The New York herald., 1870-06-12
CHARLES DICKENS
His Career as an Author-stepping-s Stone to
Fame and Iortune-Hh Domestic Infsli-
cities-PublAc Opinion Of tho Novelist

novelist could hardly survive him generation
Romanceys had appeared and written and people
had read their works, thrown them aside and for
gotten them. II we except the Wawerley novels
what romances are there wsltten sixty years ago
which anybody reads now, or which, for the mat
OF that are known TO any outside OF few literary
menY The facy Is that the romances of old made no
Impression upon the heart, and but little
upon the mind People read them because
they told love stories, and almost any.
thing connected with the tender passion Will
interest for while. But they treated OF no great
historical or social questions. Augustus and
Arabella had their loves, their disappointmens and
their troubles. ana wound up by marrying and living
happily together to the end OF theis days. But
neither Augustus nor Arabella was the representa-.
tves OF any particular class. They were always
eminently proper ana iovable persons, the very
pink OF perfection, moving In impossible society,"
conversing IN the most ridiculously learned manner
and having no ideas beyond books and great people,
except those which may be included in the sugges.
tive term 'love and Strawberries
But Scott came, and he entered the field OF ltera-
ture as romancer, SURPRISING all predecessors and
remaining unequaed to-day by any writer OF the
school founded by him. Fortunately Tor the world,
he sought not to describe the society OF his days He
went back TO the days OF Richard CGur de Lion and
came as FAR toward modern times the period or the
Scottish revolutions; but there he paused IL cannot
injure the fame OF Scott to say tnat he would
have failed had he attempted to describe the
society ne lived in. His mind was too eminently
poetica for description OF modern life, and so he
Pretender with their stirring dramatic scenes and
their wild, poetic incidents, for the employment OF
pen which wrote nothing but poetry. AS we have
said before, Scott was the first rOmanccr In the
English language who proved TO the world that fc-
tion could be made as imperishable as works winch
deal solely In historic facts 1t is safe predict that
people VIII read "Ivanhoen and 'The Bride OF Lam.
mermoor' with as much pleasure d thousand years
hence as they do to-day
After Scott there was period OF stagnation In the
world OF fiction, broken by DlsraelI alone. "Peveril
OF the Peak appeared in 1923, and not until 1927
when the publication oi ''Tales OF Grandfather
was begun, did anything appear from the pen Of the
great novelist. In 1882 Scott died; but ior nlne
years previous ne had written nothing In the way OF
ilcton. we may tnen safely say that from 1928 TO
1887 the only novelist OF was DIsrael II is singu-
observe that the same wear Dickens gained reD
taton as an author the late Premier of Great Britain
was elected to Parliament and thenceforward made
literature subordinate to politics. Thus the held
clear Tor Dickens when he entered upon his literary
career. HIS early lie had been without prestige.
The son OF parliamentary reporter, 1t was natural
enough Tor him 10 select journalism for profession
But he possessed no advantages OF education. The
schools at which he had studied, though good, were
none OF the best In experience, hewever, Dickens
amid stirring scenes. Al Plymouth, Portsmouth
and Sheerness, where his father at different times
resided, the future novelist met with class of per-
sons whose eccentricltles Of temper and pecuari-
ties OF manner Impressed themselves deeply upon
his mind. Removed to London his fathers profess
sion doubtless familiariZed HIM with the duties Of
newspaper reporter and perhaps the boys ambition
to become journalist was fixed by reading the re-
Certainly his mind wholly united for the study
oflaw The perusal OF Coke and Blackstone, however
ednylng, can hardly be considered pleasant ut least
not 10 the active, energetic nina, full OF life and
animation. fond OF conviviality and delighting In
studying the humorous side OF nature. AT least the
solemn mysteries of the law were nnsuted 10 Dick
ems temper and so he abandoned them Tor the more
congenia work of newspaper reporting.
The reportorial career of Charles Dickens was
limited TO the True sun and the Morning Chronicle.
