New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-01-14
MIR. DICKENS IN PHILADELPHIA.

PHILADELPHIA Jan. 13.-No literary man except
Thackeray ever had such welcome from Philadel-
phia as Charles Dickens received last night at Con-
cert Hail. The selling of the tickets two weeks ago
almost amounted to disturbance of the peace. Five
hundred people in line standing from midnight till
noon poorly represented tho general desire to hear
the great novelist he first night. People
who wanted seats despaired OF getting them and
abandoned the attempt, and those who dii get them
endured with patience hardship of hunger aha cold
from which they would have shrunk in better
cause. Every seat for the six readigs was
sold on the first day, and many of them
getting into the hands Of spectators, were
disposed of at fabulous prices The difficulty OF get
ting within sound of Mr. Dickens voice acted against
him. Our people got little indignant, and Dolby
iisLt wrong, became a kind of monster In their
estimation. Dolby was denounced, to begin with;
there is no doubt, however, about that. Dolby
know hn was denounced of course he did, and
satircal people oenod h;,~ n.iby Scrooge.
cannot see that it was Dickenss fault that every
body wanted TO hear him, or Dolby's that Concert
Hall could only hold 500 of the Is 900 who wanted
to get in but all this grumblDg and dissatisfaction
melted away before the charm of the of Charles
Dickens before the smiles of pleasure and mirth
which the memory of his works evoked.
The 800 who had tickets booked up Chestnut-st
this evening in long procession, which, owing to
every ons desire to be first the ground. occupied
half an hour in ascending the stairs in one unbroken
column. dozen policemen kept the crowd in
bounds and restrained the ardor OF the hackmen
who dashed up delivering their impatient loads OF
fashion and beauty. The 1900 fortunate people who
bad seats Of tine best Ssd e S anSeTSe nT
worthy of his fame, and however Boston and New
York may boast, do not think any hall IN either
telgcnce and culture. shall not give you a cata-
logue Of names or / should make it too
much like lettsTlSt on Or directory Be be-
side, if l did try to do anything so ridiculous,
should probably offend thousand people in seek
ing TO immortazee five hundred, There was George
delight in Pekwick. There was Rebecca
Harding Davis OF all American am noves,s fhs mG Ss
artist whose picture, What are the Wild
Waves Saying" is of all the illustrations
# there Mr. sat Moou onr worthy
Mayor, who laughed at every Joke as if he had heard
IL for the first time, instead of the hundredth. Jas.
ii. Orne, President of the Union League, kept as
close to Mr. McMchael. in the enthusiasm of his
mirth, the kettle did to the cricket in the story
The League had turned out in strong force, ever
ready to do honor to genius, whatever its nativity
won't mention their names. of course all the
a reporter and studied the characters Of
Justice saregh and Sergeant BaHln n the cS sh
ton Mackenzie Of Tie Press, Walter McMlchael of
The North Ape,icGn Robb of Ihe Age WARRINGTON OF
stone OF me Balieln, Harding of The Inquirer,
McClntock and Stockton of The Morning Past Wins
low of The Commercial LIST Lawlor of The Dispatch,
Greene of The Transcript and regret to say. not
Meeser of The Mercury Fitzgerald of The City Item,
and Hales of The republic But it won't do
to say too much about the journalists or the poll
ana a SCST ANA a e2e eae lover of pcE
a. / look i'm ba vda1 hall
saw sos s Sas rG tbe &c of one
wealth or the fashion OF Philadelphia IL was an audi
ence which, in the words of Sergeant Bnzfuz, might
declare enlightened, high minded, right feel
ing 81 dispassionate q CONSCIENTIOUS, sympathlZlng
q copt4..ia,'o and poetcal jury to judge Charles
Dickens without fear or favor. Something too much
of the audience, too little of the man.
eCharles Dickens stepped upon the stage His book
in his hand, his bouquet in his coat-but will not
describe to the readers of The TRIBUNE the face and
form many of them know 50 well Mr. Dickens vas
anything for granted. She is nothing II no.
most of us would cut the old Quaker dead, and here
was an Englishman, q man who had pulled us 10
pieces and tweaked the national nose by Writing
had broken our bread and tasted our salt ana then
made fun of us for putting our knives In our mouths
Phiadelpha would not stand ay PgIa stsened
out 80 srningly, he must have felt as if he had
stumbled by mistake into bath of ice-cold water.
The stony British stare" Iennyson talks OF Is
nothing TO the glarng look with which Philadelphia
freezes mans blood But did Dickens mind
itf Not he. Marley yes dead to begin
withr said Mr.. Dickens and be went straight at his
work 1t was coed work. yet Philadelphia held out
long she could not only resolved never to give
in Britisher, but also feeling real dsappoint-
Bob Cratchit warmed himself with q candle s put
before scrooge had goI and nproaro%S The
Shmstmas dinner Of the Cratchifs was a tremendous
success as was Scrooge'e Niece by marriage: There
was n Young lady III white fur and blue rloDons,
name Se;l5wn to the writer upon whose symPatnies
sn story by deaf ockua ntS oqS face fSs gse %sr
vulsed her. The pudding threw her into mysteries
Tim. my little, little child" tears were stream
ing down her cheeks. This young lady
was as good as Mr. Dickens and all
the more attractive because. she couldn't neip It,
Then as a Joke began to be dimly foreseen, 1t was
great 10 see the faint smile dawnng on long lines OF
faces growing brighter and brighter till 1t passed
from sight and sound and Numbered to the roO1 IN
vast and inextn gujshablo laughter;
All the great points which Dickens made as
reader were in the dialogue. He reads his descrp-
tions too rapidly if in hurry to get through with
Them but never sights the dramatic points: In the
delneaton of character it is the opinion of Philadel
phia that he Is decidedly nneqnaled. Scrooge was
eapta Just the man thought he was. Bob Cratchit
unexpected but good the little cratchits immense,
the boy who bought the turkey delightful boy,
bnt the ghosts were failures. The Pckwick
trial made the humorous mt Si the egenng dln
ner party. The Judge was probably the
most complete character Mr. Dickens presented, but,
piause which welcomed the announcement of Somivel
Weller were not justified by his appearance; Somvel
was dead failure. though his father did his best
10 save him.. Altogether. Charles pickens's frst
reading IN Philadelphia was q triumph, lie Is en-
tirely different from what we expected nm to be
bnt what he is, IL better than most OF US deserve.
He cannot read ~ well as he writes Dht wnen say
Ills, let it be remembered that he Is the irst OF
incl OyeIists ]