The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-09-06

Co1ISc uLoHiue Va StauUeryS WOTCny suD5li-
tute.
Tho Proposed second Visit of Dickens
Dickens is coming to amuse us and turn an
honest penny, and we naturally recall the
history of his former visit He has enjoyed,
more or less, in connection with that visit, the
reputation Of having cut us up terribly on his
return home-of having dashed IL, as with the
whip Of the Furies on oil the sensitive spots of
our national vanity. He made bis little
sketches of us, it is true, in his s'American
Notes. and in "Marlin NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ofp,rsons, Of scenes and ofsocety, all distorted,
OF course, In the humorous exaggera ion of the
caricaturist, and all made in the lampoonipg
spirit thar raises laugh, right or wrong +; for
to excite laughter was his trade. He gave his
own measure in attempting to give ours, mas
much as he showed himself blind to all
tie better qualities that we have in common
with every civilized people, and able only to
see and describe the piti'ul and the mean. Blu.
with all this, he did not picture US on his ia
nous pages half so badly as we sometimes
picture ourselves, AMI the police reporters
often Guido him in sketches made in his own
manner. He may on his second visit also pic
turo crude society if he will, and VIII readily
find the material he loves to deal with--coarse.
ness, vulgarity in thought and speech, pride,
pretence, oil the vani,ies that prevail in the
frayed out edges Of civilized life; but be will
not find them here. In this great city and its
suburbs-BOston, Brooklyn and Philadel-
phia-- civility, culture, and all the ele-
gances and charms Of polite life. are found
in as fair q state OF development as in any of
the capitals of Europe; but we have still
Chicago, 81. Louis, Omaha, and kindred centres
of quite another kind of life. We commend
the traveller to these for his pictures; and
though the scmi-barbaric life of such places
has an individuality of its own, Is proper to
the locality, and ought not in justice to be
compared to chop house or other life in London
tina. the novelist Is familiar with, still the con.
t;ast will be ridiculous AMI laughable; and, of
course, from the Dickens standpoint, whatever
is langhable ought to be written-and sold.
So let us have the pictures.
BIT Dickens comes TO read, perhaps not 70
write; he comes not as a driveller but only ~
a show. He i pumped out as an original
genius, and must reap his pecuniary har.
vest in reading what he wrote In his better
days. This is a venture by which he will make
money. We should not be astonished a. his
making half million with his tickets at two
or three dollars apiece; for since his works
have taken certain position "a household
classics-sinoe his characters pass current as
familiar realities Of the intellectual reaIm-the
curiosity to see the author will be especially
may conceive the enthusiasm with which Homer
would he received TO read the Iliad: and there
will he desire moi different in its nature TO
see this Homer OF the sums and back alleys
that will carry our people into liberal expeu-
dture Of easily earned money II we could
have Demosihepes TO give VA choice extracts
from lis fiery clamor, or Cicero to round hi.
voluptuous periods 10 GREATNESS auditors. or
Virgil or Shakespeare or Milton to give us their
own notions Of some choice scenes. we should
have an intellectual treat than which poblcr
could not he imagined; and, 10 compare small
WIN fktattN hiutS. " VIII w iHhnN ne the
same treat ~ see the author of david Copper.
field taking In person some preliInin ,ry enjoy
ment OF the eternity of his fame.
.-----------..------
The Treasury statement OF the Public Debt.
II appears from the statement or The public
debt published In yesterdays HER,LD that
there has been decrease within The last year
that r.. from September /, 1866, TO September |.
is67--of seventy millions five hundred and
seventy-one thousand dollars. so far Ibis u
gratifying: but the question is, could not the
debt have been reduced much more. We
believe 1t could With he enormous revenue.
the vast sans ~ money always in Che Treasury.
and the extraordinary resources and means of
the Treasury Department, We think there should
have been q greater reduction. Why. then, Is
the non-nicress bearing debt reduced thirty
one millions Ths, was no burden 10 the
country. This, We suppose. was in withdraw
ing legal tenders from circulation. Would il
not pavs been better TO have cancelled With
these 81 much p he interes, bearing debt'
The large increase IN the sebs bearing coin
interest, and the oorresroadinE deduction Of
that bearing currency interest, follow. AZ a