Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-06-23
6rneral Sutslligrnfe.
CHARLES DICK ms.
R.view of His Life and Wrtings--His
visits to America.
From the n. Y. Times.

loss of any other one man coulu nave W.
casioned. He was incomparably the great
est novelist of his time There seemed
every probability that many years OF active
life we're still before him. OF late he had
been suffering from what he described as a
nenralpic affection Of his foot, but this was
far from occasioning any concern to his
friends. At Gads Hill, the spot lmmor.
talized by Shakespeare, he was surrounded
with everything that ordinarily makes lie
pleasant He had abundant means, espe.
cially since his recent visit to the United
States and he had also power OF disposlng
of his time as he thought proper troops
of friends" constantly surrounded him
when he desired their company. He was
not man careless Of his health for he
was constantly in the habit of consulting
the ablest physicians even Tor his slight
ailments In early life he had doubtless
worked very hard, but during the last ten
or fifteen years he could regulate his work
in anv way he pleased. According to Ia.
man calculations, therefore, he had at
least ten years of vigorous life before him.
But even while entertaining party OF
friends he has been cut of, and the long
and noble series Of works, which began
with the Pickwick Papers, Is now finally
closed.
Save in a literary sense, the life OF Dick
ems was not eventual. He was emphatical'
" worker and with the exception OF his
visits to this country, and occasional Jour
news TO the continent, he passed his life
either Mt the desk, or in those curious per-
ambulations by which his immense variety
of experience of English life was gained.
His home during boyhood appears to have
been very happy one. The allusion which
he makes to the origin of his title Boz
reveals picture of domestic affection winch
is lfelike AS it is charming. The father,
John Dickens, Was navy pay agent, ana
on February T. 1912, at one OF the stations to
to which duty called him, Charles was born
The war between France and Great Britain
closing in 1915, John Dickens retired upon a
pension, and subsequently removed to Lon
don, where he obtained employmentasaP Par
liamentary reporter. OF the boyish days
of the future novelist we have no record, 49,
That the life which the family led was not
marked by fair measure OF prosperity
there is every reason to believe, And GER
tainly when the time arrived for choosing
the occupation Of the boy, the parent was
not so much in love with his own proies.
sion as TO desire him to enter upon it.
Charles Dickens, then, was set to studying
law. The occupation was most uncongen-
ial: and his father consented that he should
relinquish it. He was engaged as a report
er by the True Sun, and then by the Morn
ing Chronicle. 1t was to this paper that
hecontributed his first literary efforts. He
had already acquired considerable reputa-
ton as careful, accurate, and rapid re-
porter, and his ability rs an author became
speedily recognized.
HIS EARLY WORKS,
The Sketches by Boz, published in
1886 and 1887, attracted considerable notice
by their original vein of thought and re-
Election, and the powers of observation and
good-natured sarcasm which they evinced.
The story has become familiar to all of how
Mr.. Chapman, of the firm of Chapman "
Hall, proposed to the young author new
undertaking, the description of adventures
by a party of Cockney sportsmen, and OF
how the scheme resulted in the 'Pickwick
Papers" The sensation which the book
produced was extraordinary. Mr.. Pick
wick, Sam Weller and the rest of its char
acters became tamiliarat every tireside, and
the authors popularity, here as well as in
Great Britain, was at once very great The
boo' was finished in 1887, and Dickens then
assumed the editorship of Bentley's Mis-
cellany, in which was published, in 1888,
his second novel, "Oliver Twist In this
work AS III Piekwick. the writer developed
one characteristic that never left him. He
wrote not only to amuse his readers, but to
effect distinct purpose--the purpose of
reforming some abuse which remained
amid the growing improvements in social
affairs Pickwick assailed Imprisonment
for debt, and Oliver Twist the work-house
system; and both blows were aimed with
telling effect. Next, in 1889, came Nicho-
las Nickleby wherein Yorkshire schools
received SO overwhelming an exposure that
the worst of the class ceased to exist. The
chief personages in this work have always
remained among the most notable of Mr..
Dickens creations, and indeed, the whole
story is by many regarded as his best in
point of constructive ability force of de-
scrlption and powerful ialmeation Of char
Rcter Some of the d.amatls persona
were well hnown to have been drawn from
real life, which Mt the time WAS somewhat
OF q noyelty--at all events it was not tEen
SO generally understood to be true OF his
works as it came to be thought OF his later
ones, Manchester to this day remembers
with satisfaction that two merchants OF
thattown Daniel and VIM. Grant were the
originals OF the Brothers Cheeryble.
The next effort of Dickens genius was
"Master Hmphrey'S Clock" which was
published in weekly and monthly parts.
The first design OF the work was to make
1t a collection OF stories, but that did not
long commend .'selt to the author, who
lapSed into his old method of producing
complete novels The sod Curiosity shop, y
which nearly forms the first volume of the
O'clock, therefore, came next on the list
of his tictions, The strong interest felt in
this story was manifested ina very striking
manner the author receiving countless
letters begging him mot to kill little Nell, v
request with which the exigencies of the
plot did pot permit him to comply. Bar
HGby Rdge,' the second portion Of the
O'clock showed Dickens in new light -
as an historical novelist The history Of