Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-06-18
BEAEH OF CnARLEs DICKENS.

bW6nIy mAuuteb past bl4 NJ LOnuOuJ
England, which time would be
equivalent to twenty-five minutes
past eleven Thursday morning, of
Vicksburg time. This will be sad
news to thousands who have learned
to look forward with eager antici-
patton for the results Of the labor Of
his pen. His loss is no ordinary
one to the literary world, and he
will be sOrely missed. he was last
engaged upon the " Mystery of
Edwin DrOod," but now he has
gone where all that is mysterious is
made clear and plain. We give q
sketch Of this great authors career.
Charles Dickens, the son Of Mr..
John Dickens, who held q apositiOn
in the Navy Pay department, was
born as LandpOrL Portsmouth,
England, in 1912, At the close of
the war with the United States his
father retired on q pension, and re-
moved to London, where he be-
came connected with one Of the
daily Journals as reporter Of par.
liamsntary debates. Charles en-
tered an attorneys Office as clerk,
but, finding his duties distaStefnl,
and drawn by q natural bias to-
wards literary occupations, he
sought and obtained an engage
ment as q reporter on the staff Of
the Morning Chronicle. This
newspaper was then at the height
Of its popularity, under the man
agement Of Mr.. John Black, who,
recognizing the readiness and abil-
ity Of the new GttGohe, soon gave
him q chance TO display his versa
tility by Publishing in the ChrOni-
Gle the "Sketches Of English Life
and Character" which were col
leCted and reprinted under the title
Of sketches by Boz" in 1885 and
1887.
The freshness and hum0r Of these
papers, and perhaps tha- dramatic
power indicated by "The Village
Coquettes," Q comic opera which
Mr. Dickens wrote about that time,
attracted the attention of Messrs.
Chapman and Hall, the publishers,
who applied to "BOz" to prepare
for them 9 aseriAl story to be issued
In monthly partS. The result was
the "Posthumous Memoirs Of the
PickWick Club, with Illustrations at
first from the pencil Of seymOnr,and
after his death, from that Of HablOt
K. Browne, "Phiz" Mr.. Dickens has
given In 9 preface to later editions
Of those famous memoirs, q very
Interesting account Of the COncep.
ton and growth Of the work, which,
begun without any very definite
plan, remains the most perfect
thing Of its kind in the English
language.
The success Of the "PickWick
Papers" was immediate and great.
Its wit, pathOS, and shrewd pictur.
Ing Of English character, high and
low, touched the heart and fancy
Of all classes. The sayings Of Sam
Weller were quoted by speakers in
the House Of Parliament aud by the
ragged OGmiRs IN the slums Of Lon.
don. ain less than six months from
the appearance ofthe first number Of
the 'PiCkwiCk Papers,' the whole
reading public were talking about
them, the names Of Winkle, Wsrdle,
Weller, Snodgrass, DOdson, aud
Fogg had become familiar in our
mouths as household terms: end
Mr.. Dickens was the grand object
Of interest to the whole
tribe of 'LeO.hunters, male
and female, of the metropolis.
Nay, Pickwick Chintzes figured in
Linen-drapers' windows, and We'll
Ter cOrduroys in breeches-makers'
advertisements; Boz cabs might be
seen rattling through the streets,
and the portrait Of the author Of
Pelham or, Crichton' was scraped
down or pasted over to make room
for that of the new popular faVOritS
in the Omnibuses. This 10 only Ia
Be accounted for on the. .suppOsltiOn
that 0 fresh vein Of humor had been
opened; that q new and decidedly
original genius had sprung up; and
the most cursOry reference to pre-
ceding English writer's Of the comic
order win show that, in his OWL
peculiar walk, Mr.. Dickens Is moi
simply the most distinguished, but
the first"
Atthis time Dickens was twenty
three or twenty-fcur years. old. HI
accepted the editoFshiP Of Ben
tllsg's Miscellany, In which appear