The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-03


the reader rests his book, and uses 1t. besides
as an accessory ia his byplay. Now it is Bob
ass desh ~ s1oyo S oots rs s
nignantly down on his apprentices. Now IL is
thedesk on which rests the Christmas goose
velvet box Mr.. Dickens makes 1t, l assure you,
and the audience gets TO look upon IL as quite
delightful piece of furniture
Mr.. Dickens is not quite as rigid In his pune
tualiiy as dear Fanny Kemble used TO
be, who began like, a beautiful fate, the
minute the clock struck s, no matter whether
people had come or not and treated the lag
CARDS to bewitching frowns. as they orept be-
enters, holding the book In both hands, comes
up the steps with quick, spTtDging walk, and,
like man of business. He is dressed with
perfect neRtness and simplicity, but trace of
the old foppery-the autumn s flower of all the
youthful dandylsm-ts seen In his butt0nhole
in the shape of q white carnaLion, and pink
rosebud on his shirt front. There is nothing
has, 10 be sure, considerable walch-chain, aud
on his finger diamond ring, but nothing Is
gentleman, plain Charles Dickens; and that
name is grace and ornament enough.
markably enthusiastic Seldom does the
polished Ice of this proper community crack as
loudly and as cheerily, under the thawiqg
when Dickens stood before them, and while
cheer after cheer broke forth, and cIies of well
come and clapptng of innumerable kids, rose
and fell and rose again in friendly roar, tried
to speak and was defeated and returned gal
lanLly TO Jn6 cnaTRo again, out mas scarcely got
as far as Ladies" when he was obliged TO sue
cumb, and made another dash at "Gentlemen,"
and gave itup, and at lastsaw that one English
man was nothing to so many hundred Yam
KEGS, and waited smiling and bowling until they
had had their will. and were ready to let him
The very first words MARLEY was dead, to
begin With That was cerJatn"-settled the
question OF success. The way In which those
ing was todepend for all effect upon the worth
Of what was read. and upon the sincerity of
cry in iL-full of action, abounding in gesture.
with voice for every character in every mood;
refiecting every feeling. There is no straining
for stage effect, no attitudizing, no affectation.
The most effective reading we ever listened To
Dear Bob Cratchite made twenty-five hundred
everybody had obeyed the impulse of his heart,
and sent him q Christmas goose, he would have
been suffecated. in twlnkling, under noun
wigs. not the coolest heart in the audience but
warmed to them at once. Probably never
one given by these worthy people to
their apprentices. The greatest hit OF the even
Mr. and Mrs Fizziwig to Miss FIzziwlg was
described. The contsgion of the audiences
with difficuity brought out the inimitable droI.
lery, latter which Mr.. Fizziwtg cut positively
cut so that light seemed TO shine from his
very calves, and he actually wtnked with his
legs" This was too much for Boston, and
thought the roof would go off, Next to this,
pIaintive treble, with Bob Cratchite's way
Of Peakbinga Of him. brought out 50 many
snow-storm had somehow got into the hall
without tickets. Seldom do we hear such genu-
the poor fathers lament over his little lame
child, and great was the genius which enabled
him to walk so safely on the dangerous edge
that separates nature, pure and simple, from
mere travestie.
nephew, where Tuppins plays blind mans buff
with the plump sister In tn Q lace tucker, was
thing never 70 be forgotten. When Dickens
said, "I no more believe that that man was
bnndfolded than believe that he had eyes In
his boOts !" his facial Observation-Disclosures as
q consciousness OF the absnrdity OF the state
ment that makes him laugh IN spite of his
anger-Was inimitable, and 1t was long befO e
the audience would let him get on. Al last we
had it, and the plump sister with the lace
tucker became Immortal. There was an
intermission of about ten minutes between
the reading of "The Christmas CaroP and "The
Trial Scene from Pickwick," and as he closed
the book with Tiny Tins "God bless us every
one" the enthusiasm of the vast assem-
bly, broke forth in such expressions as, to those
who know the lmpasslye nature OF Boston
the heart under all their silk and broad
cloth was fairly stirred and beating with
warm goodwill. But Dickens was plainly not
to be persuaded into q speech. For all the
uproar, he did not appear again. until the court
called up the case of Bardell versus Pickwick
IL was easy to see that the reader himself had a
peculiar affection for this part-a leaf torn from
q book that is associated with the begin uinQ of
his lame, the end out of which this splendid
tree. stock, set with flower and fruit, has grown
He read 1t with full force, throwing himself
into 1t with all his heart, and, may add with
ali his body, for he put much more acting into
this part of his reading tnan Into the first part.
Sergeant Buzfuz's speech to the jury was with
out flaw, pearl OF the art of aoting and no
words of mine or anybody could express the
way in which Nathaniel Wrinkle was before us,
Not less excellent was the Judge-the sourest
dTyest, most cross grained piece of legal
stupidity that ever was seen or heard
of. Talk about facial expression, nothing more
wonderful was ever seen than the change from
the Judge, who seemed to always be smelling
something disagreeable, to the frank, cheerY
face of Samuel Weller, as fresh as a rose and as
good to look at. Here was a scene. The
minute the Court said, "Call up Samuel
Weller" that friend OF near thirty years
standing was recognized by all Boston at a
glance, and his mounting the stand was sic.
ngure) that he will never forget. And wasn't IL
jolly to see him, Jolly to hear him, and jollest
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
1t down with zoe. my lord, put it down with
aOe"
In reading these works OF his Mr. Dickens
| neither follows the original text, nor adheres
| closely by any means to the text of the pretty
| and convenient handbooks which he has him
| self condensed and prepared. He leaves out a
| good DEAL changes words, mistakes words
sometimes, and really much of IL seems i'm.
| promptu. thought now and then, that he
was thinking of his present audience and put
| ting in what he fancied would suit better here
than in London. His delivery has marked
pecuiiarities, and Is thoroughly original He
| deals much in the rising injection at the enc
OF sentences, Is sometimes monOtOnous and
| keeps up old pronunciations that we seldom
| near on THIS side OF the Water:-"Vark" fol
| clerk, wind" with a long vi" "0uS" fol-
| odious, are few. But, on the whole, his accent
dsb % t iGn re not ~ S @ bts dali verv
and that OF our best Americans, Is IN It's SLOW
dellperate, clear cut alSslnctinessi ms ms 10 & AZ