The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-24
THE DICKENS.

That Birmingham Speech-The Distinctions
Between the People Spelt with n Big "P',
and "a Little opp
That mystifying speech of Charles Dickens,
in which are drawn such nice distinctions
between big 'tP" and little ''p" in the ortho-
graphy of the word people" has at last
reached us by mail, and we present the most
material portions. The second version of it
was delivered at Birmingham on January 6,
by Mr.. Dickens, who, acting as President of
the Birmingham and Midland Institute, dis
tributed the prizes and certificates awarded
to the most succ essful students in the past
year.
Mr.. Dickens, before distributing the prizes,
said;-
There is success in all honest endeavor
and there is some victory gained in every
gallant struggle that is made. To strive at
all lnvolvlves victory achieved over sloth,
lnertness and Indifference, and competition
for these prizes involves besides in the vast
majority of cases, competition with and mas
terry asserted over circumstances adverse to
the effort made: therefore, every losing COM
petitor among my hearers may be certain
that he can well afford to swell the triumph
of the rival who has opposed him in the race
In presenting certificate to young lady
named "Winkle," Mr. Dickens announced
amid shouts of laughter, that he had recon-
mended the fair student to 'change her
name after the distribution of the prizes
Mr.. Dickens, alluding to a recent confes-
sion of his political creed, said:-Whsn was
here last autumn l made, in reference to soma
remarks OF your respected member Mr.
Dixon, short confession of my political
faith Qaughter), or, perhaps, 1 should better
say, want of faith. Daughter 1t imported
that have very little confidence in the peo-
pie who governed us-pease to observe that
people" there will be with small ''p"-but
that l have great confidence in the people
whom they governed-please to observe
people there with large "P." Much laugh
ter.) This was shortly and elliptically stated,
and was, In no evil intention, am absolutely
sure, in some quarters inversely explained
Perhaps as the invention of n certain extrava-
giant fiction, but one which / do say was
rather frequently quoted as if there were
grains of truth at the bottom of it-a fiction
calledsthe 'circumlocution Office" and per-
haps, also, as the writer of an idle book or
two whose public opinions are not obscurely
stated-perhaps in these respects I did not
sufficiently bear in mind 'Hamlets' caution
to ''speak by the card, lest equivocation
should undo me. Oaughter.) Now com
plain OF nobody; but simply in order that
there may be no mistake as to what did
mean, and as to what do mean, / will restate
my meaning, and will do SO in the words of a
great thinker, great writer, and great scholar
whom death unfortunately cut short-in his
History of Civilization in India
''They may talk as they will about reforms
which Government have introduced and inn
provements to be effected from legislation,
but whoever will take wider and more com
manding view of human affairs will soon dis
cover that such hopes are chimerical-they
will learn that lawgivers are nearly always but
obstructors of society, instead Of its helpers,
and that in extremely few cases only will their
measures turn out WELL Their success has
been owing to the fact that, contrary to their
usual custom, they have implicitly obeyed the
spirit of their time, and they have been, rs
they always should be, the mere servants of
the people, to whose swishes they are bound
to give public and legal sanction"