The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-10-04


gether, to destroy the others peace and hap.
pness. The canine and femme members Of
Barnum's happy family, having no depen-
dence upon or connection with each other,
may have uniformly behaved themselves as
peaceful members of a happy household,
but if they should be tied together there
is no doubt that species of discord would
Immediately break out which would be at.
tended with serious if not fatal consequent.
ces to at least one il not both Of the pair.
Had Mr.. aud the now Mrs. Dickens remain.
ed unyoked lovers, they would probably |
never have ceased to regard each other as
1.-TWO beams of one eternity but their
union pricked the bubble Of their fancy,
and they became a jsrring, discordant,
quarreing man and woman, almost intoler.
able and uncomfortable to each other and he
has thus failed to realize, as have many
others before him, that men and women
are
formed as notes Of music are
| For one another, though dissimilar;
| Such difference without discord as can make
| Those sweetest sounds in which all spirits shake
| As trembling leaves in a continuous air"
We subioin Mr.. Dickens own account OF
| his domestic infehcity, and his PREPARATION
from his wife, written 10 friend III Ameri'
ca, with express permission that 1t DO made
public:
Mrs. Dickens and have lived unhappy
| together for many wears. Hardly any one
who has known rs intimately can fail to have
known that we are, in all respects OF charac
ter aud ten pera ment, wonderfully unsuited to
each other. | suppose that no two people,
not vicious in themselves, ever were joined
together who had greater difficulties IN I'M
Outstanding one another, or who had less IN
common, An attached woman servant more
friend to both OF us than servant, who
lived with us lG years, and is now married,
and who was, and still is, in Mrs. Dickens
confidence and mine, who had the closest
familiar experience Of this uuhappiness in
| London, in the country, in France. IN Italy,
wherever we have been, year alter year
month after month, week after week, day at
ter day, will bear testim ony TO this.
"Nothing has, on many occasions, stood
between us and separation, but Mrs. DICK
ems sister, Georgine Hogarth. From the
age of Is she has devoted herself to our house
and children. She has been their playmate,
nurse, instructress, friend, protectress, adyls'
or, and companion. In the manly consider.
| alton towards Mrs. Dickens which ! owe to
nv wife, will merely remark Of her that
the popularity of her character has thrown
all the care OF the children on some one else
[ do not know cannot by any stretch OF
fancy imagine what would have become OF
them but for this aunt who has grown up
with them, to whom they are devoted, and
who has sacrificed the best part OF her youth
and life TO them.
"She has demonstrated, reasoned, suffered
!, and toled, and come again to prevent a sep
j Grafton between Mrs. Dickens and me. Mrs
n ! Dickens has often expressed to her SENSE
If | of her affectionate care and devotion IN thu
4 | house--never more strongly than within Tho
last | , monhts.
T, For some years past Mrs. Dickens has beer
10 in the habit of representing to me that !
he would be better for her to 90 away and lIv
a. apart: that her always increasing estranEe
ment made . mental disorder under whicl
she sometimes labors; more, That she felt her
at self unfit for the life that she had TO lead a
1t nv wife, and tina; she would be far bette
o.. away. | have unfortunately replied that sh
must bear our mistortunes and fight the tigh
- oat t. the end; that the children were tn
y, first consideration, and that ! feared the
" must bind us together in appearance.
IT. AT length, within these three weeks,
-, vas suggested to me by Foster, that even 70
!, their sakea, it would surely be better to re
u construct ard rearrange the unhappy homt
n | empowered hin TO treat with Mrs. Dlcken
oh | as the friend of both Of Us for one and twent
wears. Mrs. Dickens wished to add, on he
part, Mark Lemon, and did so. On Satu
at law last Lemon wrote to Foster that Mr.
on Dickens gratefully and thankfully accepted
un the terms ! proposed to her. OF the pecuI
90 iary part of them, | will only say that ! b
Neye they are rs generous Ws IL Mrs. btcke'
I'M were II lady of distinction and man
ple fortune The remaining part Of them a
en-. easily described-my eldest boy to live wi
md Mrs Dickens ana to take care OF herr n
- eldest girl to keep my house, both my CIR
'l1' and all my children but the eldest one
the live with NE in continued companonshlp
~. their Aunt Georgia, for whom they have o
,ho the tenderest affections that have ever see
among people, and who has higher ciai
MY las have often declared, for many year
has upon my affection, respect, and grstitu
the than anybody in this world,
ing 81 hope that no one who may become n
guainted with what | write here can po
any lively be so cruel and unjust as to put a
INSTRUMENTATION on our separation, so Fl
not Nv elder children all understand i, perfe
q of ", AMI all accept it as inevitable.
"There is not shadow of doubt or co
JUN cealmeut among Us. Ny eldest son and
lass are one rs to it all.
.rgo 1.-TWO wicked persons, who should ha
SUP spoken very differently of me, in sconside
.,a ton of earned respect and gratitude, ha
'p0 las am told and, indeed, to my person
rom knowledge coupled with this separation t
DOL name ola young lady for whom have or,
to attachment and regard. Upon my soul a
,.o4 honor, there ia rot on this earth more '
tuous and spotless creature than that you
lei" lady. | know her to be innocent and pu
the end rs good as nv own daughters
for Further, am quite sure that Mrs. Di'
ever ems, having received this a assurance fro
| a Inc, must now believe ii in the respect
know her to have for me, and in the peril
ON confidence know her in her better II
fail ments to repose in my truthfulness.
r "On this head, again, there is not shf
. to ow of doubt or concealment between !
aud children and me. All is open and p!n
rom among us, as though we were brothers q
it. sisters They are perfectly certain that
would not deceive them, and the conhden