The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-06-13
From the Boston Journal.l
Death of Charles Dickens.

Since the death OF Thackeray there has not
been death abroad which more deeply NOV
ed the hearts of the American people. No
literary man of his day had so strong hold
upon the esteem and respect of the nation, and
not even in Old England was he more gener-
ally read than here in New England. The de-
parture of such man brings regret to the
hearts Of millions, for his position yesterday
was that of the leading author of the day.
One of the most remarkable literary men that
England ever gave birth to has passed away
at the age of fifty-eight.
Mr.. Dickens was born at Landport, Ports
mouth, England, in the month OF February,
1872. His father, Mr.. John Dickens, was
clerk in the Navy Pay Office, and it has been
said that his portrait has been given by the
son in the character of Mr.. Wilkins Micawber,
in David Copperfeld," a work in which the
author drew largely upon his own history for
materials. OF his life at Portsmouth little is
known, but that town is the scene of more
than one of the best parts of his writings. 1t
was there that Mr.. Vincent Crummles had
that theatrical company which plays so effect
lively in Nicholas Nickleby."
After the restoration OF peace to Europe, In
1915, Mr.. John Dickens lost his clerkship, but
received pension, which was not so large as
to allow him to be idle, and he went to Lon
don, where he became Parliamentary repOr-
ter, and was for some years attached to the
Morning Chronicle, then as noted journal
as the Times, bat long since dead. AT a suit
able age his son Charles was artioled to an
attorney, in whose Office the youth remained
for some time, much against his will. But this
time was not lost, for the knowledge he there
obtained was turned to admirable account in
after days, both for himself and the countless
readers of his various works. Dodson and Fogg,
Mr.. Perker, Mr.. Jackson, Mr.. Lawton, Ser
jeants Buzfuz, and Snuffin, and many other
characters in his works, are due to Mr.. Dick
ems life in an attorneys office; and the IA
miliarity he there obtained with legal techni-
calities must have been of the utmost service
to him in many of his stories. Without the
knowledge thus acquired, the immortal case
of Bardell v. Pickwick would have lacked hall
its excellence. Had Mr.. Dickens adhered to
the law, it ienot probable that he would have
acquired either distinction or fortune in it /;
and neither was Sir Walter Scott great law
yer, but the legal knowledge he had was of the
highest use to him in many of his novels, and
notably so in "Guy Mannering" and the
"Heart of Midlothian" which are of the best
of their number.
Mr.. Dickens came to the determination to
change his studies. He wished to walk in the
paternal footsteps, and to be a reporter. The
difficulties he had in obtaining knowledge of
short hand are most amusingly told in David
Copperfield;;" but those difficulties were con-
quered, and he became reporter to the True
Sun newspaper, from which he passed to the
Morning Chronicle. Itwas to the columns of
the latter journal that he contributed, under
the signature OF " Boz" a series of "Sketches"
of English life, which attracted much atten-
ton, and led to his being selected by Mr.. Hall
to write sporting novel, to be published in
monthly Nos, the engrav:ngs to be furnished
by Mr.. Seymour, an artist of those days. The
engravings were not to illustrate the letter
press, but the letter-press was to illustrate
the engravings. Such was 1.-THE beginning OF
"The PIckwck Papers," of which the second
number had not appeared when Mr. Seymour
killed himself. This led to a change in tne
plan OF the work, Immediately to It's aasan, sd
tase. A completer success never a'tgmuuu .ha tma O
literary work in England anu W H;o,'a,,s NJ .
the work was finished, in ISo', i "n, and ;nonnr
fame was established on pioai anu i9hPei
;sbab,o IosiS The old school of writers hard
T., 80, ,,hat to make of the work. Thomas
Monro nmo" Who admired it warmly, mentions that
~ oreat humorist as Sydney Smith did not
I ike il: but he conquered his prejudices, and
became strong friend of Mr. Dickens.
Mr.. Dickens formed connection with
ed his next work, solver Twist" a sterner
production than Its predecessor, and with a
tendency to the melo-dramatic in some parts
of it. 1t belongs emphatically to the sensa-
tional school OF noveis. This was followed by
"The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nick
leby," published in mcnthly numbers, which
fully maintained the authors reputation. The
same plan was followed with his next work,
"Master Humphreys Clock" which, besides
some lesser pieces, contained "The Old Curl
osity Shop" and "Barnaby Rudge." The first
of these two stories is, perhaps, the most pop
| ular of his works, and the other the least so,
though it is, to our mind, the better of the
| two, and, on the whole, the most powerful
tale the author ever wrote: The character o
Little Nell made the story great favor
ite, and it has never lost the place then ac-
| quired.
In 1912, Mr. Dickens visited America
where he met with warm welcome. New
| York honored him with grand ball, and il