Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-06-11
CORRESPONDENCE.
II EHPHES APPEAL
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE CITY
SATURDAY MORNING, IUNE II, 1870

r. l. JAMES
SATURDAY MORNING, /: IUAE II, 1870
To each reader of modern books the
death of Dickens is a personal calam-
ity. His tastes, his heroes, his stories,
multiplied as marvelOusly as their
popularity was maintained, infected
tie age in which he lived, and all
who speak the English tongue were
thoroughly imbued with the ideas
and philosophy Of Dickens. The Sc
cret Of the popularity Of his books
may be discovered in the statement
Of French critic OF "LOthair," who
says that Mr.. Disraeli allows no one
to figure in his novel who has less
than $4,000 a year. Dickens heroes
were representatives of the great
masses of the people, and the scenes
in which they move and amid which
their fortunes are defined are such Is
the many rather than the few are
wont to encounter. Dickens ever eX-
cited sympathy in behalf Of the poor,
the honest and good, and as surely
made mankind abhor Uriah Heep as
all womankind wept by the bedside
ofthe dying 'child-wife." LikeThack-
cray, it seems that Dickens died at his
task. He said, when he heard OF
Thackeray's demise, that he wished
10 die like him. The European dis
patch Of yesterday tells the sto-
~ and how the wishes of the
matches Herdte1T were fulfilled.
He was born At Portsmouth, Feb. =,
1872. His father, Mr.. John Dickens,
who had held for many years an Office
in the navy pay department, retired
on a pension in 1915; and beings man
OF some literary faculty, he became a
reporter for the daily press in London.
He intended his son for the profession
of an attorney, and placed him in an
attorneys Office for that purpose.
Here the youth acquired that knOwl-
edge of the machinery and technical
phraseology of the law which he has
turned to such good account in many
Of his works of fiction. But the
drUdgery of his work weighed heayi-
~ upon his spirit; a taste for Itera-
Jure, manifested mainly by an indis-
eliminate reading Of novels and plays,
began to develop itself; and his faith
er's connections enabled him to ex-
change his UncongeniaI occupation for
the more agreeable duties of a news
paper critic and reporter. He was at
tached to the True Sun, and after
ward the Morning Chronicle, which
was at that time a daily paper of
large circulation and influence. A Sc
ries of sketches Of London life, man
ners, and localities, published in the
evening edition Of the Chronicle,
under the signature OF "Boz," attract
ed much attention, and showed the
unknown writer to be possessed of a re-
narkable and original vein Of Obser- {
and reflection, though by some s
it was regretted that such powers /
were exercised to so great an extent q
in the ~delineatiOn of scenes of vice and {
misery, and the exposure Of the weak ]
nesses and inirmities of humanity.
The sketches were afterward collected /
and published ClS36) in two volumes. c
The ability displayedin these sketches C
was SO great that Mr.. Hall, Of the firm d
If Chapman d Hall, proposed to the y
the scheme Of preparing a work il
# fiction, to appear in monthly num- ST
Ders, with illustrations by Mr.. Sey- Il
nour, q popular comic draughtsman. r,
[ was suggested that the adventures 81
mishaps of a club Of originals f.
you'd furnish a happy medium for the h
overs both Of author and artist. Y
pom this hint the first number of the W
.Pickwick Papers" was written, and W
ublished with illustrations by Mr.. pl
eymOur. This clever artist died by ii
ms own hand before the appearance is
the second number; and the task pr
i illustration devolved upon Mr.. H. an
(. Browne, who under the signature Is
I "Pnlz" continued with great spirit an
he style of pictorial establishment re
'hich his predecessor had 50 happily cl.
egun. The work was completed and tn
ublished collectively in 1887. But as
il was finished it had attained far
degree Of popularity to which moth Ian
e in English literature, since the II.
utilization Of the Waverley novels, an
)uld furnish a parallel. Everybody, hi.
9th in England and America, was DO
.ughing Over the ludicrOus adven- do
Tres Of Mr.. Pickwick and his asso- tn
ates, the trial scene Of BardelI VS.. a \
ickwick, and the quaint sayings, laI
'otesque comparisons and inimit- 90,
lie conversations Of the elder lea
i'd younger Weller. Between the he
'pearance Of the fist and last num- AM
rs the author rose to be the most W
'pular living writer in the English
nguage. Dickens made a visit TO
e United States, arriving in Boston 7
nuary 2, 1912, and sailing for Eng his
nd on June 8 following. He was ev- Coz
ywhere received with a degree of res
thusiasm propOrtionate to his popu- cirC
ity a. a writer and the excitable ele,
aracter Of the American people. ula
S views Of American life and man all
We're published upon his return. qui
the close Of 1912, under the title of cid
.merican Notes for General Circu- que
iOn;" a work which added nothing wei
his reputation, thought it was bright. tria
ID here and there with CLEANS of has
peculiar humor. Toward the close and
he year 1874, he went to Italy with tice
family, and resided there for some wit
Ie. On January 1, 1916, he as his
ned the editOrship of the Dahl ma
Os, a morning newspaper started tnr,
London, on the liberal side in poll Jaw.
i, to which several able writers yer
e secured as contributors. In this adm
mai were originally Published his a ri,