AS reporter his reliability and versatility
markable, and attracted the attention or MIR. Jonn
Black, the editor OF the last named paper, who in
vited Dickens to write something outside his oid-
nary duties This gave rise TO ''Skcche5 Of English
Lie and Character" afterwards prln,ed in book
form, with the title Of Sketches by boz AT this time
very dandy in appearance and attire In the gallery
OF the Blouse OF Commons he daily took his seat
among the reporters dressed In the height offashon.
A kind OF young PhmDus he was, with notebook IN
one hand and sapphreheaded pencil In the other,
taking down the speeches OF Peel, Palmerston or
Dislaeli.
sketches by Boz' merely laid the foundation OF
Dickens fame. They attracted public notice and
were eagerly sought after and read, but placed now
aside ot his after works how tame aud insignificant
they appear! II was the famous 'Pickwck Papers,
which removed Dickens from the reportOrial
desk and placed AMID the greatest Of authors. In
the pages OF this work he exhibited those powers or
satire and hlmor which reached their eliminating
point In that masterpiece OF fiction "David Copper
held.n AS Is well known there Is no plot In the
'Pickwick Papers" 1t Is merely narrative In
which certain scenes IN English life are Duresqued
and satlrsed. We doubt II Mr.. Pickwick was an
original ceation There were many sucn men IN
England and probable still are. and doubtless
Dickens merely describes a being whom he had
m On
Is but type OF class unfortunately
but seldom met with at the present day, but with
genuine humor throughout the "PlCkwick Papers
were never surpassed by anything written SUISSE
quenty by the author Whether 1t is the celebrated
election, or the famous court scene, with the evi
dencc OF sam and the address OF Sergeant Buzfuz.
or the antiquarian researches OF MIR. Pckwlck we
find the same lnimitabe humor. In th13 work, too,
the author first appeared as an advocate OF social
reform. The scenes described by him as occurring
In the Fleet during Mr.. Pickwick's impri sOnment
undermined the foundation OF tnat policy OF conin.
ing debtors IN prison which England clung TO so
long and so tenaciOusly
In "Oliver Twist" the public were introduced to
phases OF social life which were known 10 compare
lively few. People seldom look downwards ii they
everybody at the bottom strains their eyes IN catch
ing glimpse ut the top, indifferent to all around
them, while those at the top are unable TO gaze upon
the vast foundation which supports them. But
Dickens divested himself OF the tendency to regard
the masses az 80 much rubbish unworthy
occasion TO mngle with the lowest classes OF society.
lie had met with Fagins and Bill Syktse+ and doubt
less with Oliver Twists. But the best and most $. rk
Ing character IN this work was Nancy. She was
not creation, although Ill the whole range Of char.
acters drawn by Dickens she may appear the most
improbable. Such combination OF good and bad
qualities we meet with every day without recognizing
IT, STEPPED In crime yet preserving almost unldinted
heart full Of pity aud tenderness istherc anything
more touching In Hction than her Ove Tor the
vile wretch who murdered herr To the
lconoclast Nancy might seem u morbid creation, I'M
possible in real lIfe but do we not often meet with
her IN our police courts OF this city Take II all III
ALL ''Ollver Twistn is work OF the highest genius.
Aside from its interest rs romance, it served
cety in bringing about an Improvement IN the work
house system ana In unveiling the haunts OF vice
which are to he met with in all large cities. Had
Dickens died after writing this book he would still
have been worthy OF prominent place IN the world
OF letters.
Following up his plan of attacking IN popular
form the the social evils of the day Dickens next
produced "Nicnolas Nickeby," in which he described
the Darbarities Of the cheap schools OF England.
Mr. Squeers, the schoolmaster is one OF his aDplest
conceptions. That 1t was not an eXaggcrat!on was
proven by the threats made 10y numerous school,
masters throughout the Kingdom to prosecute the
author for libel. In this work, too, were drawn
In