The Portland daily press., 1872-11-16
The Growth of Dickens Literature

Shortly after the death of Charles Dickens
it began to be said by timid few that his
place in literature was only comparable with
that of Shakespeare. OF course this opinion
was muttered under the breath by those who |
knew that the kind-hearted author of stories |
which were new evangels was in the inder
erpurgatorius Of such awful authorities as
DR.. Holland and the Rev. DIR. Fulton. But
the short time which has since elapsed has
done much to justify that opinion. Contem-
porary popularity is counted poor criterion
OF lasting fame, to be sure but the nature OF
the tribute already paid to Dickens marks
something altogether different from that
evanescent reputation which is sometimes
won by authors of the grade OF James or OF
the imposing Dr. Holland himself No other
author that ever lived, we believe, had such
crow of biographers, commentators, dramat-
lists, lecturers, indexers, imitators, descriptive
writers and critics at work upon him in so
short time after his decease. The Dickens
literature threatens to rival the Shakespeare
literature in voluminousness. Within few
months two very elaborate works have been
published, the purpose of which is to render
any important passage in the novels of Dick
ems instantly available. This is a kind of
compliment that has hitherto been paid to the
Bible alone. Authors and publishers can
afford such concordances only of writers
whose words have taken a deep root in the
hearts and lives of millions of men. 1t may
affectionate interest that now
he personal history of the great
lists, will soon fade, and that the
next generation of his admirers will not read
the 'Pen-Photographs" of Kate Field or her
English imitator, that no one will care to
know the exact information he gave to Sam
Weller's reply to the Judge, when reading
the trial scene in Pickwick, that James T.
Fields "reminiscences of his swallowing his
first American oyster will be forgotten, tc-
gether with the description Edmund Yates
is now giving on the lyceum platform of the
wrinkles on the face of his celebrated friend.
But there is probability that this inter-
est will increase rather than diminish,
and that in two centuries from
now he that effaces the smallest memorial of
Charles Dickens will incur the wrath of man
kind in the same degree as did the meddle-
some sexton who had Shakespeare's effigy in
the Stratford church-ysrd ,ohitcwashed-the
fellow whom Charles Lamb wanted to clap
fast in the stocks as ga sacrilegious varlet."
And it is comfort to know that so many
photographs, busts, portraits and descriptions
of him exist that posterity will not be COM
LII L.. Al -. l.. q
ofhis hair and eyes on some rude efigy which
official stupidity can easily destroy with sin
gle coat of paint. Two hundred years hence
his admirers will be able to see him much as
some of us saw him on that March evening
of 1868, when he sprang so lightly and rapid
ly up the stairs from the floor to the platform
of City Hall, strobe briskly forward, leaped
without moments hesitation the little chasln
between the main platform and the stage
built in front of it for the reader, and stood
before us, his face and figure revealed with
the utmost distinctness by the maroon screen
behind and the gas jets in front of him.
Some painter, we forget who, happened, at
one time, to have frequent opportunities of
seeing Dickens at his daily task. He says
that such was the intensity of his mental la
Dor and such his total abandonment to his
creative work, that he seemed like a man suf-
fering mental anguish. The face. we saw be-
fore us on that memorable evening bore plain
traces of all the intellectual agony which had
peopled the world with bright and happy i'm
ages that had made life SO much better worth
living. But the kind, beaming eyes, the mo-
bile face and the general expression of good
will and amiability, told also of the plastic
power of benevoence and kindness of heart
on the human features. And it is sorrowful
to reflect that while the deep scars left by
time and thought on the face of the novelist
will be faithfully reproduced for posterity, the
beauty given to it by the beautiful soul with
in will be in measure lost.