, 1870-06-19

|
The golden ripple OF the wall camo back Il
gain. 1nd nothing else stirred in the room. h
he old, old fAahion! Ths faahion thAt came b
. with our first garments, and will last un- 1
be vide armament is rolled up Ike sc1oll j,
he old. old fxshion-DeAth!
Oh, thank God, III who see it, for that older ! il
aehion yet, Immortality! And look upon us,
ugels Of young children, with regard not ! s
[uite estanged, when the swift river bears us :
From the Cinetnnafi Enquirer. II
5uecess OF NJ: Dickens career has been 1t
east equal 70 his ita1zry reputation Bat hls
history is another example of the great results
which may frequently spring from ANAL be-
ginningn. His paEenA Nern Tar from flch,
nd IN bis onngss days Cha1es S US 1eeesss
aze told Of bis youthful escapades in
his native village, and ono which waa
related to the writer BY one Of Diekens'
iss is sone*hat singular: While writing
h1s early sketches for the Morning Caroni-
Gle, he was, or fancied himself to be,
deeply onamo1cd Of young Indy named EN-
ma Floyd. She liyed at = distance Of about
between the two was the Post Office where
Dickens mailed his manuscript to the London
editor. In those days il wss optional to pre-
pay letter or intiict the expense On the
recipient Postage was then eight pence N
ter might be refused, Was compelled to borrow
the necessary funds from the village grocer.
When in possession OF money he would hurry
past the Office to zee his indnlordtd, and. |
stopping ut the Elms, a waysids tavern, and |
when he left, there Were, Of course, no funda |
to pay the letter due in London. |
This went on for sou4skime, until Miss En- !
ma Floyd, alarmed by tho reports Of her low
er'e unsteadness, cas-. him on, and Dickens,
in despair, as vas ea,d, reeorted to Wild Lite
for time. There is singular story told Of |
= mistake be make undar e.eciscunHt4nccs;
Returning homo from tho "Elms" in tho
evening, he met young lady elosely yeilea,
gait and general appearance. In moet agi-
tatod znxnner he At once made fer@ent dec
laraton Of love, renewed his protests OF IN
dying attachment, md begged forgiveness for
happened to be the daughter OF the rector Of
the parish, and, therefore, Of course, slightly
acquainted with the young author. His appesl
was go eloquent, and hia sincerity 30 manifest,
that Miss Rs heart WAS touched md shs
promised To speak to her father. The next
TIC Reverend Rector, expressing hia surprise
at 60 sudden declaration to his daughter If
ter TO slight an acquaintance; but "a he re-
cognlzed bis ability, 30 he would accept his
manned in the sane franc Of mind for two
years, and the gentleman could show tny pros-
poets of maintaining wife, he would not OBJ
ject to their union. This singular double en-
gagement clApped tho climax OF his social diff
culties in his native yillase, and within fort.
night OF the unexpected Te1contre he removed
10 London and entered upon the labor Of his
life.
When DR., Black. the then editor Of tho Norn-
ing Chronicle, proposed to engage him ~ re-
porter in the police courts, Dickens was re-
dueed almost to aaa last c1tremihca. Helived
| in small garret room in Wych street he was
inhabited to his laudlady for neArly months
rent His watch w8s in the hands of " his
uncie"-a gentleman with three Eolien balls
round the eoruer-and his stock Of linen Was
more Like that Of a French refugee Of 1ss: than
few weeks all was changed Having obtained
situation upon the paper, and finding his own
proper literary workremunerative, Mr. Dickens
appeared another being. He Was all energy,
and his versatile powers rapidly msds them:
indeed, int tpS1Sss' he vss 8 not 4a:a yet = =
Pspers." Chapter by chapter they were pub,
! lished as eoon as written, and, however admi.
| rable the transactions Of the " Pickwick Club
arc as whole, traces Of want Of continuity
are apparent in the work. The celebrated
"Mre. Har11ell" was drawn from living por.
trait: ehe was Airs. Ann Ellis, who kept al
| eating house near Doctors Commons, OF
Great Knight Rider street. "Mr. Snodgrass,
, | in his principal characteristics, and even th<
, description Of his personal appearance, was s1
| onco accepted as caricature Of u Ar. Winters
| noredu fiche, who might be seen in the sea
; son, eFery afternoon. at o'clock, ogsing tbs
ladies' in the Ladies' Mile in the PARK, and II
the summer at Chcltenham Bath, and tht
| faSninnAhIh wAfar1Dr-n7nrna Ea
boz" was Acknowledged to be sketcled frun
| the servant OF .eate-keeper in Essex, OF
j Tho London and Chelmsford road. Many 9th
81 characters in his novels have also, from
. time, been traced to real characters. Thci
5 sntho:, however, in most instances, has de-
nied the authenticity Of tho portraits. II
j, however, the great author who has just loft us
did not paint from the living aguye-loads th
a drew lie from its broad lights anl shaaes !
