The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-12-06
CHARLES DGCKENS.
His First Rendiay III americas
rcorrespondence OF the New York Tribune

BOSTON.
nounced that Mr.. Dickens would give his first
Reading on this side the Atlantic III Boston,
the nha bitant5 OF our quaint old-fashicned sister
city havo becn IN state OF foverish excitement.
No sooner was the news dashed along the cable
that no was coming than everything was immedi-
steJv mt in auplc.pie order. Tho streets Tere
al swept from one end Of the city TO the ether for
the second time in tho twenty-four hours; the
State House and tho Old South Church were
painted of-hand delicate rose-pinh; now
statue of Edward Everett Tas put up N the Pubic
Garden in tho attitudo OF throwing up his has and
shon.ine ehurrah I" every BOOKSELLER window vas
stacked ND with copies CT Ticl.nor e Fields new
edition Of "Dickens," +" II the temporary dsplI,e-
ment Of LoDgteilows Dante" and Dr. Holmes
ssGuardian Augel;" tho segar shops camo cut as
nothing is smoked, chewcd or taken in snuff to-day
bnt sTitfle Nell Segars," Dir. Squeers's Fine Cut
tho Mantln Flug, and the Genuine Pickw:ck
Snuff" while at every turn IN the Illustrated news
rapers in the hotel Office and IN all the SHOP win
dows, the new portrait OF Mr.. Dickens is TO be
seen. showing as man somewhat past middle life,
with thin, gray hair, o scanty beard, and eyes
dowrcast reading on book (; striking contrast
to the boyish face OF twen y-fve years ago, with
its large full Of oe T9ndef cnno ana sensgi feeg
locks of dark, abundant lair. Tho younger por-
trait was perhaps, little 1attered; but the older
one is as good as quiet, lmpasSlve, picture OF q
face full of life and expression, and ralcly at rest,
can be. We had tho pleasure Vi meeting Mr.
Dickens at dinner few days ago, and, Of course,
1t was not difficult to recognize him, even though
seeing him for the first time; but this portrGit
would we think, have helped us bu; littlo. all
we can say is, to those who wish to know before
hand how SO famous man VIII look M when they see
nize him, but that is al its Office. 1t shows US all
thattime. and labor and care, have done, to bat
ter down the beautiful house OF youth and haunt
ing fancy, but it gives no gleam of the radiant
spirit that still lights up the e@2chanter's enc face
himself strictly secluded from all but one or
two old and intimate friends. His rooms are at
the Parker House, and there he has remained,
busily engaged all day, in writing and study, eI-
cept when he is taking his daily eight mile "con-
stitutional" walk with his publisher, Fields, and
steadily declining all the invitations to breakfast
dinner tea, supper parties, balls, and drives, that
hospitabe Boston pours IN upon him IN an uniail-
ing stream. Much Of his time IS spent IN the most
laborious painstaking study OF the parts he is 20
read. Indeed, the public has but little idea OF the
cost-in downright hard work of mind, am body,
and yoce-at which these readings arc produced.
Although AIr. Dickens has read, now, nearly hTo
hundred times, am assured on the best authority
that he never attempts new part IN puolic until he
has spent at least two months over 1t in study as
faithful and searching as Rachel or Cushmar would
give to q new character. This study extends not
merely to the analysis Of the text tc the dscrimi-
nation OF character to the minutest points ofeocu-
ton, but decides upon the faolsl expression, the
tone of the voice, the gesture, the attitude, and
even the material surroundings of the actor, for,
Acunq il IS, not Reading, in the ordinary sense, at
all. Mr. Dickens is SO essentially an artist that
he cannot neglect the slightest thing that may
serve to heighten the effect OF what he Les under
taken to do. And he ID as CONSCIENTIOUS SO strict
in all his dealings-a very martinez in business
and thorough man of afars-that he viii leave
nothing undone, that time and labor cln do, to
give to the public that pays go much for the pleas
tre or hearing him, the full worth OF its money.
This is the reason why he, man CT the world,
greatly delighting in society, thoroughly fitted
to onIoy it himself, and to make others enjoy
it-detiberately cuts himself of from it, until
his task stall be done. Il am come here"
ho says "to read. The people expect me to
do nv best, and how can l do it If am all the
time on the go2 My time is rot my own, when !
am preparing to read, any more than it is whom
am writing novel, and can as well do one as the
other without concentrating all my powers on it
until it is DONE" Whoever, then, fances that the
crowd that p, cked the fremont Temple tonight,
that the crowd which, after the splendid success
of this first Reading, will concnue 20 pack i. I'll!
