National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1868-02-28
From the Northern Monthly.
Some Plain Words Concerning Mr..
ChaS. Dickens.

When Mr.. Weller spoke of wri-
ting a book without regard to its
honesty or decency, simply because
1t would pay expenses it was the
inner consciousness Of Mr.. Dickens
himself that was speaking. 1t strikes
the keynote of his career; for the
great object of his lif,. has been to
pay expenses Nothing has ever
interfered with this purpose except
his profound snobbishness. 1T his
whole personal history be examined.
1t will be found TO contain two sim
pie motives, unappeasable avarice
and Unsuitable vanity.
AS he abused America 'to pay ex-
penses,' so he pays the expenses OF
entertaining his friends Dy caricatrr-
ing them in his novels, as in the
case OF Leigh Hunt who appeared as
Harold SkimpOle in Darid Copper
.heid. So he forged his name to
Christmas stories that were not his
because it'paid: he has written pages
upon pages of repetition and verbi
age, when his name had become sufii-
ciently famous TO float it, because it
paid : so, when public opinion had
remarked the absence of all refer
ence to Jesus Christ in his books, he
introduced the name of the Saviour.
because he thought it would pay !
SO he mingleS horror, humor, and
pathos arttully because it pays :
so he incuicateS virtue and describes
domestic felicity because it pays,
but casts off his own wife after liv-
ing with her twenty-five years be-
cause she does not pay ! 50 he ex-
presses his profound admiration OF
Messrs. Ticknor and icids because
they pay and is entirely obliviouS
OF other publishers who have paid
before, but whom he finds it to his
interests to traduce now so lie
comes to this country avowediy for
the sole purpose of carrying away
about two hundred thousand dol
lars, which it is to be trusted will
pay his expenses without driving
him to the necessity writing anoth
er book on America.
Mr.. j. Raymond, one of our most
accomplished journalists, after wei
coming Mr.. Dickens warmly and
with something perhaps of the hope
fitness and boastfulness Of youth,
had his reward by appearing in the
pages Of Martin Chr.-lc'ch in tn,
character of Jefferson Brick. Thcr,
are many similar instances, but h1
has gone further than this. 1t ha;
passed into Il proveib Throughout
the earth, that an honorable man
Will honor his father and his moth
q; it is commanded also in the H0.
.y Scriptures, though this oi course
has no weight with Mr.. Dickers.
Disregarding The obligations and
teachings oi tiiial obedience. revcr-
encc. and affection, or desiring, per.
haps, to pay the expense of II de
cent treatment of his parents, he has
notorionsly, in the person of WilE
ins Micawber. caricatured his owl
father as n common swindler and &
drunken sot.
But the most extraordinary fac
in the whole career of Mr.. Charlie,
Dickens is, that he has the eilronte
ry to stand up again in the face o
,, American audiences for the sake o
their dollars after having scandal
. lied America and Americas flag il
the character of Martin Chuzzlewit
; (Chapter XVI.,) as follows:
, Men were weighed by their dol
: lars life was auctioneered, apprised
put up. and knocked down Tor it:
dollars. The next respectable thin.
TO dollars was any venture having
their attainment for its end. III,
more of that worthless ballast, hon
:, or and fair dealing, which any mal
east overheard from the ship of hi
!, good meme and good intent, the NOR,
ample storage room he had tor dol
. lars. Make commerce one huge Ii
Z. and mighty theft. Defacc the ban
ner OF the nation for an idle rag
pollute it star by star; and cut on
stripe by stripe as from the arm q
q degraded soldier. Do anythin
= for dollars What is ,lag To them
u In another place, Chapter XXI,
ChuZzlowit says of the stars an,
: stripes, You are gay flag in th
Il distance. But let n man be nea
= enough to get the light upon the otl
=" er side and see through you, aud yo
J. are but sorry t'ustian.'
: Mr.. Dickens vanity has obtrudc
! itself on SO many occasions that it
= not necessary to particularize then
Z lie has the reputation in Englan
of tufthunter, and for the sake ,
recognition Ivy titled men. for I'll
'e sake of putting. his feet under til
IS mahogany Of mobiles, he has bee
70 willing to submit to tbr grOssest hl
=, Mutations. The same thing show
" IN his iiashy waistcoat, his glarin
!" neck.lies, his gorgeous toilet and j.
~ theatrical manner, all which were
ri offensive ut his reading IN Englan
is that Miss Louisa NJ. Alcott, one
=, his wa, nest admirers, in descrbii
I" them, says she was sOrcly disa
~ pointed and gric,cd in her Id,
{: She looked tor digniticd and gcl
v. NJ gentleman, and found an old da
Oi dy.
g. Mr.. Dickens English confier
y. have given circulation to u sto'
- that their cxcmplar refused to -
vc pear In n private theatrical exhll