New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-12-14
CHARLES DIcEENgs rouhrH READING.

man till the very close Boston, as is well
known to the youngest scholar in our primary
schools, sits. like a spider, in the very center
of divergng web of railroads but, although
five-and-forty irasclble locomotives stood snort
ing and stamping at five-and-forty different
points of the city circumference, screening, and
screaming and whistling to the people to hurry
out and be whizzed off to bed, no man, woman.
boy girl or child, stirred hand or foot till the last
word was spoken and the last point of the
readers cOat-tails had been whisked through
the green-rOOm door. 1t is true that this
mad devotion did not last it could not, of
course have been expected that il would. AS
the readings wOrea way, the natural impotence
OF the outlying citizens asserted itself, and the
inhabitants of Lawrence, Marblehead, Anns-
sq1am, Nantucket and Hull, collecting softly
and secretly during the last few sentences Of
the last few evenings, their tippets, overshOes,
lanterns, umbrellas, gloves and Jumpers, made
all ready for cut-and-ru as soon as the awful
eye OF BeacOn-st. and the Back Bay should DO
removed, that held them like that of the An
cent Mariner, until 1t was respectable TO 20.
But it is difficult in truth for us to understand
how anybody can so much as wish TO 90 away
as long as single syllable remains to be read.
For our own part, we don't believe the Boston
people meant their patience as compliment ut
all. They are just as human, in spite of their
superior knowledge and virtue, which we freely
admit, as we are ourselves; and if they stayed
to the end, it was only because they wished to,
or had to. Each of these readings is whole
in itself, and Mr.. Dickens has spent almost as
much time, and shown almost as much skin, ia
cOndensing his works, or their best episodes,
into these two-hOur readings, as went to the
making Of the original works. We have fol-
lowed them, now, with great care, and
we are more and more struck with the evil
dence Mr.. Dickens gives in them of being
thorough workman. He has shown fine tact
in constructing these little books. Each one Of
them is an interesting story; they are just tho
right length, they are adrOitly varied, they con-
tain as many of the memorable and familiar
incidents, characters, phases, as can be accom-
mOdated in such narrow quarters land TO DO
sure the disprOpOrtiOn between those that get in
and those that have to be left out is something
bewilderng), yet on the whole, as nothing is adj
mitted but what is st-rate we feel as If we had
heard as many good things as we could digest
And the narratives are SO neatly put together
that one would find it very hard to decide
Just when it would be safe TO go away; at all
events, no one as yet has seemed disposed to
try il, and now that audiences have found how
possible it is to sit to the end OF something,
we may reasonably hope that they will decide
in future TO sit quietly to the end OF every
thing. The reading of tonight closed the
first course, and that of next week VIII be
repetition of the first. Mr.. Dickens has written
so much, and so much that is delightful, that
we are q little inclined to quarrel with him Tor
| limiting his selections so stralty as he does.
We f5n Sg SsT name but all with ne sueS I mime
Of fun and path0s 20 quarry iIcai, NO
that there should be no repetitiOns
! in any one course A good deal of disappont.
ment was felt, and expressed In whispers to-
night that the trial from Pickwick was re-
peated, it having been already read on Mon
day it is of course good enough to bear read.
ing rs many times as the author chooses, and
if Mr.. Dickens were coming here to live, which
we wish he were, we should have no objection
to hearing 1t once week for great many
weeks in succession, but, when there is only
one week, we want all the variety we can get
There runs a story that after Mr.. Dickens
had returned to England, and had vented his
youthful spirits in that little books we so much
wish--and, perhaps, be so much wishes, he had
never written-he was busted with "Dombey
& Son. and that he received so many letters
from the United States begging him not to let
little Paul die, his heart was hardened, Ike
Pharaohs and he vowed he would kill him TO
truth in this malicious tale, for what else could
have been done with little PAUL. He was not
killed, as MercutiO is said to have, been.
because if he had lived he would have
killed his author. but the very plot
we are guiltless of the, DEATH. The reading,
last night, from DOmbey and Son" was en-
tirely made up of the episode Of Little Paul;
we were present i'll his mothers chamber
shortly after his birth. We went with him to arst
finally to his fathers house in London where
he dies. We see Mrs, Chick, Mrs Blimber.
and the Doctor, and COrpelia, and ToOts
but little Paul is the, central figure;
and his plaintive voice, with ITS unanswered
questiOnings, is heard signing like dreary
Mr.. Dickens reads little Paul is so full
of sickness, WEAKNESS, and childish despair
that 1t becomes very palnful aIter "hlio
TO hear IT, and We need all the humor-
Gus scenes in which he has placed the child,
to relieve the awful tragedy, In reading this
particular part he employs, the monotone most
skillfully, as we came TO think, although at
first we were greatly disappointed; the voice
querulous, but after little we felt that Dickens
was right, as we might have taken for granted,
and all the strength and beauty OF the ehilds
sNjrit-the querulOusness is the feeble
boGY's vOice5Iceme out in his lew few
words t. Nth YSS S s.s and Still IT, our ms own les
inc is that bob CratchftD is sweeter and
healthier piece of pathos than " Little Paul;
has more purpose in IL, more hope III II, ana
leads us up to higher ground latte fa9l leaIS.
the heart terribly dark and sad; bod CIaIcni'
makes the darkness light about US as We near
i" rad Never have we heard anything
so ineffablv sweet and tender az Ilny
Times-"I Thought that they might like to see
me In the church, and think Who made lame
beSears walk, and blind men see.n Little PauPs
tain about the waves and what they are always
saving, sounds like thin sentiment by the sloe
of this deep significance On the whole though
Toots was a surprise, every way, both IN tie s9rs
of boy Dickens cOnceives hlA TO De, anu IN Tug
skill with which he is set before us; and though
Mrs. Chick was all our fancy had ever painted
her; and though Mrs. Pipchin, barring she was was
crosser to little Paul than we think she eoula
have been, was the same dear OLD woman VIC
nsed TO know, we think that the reading on
Tuesday night of Mrs Micawber was wGrNr
nearly all OF the characters in last nIgntA
U'bo tpia1 in pickWlck tI6