ssness IN @ S them wSs6 would have beaten
the most 1o SVe been 9ae S eS
smile would have iaded into grnning horror. Such
weary nsSppOrtabe po s SeavIness such mass Of aal
mated Indigestion in respeet o. all s1 was GENIAL
brought together elsewhere since the world began.
There are ridiculous, dull, absurd and outra-
geOus people In the United States as there are
In all other States. Mr.. Dickens makes his
sketches of these characters and then, printing
them In England. puts them forth and circu-
dates them as verltable pictures OF the whole
people, declaring that The habits and traits he
tsSShs at are national. He sketches in England
his poorhouse people, and all Englishmen not
associated in the management OF poorh0uses
laugh at or hate those people he does Inc same
English Chapcery Court He appeals to the
whole people against the abuses, weakness, and
Wanities ofaclass, and the satire Is healthy and
perhaps efective but he picks out our ridicu-
lous people and does not satirlze them as what
they are, but holds them up to the world as the
types and images OF the whole people. Paw
kins In Martin Chuzklewli, is not ridiculous as
a boarding. house Keeper but as an American
Diner is not mean a rogue who might be
found anywhere, but a rogue who can be
found only in this country,
The Norrises are not satirized as pretenders,
and people who want to be thought great deal
better than they are but as Americans. In
thus putting a whole people an the pilory for
nation collectively because he found In IL many
prstenders many wretches, much ignorance
and blatant selfassertion-ln doing this Mr.:
Dickens has stimulated national Jealousles anu
dislikes, and has ministere1 so tar as ne was
able to keeping alive the hatreds anu DlIIer-
nesses that part two great peoples, speaking tne
same language In doing this Mr.. Dickens mas
done more evil than he Will ever balance Win
good. though he live to write thousand
volumes tcTammed full OF sentimental hu-
SOME Sf the tickets for the readings as have
said, but apparently not a large number, fell
into the hands of the spectators Tney were
nearly all sold by these thEltty ieIIows a. M an
advance OF nifty cents per tlcket. rms nlu n9I
indicate q tremendous etNatemenJ. fIne al
vance on the price of Liclfets may mark either
theincreasing excitement, and desire 10 see the
great man or the small NUMBER OF tickets Jhat
risen 10 price apparently just in proportion as
Ihey nave become scarce; though the JlckeJ
oehleIs make some eXertiOn TO work up
nanls over the man and his readings. SO far
Ihsy = peko ny a nao small success. They have pro-
mlseu theebhsselVes eb to carry the price of single
seats 70 SZU, ont to-day bought a seat for Mon
day nlght M lol ~ snaseats for subsequent nights
1t may seem odd that there is mot GREAT a,s.
citement over the novelist here. whatever there
may prove TO be elsewhere, particnisrIv IN 1ia,v
of the known BOstOnan tendenc,r - a., "a "a