The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-06-27

trait while he was in the act of writing one Of
the most popular of his stories, relates that he
was astonished at the trouble Dickens seemed
to take over his work, at the number Of forms
in which he would write down a thought be-
fore he hit out the one which seemed to his
fastidous fancy the best. and at the compare
tive smallness Of the amount of manuscript
each days sitting seemed to have produced.
Those, too, who have seen the original manu-
script of his works, many of which he had
bound and kept at his residence at Gadshill,
describe them as full of interlineations and al
terations; while it is well known that the
quaint surnames of his characters, concerning
which essays have been written, were the re-
suit of much painstaking.
Dickens, with genius which might have
justified his trusting it implicitly and solely,
placed his chief reliance on bis own hard labor.
1t is said that when he saw a strange or odd
name on shop board, or in walking through
village or country town, he entered 1t in his
pocket book and added<it to his reserve list.
Then, runs the story, when he wanted strik-
ing surname for new character. he had but
to take the first halt of one real name, and to
add it to the second half of another, TO produce
the exact effect upon the eye and ear Of the
reader he desired.
Of the "Mystery Of Edwin brood" and the
hope of its completion. the fact is given that
it was the habit of Mr.. Dickens to write out
his stories from the end, fully developing the
plot and writing up to it, so that while not
more than one-half the work has probably
been written out by his inimitable hand, the
mystery" was doubtless unravelled at the
very beginning.
DICKENS AS AN EDITOR.
The following account Of Mr.. Dickens's per-
sonal narticinatiOn in the management of All
the Year Round, will be read by many with
surprise:
The periodical which he conducted with so
much success, was, by reason Of the qualities
we have instanced, a far greater labor to him
than the world supposed. Although his intimate
friend and partner, Mr.. w. H. Wills, filled the
post Of acting editor until twelve or eighteen
months ago (when he resigned the position
to Mr.. CharlesaDickens, the younger) and
saved Mr.. Dickens much OF the labor
of selection, we believe we are correct in sta
ting that every article In Household Words" !"
and "All the Year Round" passed under the
conductors eye, and that every proof was read
and corrected by him. 1t was at one time the
fashion to assume that Conducted BY Charles
Dickens" meant little more than a sleeping
partnerships If Dickens could have been q
sleeping partner In any undertaking under the
sun; but those behind the scenes knew BETTER
and the readers of "All the Year Round" may
assure themselves that every word In it was
up to this date, read before publication by the
great master whose name IL bears. AT this
moment the particulars for next NUMBER" In
the neat yet bold handwriting which it is i'm
possible to mistake, hang by the side OF the
empty Office desk; and the unflagging interest
Mr.. Dickens took in bis periodical was display
ed in the most striking mannerju just seven days
before his death,