The New York herald., 1872-12-07
LITERARY CHTT.CHAr.

uOOk On 86fuenlQg.
'THE SEARCH FOR PUBLISHER" Ia q shilling
manual published in London for tie benefit OF
w0uld-be authors. soME ati ga
MISS FANNIE MATTHEWS ('Marguerite z. AYmar'D
Is engaged in writing q novel. the scene OF which
Is laid partly In New York city and partly in one OF
our fashionable watering places. stt a ~ .4te
SPRI0HrLY MISS ALCOrr, In her new volume OF
"Aunt jos Scrap Bag, I" takes three American la
dies over Europe, and gives US an amusing medley
OF anecdote. adventure and criticism N 8. -'
"REpUBLIcAN SUPERsrlrioNs." by Mr.. Moncare d.
Conway, win be published IN few dayss sesotq,
In THE AUTUMN, OF 1912, Mr., Dickens began and
ended his book the "Amerlcan Notes." OF which
Mr.. Forster prints the original Introductory chap
ter suppressed In the publication, for what ap-
pear to US to be here a. where In the suppress
SONS advised by Mr.. Forster very insufficient rea-
sons. The chapter runs as foiiows:-
INTR0DUCTORY-AND NECESSARY TO BR READ
have placed the foregoing title at the head OF
any person to pass Judgment on this book, Or, TO
arrive at any reasonable conclusion in reference to
1t without FIRST being at the trouble OF becoming
acquainted with Its design and purpose.
II is not statistical. Figures OF arithmetic have
already been heaped upon Americas devoted head,
piled above Shakespeare's grave. F1' sase ~.
It comprehends no ANAL talk concerning tndi.
private life. The very prevalent practice Of kid
mapping live ladies and gentlemen, forcing them
into CABINETS ana labelling and tlCketiJtg them,
whether they Will or no, tor the qualification Of the
idle and the curious. is not to my taste. Therefore
i have avoided it, ,aT 0si8 sT. ID asg83aa
1t has not grain OF any political Ingredient in
Its whole composition 9I ia }a 3o9 ls4}8 er
Neither does it contain. nor have intended that
count OF my personal reception in the United
States; not because | am, or ever was, inscnsible
to sn % Ion o nS
tast i ". would ii become ne % aonrlsh matter natter
necessarily involving 30 much OF my own praises
in the eyes of my unhappy readers.
This book is simply what it claims to be-a record
ing my hasty travels in America, and sometimes
but not always) OF the conclusions to which they.
and @ on nave sa ne d
institutions visited; OF the kind Of people among
whom journeyed, and OF the manners and Gus.
toms that came within my observation. Very
have been already published but think that these
account The interest OF such productions, If they
have any, lies in the varying Impressions made by
in new discoveries or extraordinary adventures.
can scarcely be supposed to be ignorant OF the
perfectly Wen that there is in that country nu-
merous class OF we-intentiOned persons prone to
be dissatisfied with all accounts or the Republic
whose citizens they are which are not c0uched in
terms Of exalted and extravagant praise. l know
perfectly wen that there is in America as in most
numerous class OF persons so tenderly and deli
catey constituted that they cannot bear the truth
10 any iorm ana ~ 40 $ not t need the ga1t OF propne
to detect malice, nlwill and all uncharitablcness
in these pages, and to show beyond any doubt that
they are perfectly inconsistent with that grateful
and enduring recollection which profess to enter
tain OF the welcome found awaiting me beyond
the Atlantic, will be certain native Journalists We
to prove to me, on all occasions during my stay
there. that the aforesaid welcome was utterly
worthless tH@taG faf Il Nta laI
But. venturng TO dissent even from these high
authorities formed my own opinion Of It's value
serting las invariably did on all public occasons)
my liberty and freedom OF speech while l was
among the & Americans rSa ana and IN nm maintaining IT at
high worth Of that welcome, and of the honorable
singleness or purpose with which it was extended
ESaa e 1s oa S the nsass4 iss. vae
grateful and over-partial perhaps TO whom / he'd
happily been the means OF furnishing pleasure ahd
entertainment; not vulgar herd who would nat
ter and cajoe q stranger into turning with closed
eyes from all the blemishes of the nation, and into
street ballad-singer. From first to last | saw, in
those hOsptable hands, q homemade wreath Of
laurel; and not an iron muzzle disguised beneath
Therefore take-and hold myself not only jus.
tilted in taking but bound to take-the plain
course Of saying what think, and noting what
saw; and as 1t Is not my custom to exalt what in
my judgment are foibles and abuses at home, SO
have no intention OF soitening down or glozing
over those that have observed abroad.
II this book should fall into the hands OF any SEN
sitive American who cannot bear to be told that
the working OF the institutions OF his country is
far from perfect; that in spite OF the advantage
she has over all other nations In the elastic fresh
ness and vigor OF her youth, she s far from being
model for the earth to copy, and that in those
pictures OF the national manners with which he
several years, each Of which may be " larry sup
posed to have had its stride In improvement
much that Is just and true at this hour let him lay
1t down now, for shall not please him. Ol the in
telligent, renectng and educated among his
c0untrymen have no fear for have ample reason
to believe, after many delightful conversations not
easily to be forgotten, that there are very few
topics tf any on which their sentiments differ
may be asked-''If you have been in any respect
disappointed in America, and are assured before
hand that the expression OF your disappointment
all ~ My answer is, that went there expecting
greater things than found and resolved, far as
pense OF any-in my view-mis taken or prejudiced
statements that might have been made to its dis
paragement Coming home with corrected and
sObered Judgment, consider myself no less bound
to DO justice to what, according to my best means
ofJudgment, found to be the truth.
Against this broad estimate oil the Americans in
1s4l IL is interesting to set an estimate Of them,
formed many years subsequently, and after many
experiences OF them In Continental parts. in Janu.
ary, 1sss-his last famous visit to the States Writ
ing from Philadelphia he says:-
l see great changes for the better, socially. 20.
litically, no.. England governed by the MarylebOne
vestry and the penny papers and England as she
make make OF that hat Socially the" the change in manners is
remarkable. There is much greater politeness and
forbearance In all ways. On the other hand,
there are stu provincial oddities wonderfully quiz.
ing the popular amazement at "Mr. Dickens ex.
traordinary comp0stre.n They seem to take 1t ill
that don't stagger on to the platform 0verpowered
by the spectacle before me, and the national great
ness They are all so accustomed to do public
things with nOurish Of trumpets that the notion
OF my coming In to read without somebody first
flying up and delivering an ''oration" about me,
and dying down again and leading me in, is so very
no idea untii open my lips that it can possibly be
Charles Dickens. gr..4
THE GERMAN RErORMERS.