The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-06-09
EHABLEs DICKENS ON HIS RECENT
.. 5ICKNESS.
AEly-Lsaf inaLiSe.

Once upOn time (no mitter wnen) was
engaged In . pursuit (no matter what Wnicn
could be transact.d 6y myseI alone, ~ sntUu onm
Htant STRAIN on the attention, memory, opser-
vat1op and physical powers; and which lnVoiv.
"a An almost fabulous amount OF change OF
mace and rapid railway travelling. l bad fol-
loved this pursuit through an eIceptionaIiy
3ryinp winter IN an always trying climate ana
lad resumed it in En2laod after but brlei re-
;nnse 1hns Il came to be prolonged until, at
3eng,h-.pd, 90 1t seemed, ali OF sudden-it
n vor,e me out that could not rely. with my
= nsual cheerful conf lence, upon myself 70
Achieve the constantly recurring task, ana pc
nan to feel lfor the first tune IL my mel giddy;
6rred. shaken, faInt, uncertain OF voice and
Sisht md tread. and touch, and dull OF spirit.
T6e medical advice sought, within few
Hs,ra vas given ip two word: ''I0stant rest"
Being accustomed to observe myaelf as curious
- n we're another man, and knoWing the ad.
vice to inset my only need, instantly haited
I'm INV pursuit (Which speak, and rested.
-. nv f,teuti IN was to mterp0se, as 1t we're,
&y.lsaf in the book Of my life, in which moth:
sing shonld- be written from without for a.brlef
season Of few weeks. But some very singu-
lsr experiences recorded themselves on this
same fy-leaf. and am gong to relate them
literally. repeat the word. literally.
Nv frst odd experience was Of the remark
able coincidence between my case In the gene
rsi mmd and one Mr.. Merde's, ss find 1t re-
Sorded in q work OF fiction. called "Litte Dol
rita To be sure, Mr. Merdle Was swlndler,
lorger and thief, and my calling bad been OF
less harmful (snd less remun~ ~ratiye) nature;
but it was all one 10. that.
-. Here is Mr. Merdle's case:
rAt flrst he vas dead Of ali the diseases that
aver were known, and OF several br in.nev mala-
dies invented with the speed OF hgot to meet
the demand of. the OCCASION. he had conceal
Cd dropsy from infancy; he had innerite1 q
10 ~ @ota nm
.1Tandfather; he had had an operation perform
sd upon him every morning OF his life for
eiRhteeo years; he had been subject TO the ex-
ploeion Of important veins In his body after
HE manner OF fireworks; he had had something
the matter with b slungs;he had had something
the matter With his hsart; he had bad something
the matter with his hraln. Five hundred ppo-
Die who sat down to breakfast entirely unin-
formed on the whole subject, believed before
They had dooe breakfast, that they privately
and personally knew Physician to hsve said to
lfr, Nerdle: You must expect to go out some
day like the snuff OF candle; and taat they
knew Mr.. Merdle 20 have said to Physician: "A
smancan die but once.' By about eleven o'clock
IN The forenoon. something the matter with
the brain be came the fayorite theory against the
1leld; and by twelve the something had been
distinctly ascertalned TO be Pressure
"Pressure was 80 entirely Satisfactory 70 the
-public mind, and seemed to make every one 30
S9mfortable, that 1t might have lasted all day
but for Bars having taken the real estate OF
1he case into court at half-paSt nine. Pres-
sure. however. so Tar from being overthrown
, BY the discovery, becana+ greater favorite
than ever. There was general al moranainS mo, Hna
who had tried to make money and had not
boen able to do it, said, There you we're You
no sooner began to devote yourself to the pur-
:, S,tit Of wealth than you got Pressure. The
Idle people improved the occasion IN similar
manner. Bee, said they, what you brought
yourssli to BY sork. work, work You per-
ssisted in working, you oyerdid it Pressure
came on. and you were done for This con-
= sideratlon was very potent in many quarters,
but nowhere more 80 than among the young
I CLERKS and partners who had never been 10 the
shGhtest danger OF OVERRIDING it. These, one
!. hoped they never would forget the warning as
long as they lived, aad that their conduct
= niSht be 90 regulated as to keep of Pressure,
and preserve them . comfort to their friends
3e many years"
Twas quietly backing IN tne sunsnlne ID my
Bnt while go rested, thankfully recovering
eyery hour I had experiences more odd than
this. had experiences or spiritual concelt.
for which, ss giving me new warning against
that curse OF mankind, ! shall always Ieel
rratetul to the supposltlon that was TOO 4ar
Zone TO protest against playing sick hon to
SLy array donkey with an itching hoof All
softs of reople seemed TO become vicariously
religious at my expense. I received the most
uncompromising warning that was Heath
ep. on the CONCLUSIVE authority OF Held
nreachor, who, like the most OF his ignorant
ma vain. and daring class, could not construct
\ toIerable sentence IN his native tongue or
nan a fair letter. This inspired individual
= ssIled me TO order roundly, and knew in the
fteest and easiest way where was going to
md what would become Of me II failed to
fsshion myself on his bright example, and was
on terms OF blasphemous confidence with
Tho Heavenly Host. he was In the secrets
OF nv heart, and in the lowest sound:
inas Of my soul-he land could read
the depths Of my nature better than
his A B g, aud could turn me inside out, like
his Own elamms glove. But what is & tar more s.
rs this could alone be drawn from such snail
Low and muddy source-I found from the in-
6 5ormation Of benefited clergyman, or whom
Inever heard and whom never saw, that
had not, as rather supposed I had, lived a
life OF some reading, contemplation and IN
0uiry; that had not studied. as rather sup
posed I bad to In"u.cate some Cnrisila les
Bops In books; that I had never tried. as I
rather supposed h& to turn q child or Two
tenderly toward the knowledge and love of ur
Savioui; that bad never had. - rather sup.
posed had had, departed friends ,sor stood
Of uninterrupted prosperity land that I
needed this ''check. overmuch," aud that the
way to turn 1t 10 account was to read these
sermons and these poems. lnclosca. aud witt
Tam and isued by my CORES. ontenti beg
Il may be unde. stoou that reIate facts Of my
own nncon,merclal experience. and no vain
4 lmagln,ngs. The documents in proof lie near
8y hsad .
Auo.htr odd entry IN the ay-leaf OF more
entertaining character. was the wonderful per-
sistauce nth which kind sy npathlsers sssum-
nd thai had injuriousy coupled with the 30
suddenly relluqulshed pursuit those personal
habits Of mine most obviously incompati-
BE with it, and most plainly impossible OF
be;ng maintained along with it. AS all that
,eSercise all that cold bathing. all thai wiud
and weather. all that uphill training; all that
sSerythme else, say, which is usually carried
About by express trains In = por!msnteau and
M box. and partake o, under flaming row OF
- .iehis IN the company Of two thousand
Saor,ia Mhia assuming OF whole case aRalnat