The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-05-31

DINNER AND B0HEMIANIsM.
On the day following Mr.. Dickenss return to
London the Pail Mall Gazette said:
As Mr.. Dickens himself on the one side and the
Americans on the other are In state of natural
ecstasy which appears TO have risen almost to the
boiling pitch. it would be ungracious to interfere
between them; but there are one or two points
in the scene reported in yesterdays papers 1.-THE
New York Bohemian dinner on which it is natural
to make an observation or two. In the first place,
Mr.. Dickens's OWE sensibilities, which In all pro-.
liability are sbnormaly keen, appear to us to have
put him on the occasion in question IN a rather alb
surd position. 1t is about quarter Of a century
since his american Notes and Martin Chuz.
zlewtn threw some part of the thin-sknned pop.
ulaton which they Iidiculed into paroxysms Of
indignation. When he spoke the other day at
New York he praised the whole nation with
indscriminate ardor which excited rapturous de-
light. Everything (even Mr.. Dickens himself to a
certain extent) had changed. Il had been
received" he said, A." in small places as well as
large. with indispensable politeness, delicacy,
sweet temper hospitality. consideration, and with
unsurpassabe respect for the privacy daily en-
forced upon me by the nature of my avocation
here and the state of my health. This testimony,
as long as live, and as long as my descendants
have any legal right in my books, shall cause to
be published ss an appendix 10 every copy Of
those books Of mine 10 which / have referred TO
America. And this will do, aud cause to be
done, not in mere love and thankfulness. but be-
cause regard it as an act of plain Justice and
honor.n As for the relations between America
and England, of which Mr.. Dickens felt himself TO
be the representative, they ought to be, and, ac-
cordDg 70 Mr.. Dickens, in some respects were al
most lover-like. A war between the two nations
would be something too horrible TO think Of. sit
would be better for this globe to be riven by an
earthquake, fred by a csmet, overrun by icebergs
and abandoned TO the Arctic bear and fox" than
that it should present such spectacle. This, we
are fattered TO learn, produced "tumultuous ap.
etns-C ,ne
ing the sentiment with enthusiasm" 1t strikes Us
as rather hard upon the world at large. A war
between England and the United States would be
a terrible calamity for thousand OBJ
vious reasons. But whilst France and
Germany, to say nothing of the British
islands and the North American continent, were
being riven by earthquakes and "overrun by ice
bergs," the small remnant Of mankind left as food
for the polar bears and the arctic foxes, and as
subject Of contempt for the Alpine Club, might
perhaps reflect that even the bombardment OF
Liverpool and New York, and the collision Of
English and American fleets for a certain number
of years, might have been a smaller calamity
even for the great Anglo-Saxon race ITSELF AS
for the language in which the catastrophe is de-
scribed, il reads like nothing but the American
bits of Martin Chuzzlewit." world lover.
run by icebergs" is splendid conception. Fancy
thirty or forty Of them rushing about London and
Paris, drunk and disorderly, and throwing whole
streets at each others heads. There has been no
such image since the well known Americans de.
scription Of the boundaries of his country being
" on the east the rising sun, on the west the set.
ting ditto. on the north the aurora boreslis, and
on the south the day of Judgment" Almost as
remarkable, in rather a quieter line, Is Mr..
Dickens's account of the enthusiasm with
which Americans are received in England.
We fear there are some castles in which
the mere presentation of an American card
would not act as an open sesame on days when
the public were not usually admitted, and the
wonderful history of the charming American lady
before whom the gate of the British Museum
'few open as it were magicallyu could have been
believed upon no testimony inferior to that on
which Mr.. Dickens related 1.-THE testimony,
namely, of the lady herself. If he had not told
us of her youth and beauty the story might have
supplied ill-natured people with an illustration Of
the extraordinary energy of American ladies when
''alone end self introduced" The porter appears
TO have felt like the coon in the old story. Face
TO face with the American lady he had 10 come
down and he knew it. Seriously speaking, is
there any use in piling 0ssa upon Pelion in this
extraordinary manner The truth, both as re-
lates 10 the two nations and to Mr.. Dickens him.
self, is surely almost too obvious to be stated.
ENGLAND and the United States are natural friends
and allies, if such expressions have any meaning
and war between US would be a terrible calamity
and great reproach and scandal. When natives
Of either country visit the oher they ought to be,
and We should say are, received with courtesy and
with decided feeling Of good will and connec
ton, and is graceful and proper for distinguished
persons Who have the opportunity of doing so, to
express these sentiments in public, and to dwell
upon and illustrate them to a reasonable extent.
Surely. however, they ought TO bear in mind the
possibility of protesting too much and of stepping
across the line which divides expressions of mu.
tual kindness and good will ffan downright alb
suIdity. As to Mr.. Dickeus's own position in the
matter, il is as plain as possible. a quarter of
century ago he visited America, nolcertainly as
an unknown man, but as a man much less known
than he il at present. he went with very keen
eve for all that was grotesque and absufi; he
found il in rich abundance, and he worked hup
in his literary workshop when he came hons
Reipr a caricaturst and humorist by profession
he went to look for materials for the exercise
~ hrs talent, and of course he found them.
Ne IL now twenty-five years older than he
mas then. BE goes out with an immense perhaps
18th a rather exaggerated, reputation, his thin
sr;rnsd hosts are on their good behavior, aud are
s,n..snsaiv anxious 10 do him honor, he goes Il
nav compliments and receive them, and the result
= the speech about the icebergs and the polar
hears. man is likely under such circumstances
~ Get two totally different views OF all sorts o.
tS,ncs and people. 1t is one thing 70 walk abou
shs Country with knapsack on your back, a i've
nonnd note il your pocket, seccno Class railway
i;oSsss Tor a luxury, and the pariors OF puoh'
tonsss for YOUR lodging, and quite enother tninl
noe - a,ivsn in state from one great town
70 ~ ~ he received In each Is IN honore'
.s 80 he splendidly entertained or resi- ecuull.
gue ss ~ and 10 find every door open 70 yoa Sn'
&c. eon rsrson honored By your nouces IN
9ssy r. wales would have got ratnei ~, sns ..
ins ~ Ireland from those WHICH 20 aar -.
sicWu " &.ss--- ebonf IL in Bl8uCQulu tekf