House." and 'Darid copperaeld'' expose
| some of the most gla1ing wrongs in the lowe
!, and middle strata Of English society and aue
!. gested anebosasions which we're ultimatel
!, carried cut in the management OF the Jail m
! tho Work-house: The reform in Chancor
. practice, nomtnally introduced by Lords Lynd
q hurst and Dfougham, may also be referred
i almost directly, to the influence OF the No1
;. clist
i Dut it is OF tho man, rather than the autho,
/ we arc now thinking. Charles Dickens, a
. though, perhaps, far from strictly temperat
4 IN hls habits, WIS watm friend and constat
it advocate Of all measures or projects aimed q
tho dimin,,tion Of the national vice Of lrunket
', ness. During the great agitation Of tho ten
t, perapco movement in 1857, Lord Shaftesbur!
J. Mr.. Dickens, Mr.. Fawcett, and Ms. job
n Stuart Mill, met together in one Of the rpon
1t adjoining St. James Hall, to devise schem
evils, which % Lord shsftessur5 argn1e
ID and the return Of tlo soldic1
1s from active service. It was 3 singular qua
or tette. Lord shaftcsbury, the Eepfesentati1
Stuart Mill, ono Of tho Host recondite thin
e1s Of modern tines; Mr.. Fawcctt, an acu
: mathematician, 4 politician Of the most y
" yanced school, and completely blind; VI
81 q Dickens, Ses the good,humorsd genial painter
% par e1cettnce-and, singularly enough, it "
ht the pen Of the latter that wrote The rout
20 draft Of the ideas and spirit Of the numero
ao pamphlets upon the subject which food
NJ England during 1858 and 1869. another soci
er Of the principles Of life D .ssaFan oIan
through the maeses. Every year in Ho,t
hold hords, and subsequently in AIM f.
= Round, he pnhlishcd . series Of articles
Is, monstIating the practical advantage Of ps
dent life assurance, and with invincibla log
ae but In plain and home1y language, combat
the objections which prejudice and dulne
and selfish fear Lad raised amopg large bo
Of the people against the theory and pract
:, OF life sesuIance. Many family would
H. be destitute had il not been for the foresir
AZ inculcated BY Charles Dickens. And this
him to the consideration OF other topics ol
~ Kindred nature, such ns building societies. 8:
no in6s banks. mutual benefit associations, a
81; the creation Of funds for the support OF I
ela widows and ORPHANS Of different guilds, soc
ea ties, or professions. At the dinners given
the Dramatic Society, the Art {
ou ciety, the Press Society, and the Printe
association, all Of whicl, more or less resent
ne savings tanls, Charles Dickens Was one
:. vincing speakers-one who, by his tong
nd seemed to perfect the work his pen, more h
Eas that OF any others, had begun. But, good
m. he wss. the genial side Of his nature sho
Fs, out with pre-eminent brilliaucy. He WIS vi
IN Dr. johnson would have called 4sa cluba'
9e man, IN the true sense Of the tenn o,
" ready to enter into the Whim which for I
el; moment pleased the company best, and to =
No NJ his ever-aowing humor to tho common anu
los dent 1t the Ga11ick'a Head, ratl
e. et. noted tavern Of the older type, in B
eas street, London. II WIS late in the evenil
,ps Father Prout, the inirnitahle Wit, was 1t Il
ma M hour, as usual, smoking long - Churrhw
Nv den;" the late John Lang, editor Of the j
Eay ny tMssilste, (of Upper lndi.@. author Of the
ner D. D. Stevens, Solicitor to the lato Sir Rob
Peel George Grant, cx-Jndgc Of the jude
* Adavlut Bornhar): Mr. L q. stocquellcr, q
lue Mr.. Thornton Hunt, the editor OF the I.oud
1tieydph, we're ali, II the truth must be 10
.se slightly under the influence OF tho difIerr
lea lea liquids they had imbibed during tho course
H. L.