Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-06-22

The Separation of MIR. and Mrs.
Dickens.

The Separation of MIR. and Mrs
Dickens.
Early in life-just after the publication
of !" Pickwick Mr.. Dickens married
the daughter Of Mr.. George Hogarth, the
author and critic. He separated from
her in 1858, and as the event called forth
a great deal Of ill-natured comment, the
following letter was written for the pur-
pose of being shown to the public:
Ny DEAR -: Mrs. Dickens and /
have lived unhappily together for many
years. Hardly any one who has known
us intimately can fail to have known
that we are, in all respects of character
aad temperament, wonderfully unsuited
to each other. / suppose that no two
people, not vicious in themselves, ever
were Joined together, who had greater
difficulty in understanding one another,
or who had less in common An at
tached woman servant (more friend to
both of us than servant), who lived with
us sixteen 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 unhappiness
in London, in the country, in France, in
Italy, wherever we have been, year after
year, month after month week after
week, day after day, will bear testimony
to this.
Nothing has, on many occasions, stood
between us and separation, but Mrs,
Dickens sister, Georglne Hogarth. From
the age OF hfteen she has devoted her
self to our house and children. She has
been their playmate, nurse, instructress,
friend, protectress, adviser and compan-
ION. IN the manly conslderation toward
Mrs. Dickens which owe to my wife,
Will merely remark OF her that the pc
culiarity OF her character has thrown all
the care OF the children on some one
else. I do not know cannot by any
stretch OF fancy lmagine--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 lt ~ .as I4ir.
She has demonstrated, reasoned, suf-
fered and toiled, and come again to pre-
vent a separation between Mrs Dickens
and me. Mrs. Dickens has often ex-
pressed to her her sense OF her affection
ate care and devotion in the. house
never more strongly than in the last
twelve months,
For some years past Mrs. Dickens has
been in the habit of representing to me
that It would be better for her to go away
and live apart; that her always increas-
ing estrangement made mental dis
order under which she sometimes labors;
more, that she felt herself unfit for the
life she had to lead as my wife. and that
she would be far better away | have
replied that she must bear our
and fight the fight on to the
end; that the children were the first con-
sideration, and that | feared they must
bind us together I'm appearance,
At length, within these three weeks, it
was suggested, to me by Forster, that |
even for their sakes, it would surely be |
better to reconstruct and rearrange the
unhappy home. i empowered him to |
treat with Mrs. Dickens as the friend of
10Th Of us for one and twenty years.
Mrs Dickens wished to add, on her part,
Marx Lemon, and did SO. On Saturday
asst Lemon wrote TO Forster that Mrs.
Dickens gratefully and thankfully ac-
,,epted the terms proposed to her o,
ne pecuniary. part OF them, VIII only
ay tnat 1eileye they are as generous
IS II Mrs. DICKENS were lady OF DIS
melton and man OF fortune.
Inc remaining parts OF them are easily
eserlbed-my eldest boy to 1--we with
irs' Dlckens, ana to take care OF her;
ny eldest giri to keep my house; both
ny girls and all my children but the
ldest son TO 1--we with me IN continued
ompanionship OF their Aunt Georgine,
IT whom they have all the tenderest af-
oung people, and who has a higher
Iaim las have often declared Tor many
oarsl upon my aneotlnni respect and
ratltude Than anybody IN tins world.
a nope that no one who may become
'quainted with what 4 write here can
osslDiy be so cruel and UNJUST as to put
ly miseonstruction on our separation !
iar. MY elder children all under 7
and It perfectly, and all accept il as in
ltaole,
there is not a shadow of doubt or con-
alment among us. Ny eldest son and I
nTe are one as to It all. j
Two wicked persous who shonld have I y