The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1870-06-23
CHARLES DICKENS.
Sketch of his Life and Literary
Career.


The following interesting, and no doubt
accurate, sketch of the life and literary ca
reer of the great author, whose death has
recently cast.a gloom over millions, who
had learned to love the man through his
writings, we copy from "Every Satur-
day." iu which journal it appeared as an
Inappropriate introduction of its readers to
the first chapters of the Mystery of Ed
win Drood:"
Charles Dickens, the son of Mr.. John
| Dickens, who held position in the Navy
Pay Department, was born at Landport,
Portsmouth, England, in 1912. At the
close of the war with the United States his
father retired on a pension, and removed
to London, where he became connected
with one of the daily journals as reporter
of parliamentary debates. Charles enter
ed an attorneys Office as clerk, but, find
ing his duties distasteful, and drawn by a
natural bias toward literary occupations,
he sought and obtained an engagement as
a reporter on the staff of the Morning
Chronicle. This newspaper was then at
the height of its popularity, under the
management of Mr.. John Black, who, rec
|Ognizing the readiness and ability of the
new Gttache, soon gave him chance to
display his versatility by publishing in
| the Chronicle the "Sketches of English
! life and Character" which were collected
and reprinted under the title of "SketChes
! by Boz" in 1886 and 1887.
The freshness and humOr of these pa
pers, and perhaps the dramatic power in
dicated by "The Village Coquetts," COM
! ic opera which Mr.. Dickens wrote about
that time, attracted the attention of Mes
srs. Chapman & Hall, the publishers, who
applied to "Boz' to prepare for them q
serial 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 Seymour, and
after his death, from that Of HablOt x
Browne, "Phiz." Mr.. Dickens has given
in preface to later editions of those ia
nous memoirs, a very interesting account
of the conception 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, pa
thos, and shrewd picturing of Englisl
character, high and low, touched the hear
and fancy of all classes. The sayings o
Sam. Weller were quoted by speakers in
the House of Parliameut and the ragged
gG2pinS in the slums of London. In less
than six months from the appearance o
the first number of the "Pickwick Papers,
the whole reading public was talking
about them,-the names of Wrinkle, War
die, Weller, SnOdgrass, DodsOn, and FOgg
had become familiar in our mouths as
household terms; and Mr.. Dickens was the
! = r., fIo 1,o1 fr.i1,
of "Leo-hunters, ," male and female, of the
metropolis. Nay, Pickwick chintzes fig
u-eG in linen-drapers' windows, anC
Weller cordurOys in breeches-makers' ad
vertisements; Boz cabs might be seen rat
Ting through the streets, and the pOrtrai
of the author of "Pelham" or "CrichtOn'
was scraped down or pasted over, 10 make
room for that of the new popular favOrite
in the Omnibuses. This is only TO be ac
counted for on the supposition that fresl
vein of humOr had been opened; that {
new and decidedly original genius haC
sprung up; and the most cursOry refer
ence to preceding English writers Of the
comic order will show that, in his own pc
culiar walk, Mr.. Dickens is not simply thu
most distinguished, but the first.
Thus the London Quarterly Review
The Young man who made all this tumul
in literary London was twenty-three o.
four wears old. Taking into consideration
his youth and surroundings, his suddeI
fame is without parallel in the biOgra
phies of men of letters. In England it i
much easier for lord to wake up and FIND
himself famous than it is for man wht
, has neither rank nor wealth to back hi
iabiIity-so very much easier that the diff
ference is appalling.
afr. Dickens was now in the full tide o
success. Ofcourse the editor of the price
less Pickwickian manuscripts did not lacl
for brilliant proposals from the leading
: London publishers. He accepted from
Mr. Bentley the editOrship of his AIiscella
nv. in the second number of which 70
February, 1887, appeared the first install
ment of "OliVer Twist" The story, ad
mirably illustrated by George Crulkshank
at once became a favOrite, and is still re
garded as one of the authors most strik
ing novels. "Oliver Twist" like "NickO
las Nickleby'' (which was issued in shil
ling numbers, uniform with "Pickwicz,
shortly after the completion of that work,
/, dealt with abuses and cruelties which pre-
vailed in certain public institutions, anC
was happily instrumental in repeating
laws that sanctioned gross injustice. 1t Il
| noticeable that in most of his novels MI
Dickens has battled with some cover
wrong against society, and, while adding
to literature a crowd of imperishable crea
, tions, has taught us the deepest lessons o
human love and charity.
7 Mr.. Dickens, in 1910, undertook the pro
duction of a series of tales in weekly mum
hers, under the general title of ''Maste
Humphreys Clock" 1t was in this serie
that "The Old Curiosity Shop" and "Bar
nabv Rudge" were first given up to th
world, While "Master Humphrey
Clock" was still running, Mr.. Dickens eel
tied the ''NIemoirs of Joseph Grimaldi,
the celebrated clown.
On finishing "Master Humphrey
Clock, I" Mr.. Dickens sailed from England
for the United States, to gather materia
for volume upon the men and manner
of the New World. Returning to England
he published "American Notes for Gener