the Readings are all over-have given their money
for bagatelIe, an hours careless play or genius
whoever thinks this, is quite mistaken. Inis won
derful two hours pcrformance-so iul! OF Jared
power; prm full, from orG 10 end, OF feel!nG pa,;
thos n,rth and fun sunlir shower or s''il1es aga
tears, not TO be described in words, hardly 70 be
comprchcndcd by the mind; all this-,r At be Aot
the pure result Of unremitting study, a2d thought
and phycioal labCr would, ut least, no. nave been
the perfect thing il is, without these helps
Although the tickets OF the resd.G?5 olfiy
twice repeated ON their face the request that ".ho
audience would all be seated punctIa.y a. b
o'clock" it was nearly 815 before the vast crowd
had simmeied down to state Oh comparative
oulesencc. And it was indeed vast audience
such crowd as is seldom Rataered ina h!Ggie
hall to meet any single man. The ino OF cariiages
J0r, oil n
the suburbs. All the cars l.adl1g from the outlying
towns brought in fresh recruits to the great army,
and the snow that had been falling all the stIer-
noon at last gave up trying 10 let 10 the pavement,
and went TO some other place, wnilo the moon saoae
out and helped the gas lamps light the gay, struS-
Cling, swarnling multitude tEat was trying tc get
inside the doors-watched by long faced silent
multitude that crowded round TIE door ways wit i
out tickets and no hope ofgettlng IN %ta inside
the house the scene was striking enough. Few cities,
anywhere could show an audience OF such char
acter. Hardly a notabio man IN Boston, or iIfty
miles about, but was there, and We doubt !. a
London itself MIR. Dickens eTer read beforo sucn
an assemblage. There sat Longfeow, looking
like the very spirit Of Chris mas with MS ruddy
checks and bright SOFT eyes looking out from the
vest Of snow white hair and snow whi.o beard,
There was Holmes, locking crisp and me nHe
tight little grape-sn tull Of Wit instead OF wine.
There was Lowell, as if Sidney himself had como
back with his poets heart smiling sadly through
his poets eyes. Ferc, too, was the oIaer Dana,
now an old mar. Of eighty, With long grAy: hal:
lieence, as able now ns thirty years ago to
wTriIe Paul FELTON, or The Buccaneer." Run.
nlng the eye over the hall ona saw other mon
widely known. Charles Eliot Norton, whose
stand side by sido with his master Long yellow, OF
the grander song. There in the gallery ie Edwin
Whipple. Yonder is Fields, to whom all owe this
great pleasure. for he suggested, urged, and made
this visit of Dickens easy to him. Bishop tast-
burn, over on the other sido, seems thankful that
clergymen have yet some pleasures lett. There is
Poole the librarian OF the Atheneum, one Of our
men who knows most about books, and Samuel
Eliot, the President OF tho Social Science, and
George Groom, who recently crossed blades with
Bancroft Emcrson's face could not catch. Co2-
cord is far aWa-, and snow storms no joke to ira
vel in. Nor did Whittier como, as was promised, -
Whittier who has never III his life boon present at
IN evening entertainment or any description oon-
cert or opera, or even, arrange to say, lecture.
He promised but at the last his heart failed him,
aaa the good gray head that ell men know" did
not bless CUR eyes tonight
1 have said that Dickens 10 an artist in al he
does, and seldom have seen moro finished
piece Of work than this whole reading, So cai efnl
IS he Of every point that nothing shall 20 aI.iss,
! that ho has brought WIN am ifom Ens.an- an
whom lie reads at home. At the back Of tho plat
form is stretched o long scr2en covered with dMk
sei coth-rod at least it lookSd by Igaeiight,
thcuen Fields told mo y was purple-and il ron!
of it stands table wl.h square legs covered VI! i
oh cpoa bS bSp Se So ,ES GGTGSa Ge[aHe5 T
With heavy ff!c6 6e At ono sido Of This table pro.
ec!s tS shelf also COY covered with in Te!To on
hand ccrn, = IS square block about eight incacs
hish-tnat also covered top and sides, with yovet,
Ike the rost On thia block the reader rests his
book. aud uses it, beside as an accessory in his
by-play Now it is Bob Cratchito's disk Ill ScrooS
oface. Now it is Mr. Fizziwig's desk, from which
pe looks banignantly down or his apprentices,
Nov ID is tho doak en- which rest t!:o Cl-.atnaa
goose of the Cratcte family. A very usog.! l:.t.e
velvet box Nj Dickens makes it, assure you. AID
the audience gets 10 !ooli upon it as quito de-
hcItfnI niece OF furniture.
Mr. D ckens Is net quite as rigid in his puuctu.
ality as dear Fanny KemDo USED TO bo who oogan
like a beautiful fate the minute the clock stuck S
no matter whether peop.o Lad como or not, and
treated the Ing ;ards 10 bGwitohing frowns as they
crept balacd up the aislea. l:ut at last he comes
He enters, holding tho book in both his hands
comes up tic steps with quick, sprinslng walk
and, s.ai dug ut mis- voivet DESK procco 10 work
lie s man OF business. Ee IS dreased with rerf Ct