Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-06-22
WHOLE NUMBER l2S.

ALtJLLGlllitIlCldu, pOlGlClaQ OF Gne most
advanced school, and completely blind;
Mr.. Dickens, the gOOd-humOred, genial
! painter Of scenes drawn from every day
Life, the novelist par erceUeRce-and,
| |singularly enough, it was the
pen of the latter that wrote the rough
draft of the ideas and spirit of the nu-
merOus pamphlets upon the subject
which flooded England during 1858 and
1883. Another social reform, the chief
credit of which must be given to him, is
the spread of the principles of Life As
surance through the masses. Even
! in Household Words, and subsequently,
III -AH the Year Bound, he published a
series articles demonstrating the prac-
tlcal advantage Of prudent Life Assur-
ance, and with invincible logic, but in
| plain and hOmely language, cOmbated
| the objections which prediudice, and
! dUllness, and selfish fear had raised
among large body of the people against
| the theory and practice Of Life Assur-
ance. Many n family would now be
destitute had it not been for the fore
sight inculcated by Charles Dickens.
And this led him to the consideration of
other topics of a kindred nature, such as
/ building societies, saving banks,
mutual benefit associations, and the ere
alton of funds for the support of the
widows and orphans of different guild,
societies or professions. AT the dinners
! given by the Dramatic Society, the Art
! Society, the Press Society and the Prin-
! ters' Association, all of which more or
less resemble savings banks, Charles
/ Dickens was one of the most earnest,
most popular and most convincing
| speakers-One who, by his tongue,
seemed to perfect the work of his pen,
more than that of any others, had be-
| gun.
As a friend Dickens was constant and
sincere. Between himself and Thack-
| cray there was never a single feeling of
| jealousy, or aUght but the most affec-
| tiOnate regard. The press and the, crit
| les were arrayed in two camps-One
magnifying the author of Vdnifg Fair,
the other the graphic hand of the Pick
aOjcE Papers. But when Thackery died
and left the AdUegtJtreS Of Philip uufin-
ished, as has been left the AllSterU of
| EidIUi1 brood. .Thackeray had no sin
cerer mOUrner throughout all England
than the great rival who has now fol-
lowed him to the grave.
Early in Iife-just after the publica-
tiOn of PicEUicE-MF. Dickens married
| the daughter of Mr.. George HOgarth,
the author and critic. He separated
| from her in 1858, as the event called
forth great deal of ill-natured COM
ment, the following letter was written
for the purpose Of being shown to the
public:
My DEAR: Mrs. Dickens and I
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
and temperament, wonderfully insult
/ ed to each other. I suppose that no
/ two people, not vicious themselves,
ever were joined together who had
/ greater difficulty in understanding one
another, or who had less in common.
An attached woman servant, (more
| friend to both than a 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 expert
ence of this unhappiness in London, in
the country, in France, in Italy, wher-
ever 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 q separation, but
Mrs. Dickens sister, GeOrgine HOgarth.
From the age of Is 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 consideration to-
ward Mrs. Dickens which owe to my
wife, I will merely remark of her that
the popularity of her character has
thrown all the care of the children on
some one else. I do not knOW-I can
not 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 an d life for them.
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
nevermOre 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 20
away and live apart; that her always
increasing estrangement made a mental |
disorder under which she sometime Ia
bOrs; more, that she felt herself unfit for |
the life she had to lead as my wife, and |
that she would be far better away. II
have uniformly replied that she must
bear our misfortune and fight the fight !
out TO the end; that the children were
the first consideration, and that 1 feared |
they must bind us together in appear
anCe.'
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 the unhappy home.
I empowered him to treat with Mrs. !
Dickens as the friend Of both of us for |
one and twenty years. Mrs. Dickens |
wished to add, on her part, Mark Lem /
on, and did so. On saturday last Lem 4
on wrote to Forster that Mrs. Dickens /
gratefully and thankfully accepted the /
terms I proposed to her. Of the pecu-
MARY part of them I will only say that I |
believe they are as generous as if Mrs. /
were a lady of distinction and I /
a man of fortune.
The remaining parts of them are easi-
ly described-my eldest boy to live with
Mrs. Dickens, and to take care of her;
my eldest girl to keep my house: both
my girls and all my children but the ell
dest son to live with me in continued
of their aunt GeOrgine,
for whom they have all the tendereSt
affections that l have ever seen among
young people, and who has a higher
claim las / have often declared for many
years. upon my affection, respect and
gratitude than any body in this world.
/ hope that no one who may become [
acquainted with what write here can {
be so cruel and unjust as to put &
my misCOnstructiOn on our separation {
20 far. My elder children all under Y
stand it perfectly, and all accept it as q
Inevitable. {
There is not a shadow of doubt or con- t
among US. My eldest son and $
are one as to it all. c
Two wicked persons, who should have {
poken very different of me in consider e
.tiOn of earned respect and gratitude, r
lave (as l am told, and indeed to my / d
PERSONAL knowledge coupled with this v
eparatiOn the name of a young lady for /!
whom / have great attachment and L
egard. will not repeat the name 1 Il
,OnOr it too much. Upon my soul and / n
.OnOr, there is not upon this earth q
more virtuOus and spOtless creature 81
han that young lady. know her to be 1,
innocent and pure, and as good as my {,
wn daughters. Further, am sure that f,
Irs. Dickens, having received this as {,
Jrance from me, must now believe il. n
n the respect L know her to have for Q
ne, and in the perfect confidence I n
now her, in her better moments, to re- a
ose in my truthfulness. f,
On this head, again, there is not a a
ladOW Of0Oubt or pOnppa IUnuf bofv-oo7, %,