New-York tribune., 1872-02-16


| Here closed n the attentive ewes
That saw in the face
Every day we had out-of-door games, such as Bowls
Aunt Sally" and the like, Dickens leading on WIFI VIII
during the evening had charades and dancing. a
was end to the new dvertiseens our kd n1SI
i'm fhe habit of proposing that constant cheer
reigIed at Gads nil He went into his workrooHii i 20 20
he called IT, soon after breakfast ana & %iSaq walk The
country about Gads Hill Is admirably adapt&a 70 o raIn or
Tian exercise ana we wGt ftaen even twenty miles
not too much for Dickens. ana ,iS h9m Rnchrs-
ter Cobham Park Nlaidstone-any where; 0ut @ u, s ~
open sky and into the free air ihon ittborn stick his
1.-THE gTe srrang forward the ground M ana II TOOK Ia
pracced pair of legs to setp % i own nps delightful
rominscenccs Of early DAYS in the region we were
| then traversing, and charming haIIauNcs' Vi ''i
| cunnecred with the writing 0f his DOCKS
Tho description of "a visit to Gotham Park is in
| the same kind.
Our first real visit to Gotham Park was on Summer
morning when Dickens walked out WIN Us IRON, MS W vi
gate and strolug quietly along the road, turned ~
length into what seemed rural wooded pathway. At
first we did not associate we so, IN S s h had snnpcd
with the Seven Poor Travellers, and lain awake an
mSrning with a kindly shake of the hand all round.
started to walk through Gotham woods on ms WAY Wy
began in the most beautiful manner ana ihe sun
10 shine; and as went on" he writes " tnromSn on9
felt If all nature shared In the JOY OF the gfeat bh
day. Going through the woods the sofness oI my ,Ieu
upon the mossy ground and among the brown ieaVcs
enhanced the Christmas sacredness by which felt sur
rounded As the whitcned stems envroncd me, Thought
how the Founder Of the time had never raised ma be-
ngnan hand. save to bless ana heal except Ill inc oso
of one unconscious tree -
rounded by the full beauty Of the summertime. me Inc
hand of Art consprin2 with Nature had planted Thouo
dcndrons if in their native soil beneath the forest
trees They were in one universal fame Oh D9sSos is
kindcst and most hosptabe of ncghbors were absent
there was not a living igure beside ourselves 10 break
the solitude and we wandered and on with the wild
and by Gotham Hail. with It's me lawns
and farsweepng landscape. and Worknen anu gruehcth
and general air OF Summer luxury. But to-day we were
to 20 past the hail. aud lunch on green slope under the
trees twas 1t just the spot where MI fckwlcK Iieu I!e
cold punch and found 1t satisfactory never liked TO
ASK j. and after making the old woods ring with me cla
ter and cink of our noonde meal mingled WIN WIN oos
of laughter. 10 come To the village, ana 10 lhe very
inn from which the diNconsolaic Mr. Tnpman WroiG 10
MI PckWlck, AFTER his adventure WIZ Mss ,,
There Is the old sn and here we are z, me latner o
tie. CoOham Kent. There no doubt whatever about
hat DicEehS inoiesty Would no. aloW @ ,ii ~ ~, ~ III III
made the most Of an outside study o. the quaint old
place strolcd by; also OF the cottages whose III
mates We're evidently no strangers loou par uS
cared for by them Er Sh cOiagers SO often looked
alter 10y the klndy ladies III tneW d hrnn
there VAS the od charchyaid WlcIe lir .cd @ ~ %
quietly buried in the sure and certain nope Wlch christ
slime inspired" There too were the chidfel whom'
at their play he could not hut he loving rchchl-
herring who had loved thcm one party q urcns swing
scenery runst TenaI tb" tr fellow on me ton of five
barred gate in the picture Collins painted known widely
by the fine engraving made Of II at the time Ana teTe
too were the bos.Omiug giricns which now shone IN
their of resurrection. The stillGcS OF mid
summer creVt everything we fingered IN the
suu and shadow Of the Old VILLAGE Slowly crcling the
hall, came upon an avenue OF metrces leading mp
10 stately doorway in the distance Ihe pain was
oycrgrown birds and squirrels hopping uncon-
] ccrncdy over the ground, and the gates and chains
rusty with disuse This aVcle sald DlCkeis, as
weleanedupOn the wall and looked into its cool shadows
crossed except 10 bear the dead Dody OF the
lord OF the hall 10 its last resting place. remnant 0
superstition, and one which Lord and Lady D would
De glad 10 do away with, but the villagers WOud never
hear OF such thing, and would consider certain death
any person who should or come through this en-
trance. II would be highly unpopular movement for
the present occupants 10 attempt to uproot I'm. absurd
time" time. 'l-1 '''' '''' 7'''" ~ "'' ''7'''
We must copy the excellent sketch of the personal
habits of Dickens, although its length is too great
for our crowded columns:
No writer ever lived whose method more exact,
ity more marked, than those of Charles Dickens.
