The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-01-03

Mr.. Dickens as a Render.
Mr.. Dickens has had far moro than what the
French call success Of curiosity since he
began his readings in this country. He is such
capital story teller, and he personates SO adj
mirably the characters of his own creation tina.
each OF his readings has been as good as a
play. The public has heartily applauded his
display Of gifts that might have made him one
Of the best comedians of The age.
AS reader, however, Mr.. Dickens, it must
be admitted, has somewhat disappointed the
public. OF course an author who reads his
own productions has prodigious advantage,
other things being equal, over any one else.
He has thorough comprehension bo!h Of his
subject and of the effect which he wishes to
produce by his presentation of it. He can
hardly fail to analyzo well, as the elocutionists
call il. Mr. Dickens has ingeniously trans
lated, or at least transposed, many of his writ
ten passages into more effective colloquial Ian
guage. Some ines for a single printed phrase
he has substituted an entire little scene of fine
dramatic power, happily set OFF by mimi
table by-play. And to almost every word he
gives such unerring emphasis that the meaning
is conveyed at once and completely to the
minds of the hearers. Sometimes, especially
when he does not confne his eye to tho book,
we cannot help saying that he reads naturally,
for he does not seem to be reading at all and
this art Of concealing art is confessedly the
highest that can be attained. But the first and
Indispensable requisite Of reader, strictly so
called, is voice Of. great compass, flexible,
clear as bell, pure in tone, and so perfectly
well trained as to be under the absolute con-
troll Of the readers will. The most extrava-
giant admirers of Mr.. Dickens will not claim
that his voice answers to this description. The
first impression it makes upon the ear is almost
disagreeable, although It's huskiness, and, in
fact, the voice ITSELF is soon forgotten in the
interest excited by the story to which we are
listening. Moreover, not few of those seated
at remote points in Steinway Hall, however
attentively they might listen, have failed 10
hear, and have been compelled to fall
back on the convenient little "diamond
Ivets" and study them as carefully as If they
were trying to follow Rachel, Ristori or JAN
lisping indi stinctness of utterance in which
Mr.. Dickens occasionally INDUCES, and the
jerking, rising INFECTIONS with which he is par
ticularly fond OF concluding sentence after sem
tence, surely cannot be admired. For the first
fault nature may be partially to blame, but
the latter strikes US as an inexcusable cock
neyism. A great reader is bound to eschow
all local peculiarities unless when these are
required in the personation OF certain charac-
ters Excellent as Mr.. Dickens impersonations
generally are, he not unfrequently fails to pre-
serve throughout the dialogue the sharp indi-
viduality of voice and accent which he knows
so well how to give at first. Perhaps he deems
1t sufficient to indicate or outline, as it were,
and leave the Imagination OF the reader to ill
up the rest But in this case the illusion can
not be 80 complete as he can make il and often
does
On the whole we cannot regard Mr.. Dickens
as an incompatible reader. We are even in
clined to believe that there are several readers
who, at least after having heard him read and
having thus mastered his own conceptions Of
his personages, could vastly improve on
his readings. John Brougham could both
as.onish and delight him and everybody else
by reading "David Copperfeld," for instance.
vandenhoff and others who might be enumer-
ated would prove formidable competitors for
Mr.. Dickens on his own chosen field. As for
Mrs. Fanny Kemble Butler, her Shakspearian
readings in this country have never been
equailed.
II may be that in the seclusion In which Mr..
Dickens buries himself during the intervals be-
tween his readings in New York and Boston he
has been reviewing his early studies of Ameri-
can manners, and will yet surprise and amuse
the public by reading selections from "Ameri-
can Notes" and Martin Chuzzlewit" He has
introduced us to soma of his favorite types Of
English life, from Samivel Weller to Doctor
Marigold (who, by the by, made his first APP
pearance in New York last night, and we do
not see why he should not also introduce us,
for instance, to some of the remarkable men"
whom Mark Tapley met on his arrival at the
port OF New York, in the United States Of
America" Mr.. Dickens impersonations Of
Colonel Diver, and his war correspondent, 90
small young gentleman Of very juvenile appear
ance," Mr.. Jefferson Brick; of Major Pawkins,
Professor MULTI and other choice spirits whom
he has presented to the world as American
types, would be extremely curious, to say the
least OF them.
Receptions I'm Berlin md mt Washington.
In the HERALD Of yesterday we published