Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-04-29
Dickens.

OLD CURIOSITY SHOP. By Charles Dickens. tn
Q seventh volume of the Charles Dickens edition.
t There is not much new to be said of thes'
volumes of Dickens, as they appear one afte
r another from the press, but Just now ther'
is something new to be said of Dickens. Ill
has sailed for home, after concluding hi
, brilliant and successful series of readings II
| this country, in which he and Mr.. Dolby
have realized handsome fortune, and Mr.
Dickens has been received with more enthu
siasm than was ever exhibited over any liter
, ary person in the United States
, Just before leaving, the Press of the large
cities gave Mr. Dickens dinner in New
, York About two hundred of the most
! prominent gentlemen connected with the
| American press had places at the table, and
and the entertainment was one of the hand
, soonest ever given to any public man. Mr.
Greeley presided, and contributed much by
his pleasant manner and felicitous speeches
to the entertainment of the evening. The
best speech from the gentlemen of the press
was made by George William Curtis, OF
Harper's Weekly, who paid glowing tribute
) to the genius of Dickens, and closed with
the following brilliant sentences
Mr.. Chairman: The obligation that, in the
name of the Weekly Press, | wish to express
to our guest, is for his example of high tidel-
ity and of honorable pride in his profession
of letters. His career illustrates what Charles
Lamb called the sanity of true genius. lie
has never debased it to unworthy ends. He
has shown us that it is not a denizen of Bo-
hemia only. but citizen of the world. He
has always honored his profession by assert
ing it's dignity in his own person. Ii DR..
johnson was content to wait humbly, hat In
hand. in Lord Chesterfelds ante-roOm, il
Sir Walter Scott--he. of all men was proud
to preserve the glass out of which George
Fourth drank his toddy the late reporter of
the Morning Chronicle, when the Queen in
yites him to the Palace to amuse her compa-
ny, respectfully replies that he cannot come
as an actor where ne is not welcome a
guest [Great applause. In that spirit OF
common respect for Il noble calling upon
whose roll are written the best beloved names
in history calling of which the technical
4" Press whether daily or weekly, or
monthly or quarterly, is but department,
let US take the hand of our friend at parting.
Wherever he may be, whatever fate befall.
his name will be kind of good tidings. 1t
will always have pleasant Christmas sound.
Old Ocean, bear him safely over English
hedges, welcome him with the blossoms of
the May English hearts, he is as he is
yours We stand upon the shore we say
farewell and, as he sails away, We pray
with love and gratitude, may God bless him
Tremendous applause.
Mr.. Dickens in response 10 the toast in
his honor, made very happy speech, which
was received with every demonstration of
satisfaction and applause. He spoke Of
his reception in this country, and Of his pur-
pose to make a note Of it '' in an appen-
dix to his - American Notes and - Martin
Chuzzlewit thus
But what | have intended, what have re
solved upon (and this Is the confidence seek
TO place in you) is, on my return 10 England,
in my own person. to bear, for the behoof OF
my countrymen, such testimony to the gi-
gantic changes in this country as have hint
ed at tonight. immense applause Also,
to record that wherever | have been, in the
smallest places equally with the largest, |
have been received with unsurpassable polite
ness, delicacy, sweet temper, hospitality,
consideration, and with unsurpassablcresp
for the privacy daily enforced upon me by
the nature Of my avocation here and the state
of my health. Applause. This testimony,
SO long as | live. and So long rs my descend
ants have any legal right in my books, shall
cause TO he republished, a. an appendix to
every copy of those two books of mine IN
which have referred t. America. Ircmen-
dous applause. And this | Will do and
cause to be done, not in mere love and thank
fulncss but because | regard il ar an act Of
plain justice and honor.
The concluding part Of Mr.. Dickens re-
marks was an exceedingly forcible appeal for
peace and fraternity between america and
England
Gentlemen, the transition from my own
feelings toward and interest in America to
those of the mass Of my countrymen. seems
to be a natural one but whether or no,
make it with an express object was askec
in this very city, about last Christmas time
whether an American was not at some dlsad
vantage in England. a foreigner. The
notion of an American being regarded II
England a foreigner at all, of his ever be
ing thought of or spoken of in that charac
, ter, was uucommonly incongruous anC
absurd to me that my gravity was, Tor the
moment, quite oyerpowered Laughter
As soon as it was restored, | said that fol
years and years past hoped had had AZ
, many American friends. and had received as
many American visitors, almost any Eng
lshman living Tapplause and that my un
, VARYING experience. fortified by theirs, wa
! that it was enough in England to be al
American to be received with the readies
: respect and recognition anywhere Here
upon, out of half dozen people, suddenl.
spoke out two, one an American gentleman
3 with a cultivated taste for art. who. finding
: himself on a certain Sunday outside the wall
! of a certain historical English castle, famou
for its pictures, was refused admission there
according to the strict rules of the establish
ment on that day bat who, on merely repre-
! senting that he was American gentleman
on his travels, had not to say the pictur
l eallery-but the whole castle placed at hi
u disposal Laughter The other was a lad
. who being in London. and having grea
desire to see the famous reading room OF tn
; British Museum, assured by the Englls
, family with whom she stayed that 1T wa
e unfortunately impossible, because the plac
u was closed for week, and she had onl
three days there. Upon that ladys going t
C the Museum. as she assured me, alone to tn
:. gate. sclf-introduced as an American lady
d the gate flew open, it were maglcally
e Laughter and applause am unwillingl
5. bound to add that she certainly was youn
l. and extremely pretty. Laughter STU
e the porter of that institution Is OF an obeS
'e habit [laughterl, and, according to the be-
e of my observation of him, not very Impre
$ sible. GGreat laughter and cheering. Nov
), gentlemen. refer to these trides a cola
r eral assurance to you that the Englishma
l. who shall humbly strive, as hope TO do,
be in England as faithful TO America as
# England herself, has no previous conception
to contend against . Good . $ Good
/ and cheers Points of difference there ha'
been. points of difference there are, points
- difference there probably ALWAYS will be b