He never shrked labor mental or bodily He rarely de-
c"ed If the object good taking the chair ut
public meeting, or accepting charitable trust ahy
wears been benefted ny his rusteeship counsel
spent great portion of his time personally look
under his control lie wa, as has been intimatcd,
OF the industrious OF men. and marvellous stories
told mot by himself Of what he has accompshe9 III
given time in literary and social matters Hls STUDIES
were all from nature and life. and his HABITS OF obsrrva
ton we're untlring II ne cOhtellliteu "I,lnEs ,
Times he ranged with the master OF Aseys circus
ana among the horses and if the composition Of the
| - Tale Of TWO Cities" occupying his thoughts,
~ s,rtinT face in crowd thai he wished TO
preserve Dickens with his transcendent memory coni-
tied in Ills mind whatever OF interest met his eye
1cG"ry one dav hc said the memory Of children was
| prodigOus il was mistake 10 fancy chldIen ever
forgot anything. When he deneating the character
of Mrs Ppchn, he had in his mind an old clearinghouse
| keeper in an English watering place where he was
living with his father and mother when he was but
| il TO his sister. who wrote back at once: GOOD
Iodgnq-housc keeper and you but two yeas old
al That :" Characters and incidents crowded the
chambers OF his brain. all ready for when occasion
required No subject OF human interest was ever iudlf
ferent to him. and never day went by that dld not
afford him some suggestion TO be ntilen III inc lue. %
HIS favOrite mode Of exercise was walking; ana when
weather that he did not accomplish ms eght miles
1t was these expeditions that he liked 10 recount 10
companion OF his ramDles stories and incidents OF his
humOr knew bounds. He would then frequently dis
wond act out on the road dramatic situations where
NIckleby or COpperfied Swiveer would play distn-
that during the composition Of his first stories he
could never entirely dismiss the characters M about @ whom
y Shop in process OF composition Little Nell fol
| " Oliver Twist" Fagn the Jew would let him
rest his most retired moments; that at midnight
and in the morning on the sea and the land, III
Tim and Little Bob Cratcht were tugging at his
coatsieeve, if impatient for him 10 get back to his
desk and continue the story of their lives. But he
said after he had published several books, and saw
what serious demands his characters were accustomed
10 make for the attention Of his already over
Ssked brain, he resolved that the phantom individuals
should longer iDtrnde on his hours OF recreation
and rest but that when he closed the door OF his
study would shut them all in and only meet them again
when he came back TO resume his task That force
of will with which he preeminently en-
dOwed enabled him TO ignore these manifold exsences
tll he chose renew their acquaintance He said also
that when the children Of his brain had once bee. been
launched. free and clear Of him, into the world they
would sometimes turn up in the most unexpected manner
to look their father in the face.
Sometimes he would pull my arm while we were walk
ing together and whisPer Let us avoid NJ Pumse-
Micawber coming let us turn down this alley to get
OF his way He always seemed TO enjoy the fun Of
his comic people and had unceasng mirth over Mr. Pick
wcks misadvenures In answer one day 10 question,
prompted by psychological curiosity if lie dreamed
of any OF his characters his reply was, Never and
am convinced that writer Judging from my
Ie fher rain huf