The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-22
was Dickens Insane I'm arriage and
Men OF Gonlus.

Il
An ingenious and graceful critic, comment
ing upon the story Of the separation OF
Dickens from his wife, which is now q social
theme Of absorbing Importance advances one
or two theories that deserve consideration.
This writer. in replying to some Of the views
expressed by the HERALD Charity
| constrains us TO put different Interpretation
upon the great novelist's action We cannot
look upon it as wanton freak of o nature
made giddy with the fumes of fattery and
seeking the communion Of q more congenial
soul" The writer advances his belief chat
Dickens "was not perfectly sane man; that
''his temper became soured and his brain
affected by two causes. bodily ailments and
overtasked mental energies' ''He was a
Haunted Man and his spectre was the Spirit
of Unrest" After abiding to the physical
ailments which distressed Dickens. this critic
argues that the "uncongenial traits that Dick
ems fancied he discovered in Mrs. Dickens
character were but the reflection of his own
clouded vision, and in casting her aside he was
unconsciously repeating the part of David
Copper6eld, Who in putting off the love that
Agnes bore him, was blind and knew not what
he did"
The reserve with which Mr.. Forster treats
the domestic relations of Dickens leaves the
field open to every variety of speculation.
We presume that the whole question will pass
into literary history as cause cEtebre, to be-
come the topic of endless treatises and dis
cussions, like the Man in the Iron Mask, the
insanity of Burke, the authorship of Junius,
the reasons for the separation OF Byron from
his wife, the true relation between Swift and
Stella, Addison's peace Of mind after his
marriage with countess, and the cause of
Shakespeare leaving his wife his second best
bed. We have q whole literature of the calam-
tiles of authors, going back to the time of
chapter to it, new and deeply interesting to us
because of his wonderful personality. Authors
of renown have left their wives without ex-
citing much interest in the world. Bulwer is
famous example, especially as Lady Bulwer
wrote novels about her husband satirizng
him. But Bulwer held no such personal influ-
ence over the people as to make his domestic
experience at all matter of common interest.
Nor did he, like Dickens, call upon mankind
to Judge between him and his wife, and cruelty
stamp upon her in his will. These are reasons
which make the case of Dickens peculiarly
interesting to us as social question, and it
would be an immense relief to be able to 40
cept as an excuse that given by our critic
namely, that Dickens was insane.
The plea of insanity, like the famous plea
of an alibi, which the elder Weller regarded
as an unfailing legal expedient, is nearly
always advanced in cases like this. When
q man of genius inspires the love be-
slowed upon Dickens by millions it is hard
to form another opinion. We have heard
of critic, who is in the habit of ayowing
with amusing gravity the general proposition
that all men are insa ne, more or less; that
genius and crime and virtue are only so many
forms Of insanity. Buckle startled many
readers when he attributed the extravaganza
and anger of Burke in his latter days, and
especially concerning the French Revolution,
to insanity occasioned by domestic misfortune.
In fact We might pursue this plea so far, and
into the lives of SO many men of genius,
not only in letters, but in craftsmanship, war,
art, mechanics, that it would lose its effect
Bacon's acceptance of brides, Dryden's change
of religion, Swift's behavior to Stella and
Vanessa, Johnson's odd customs and beliefs
about ghosts and wings and Scotchmen; Rous-
seau's treatment of his children, Voltaire's
quarrel with Frederick, Mirabeau's book on
T. =. 10 III L.. al ~
invasion of Sllesia, Napoleons invasion
Of Russia, Peter the Greats daily
life and conversation, Shelley's baseness
towards his first wife, Byron's behavior
on twenty occasions during his career,
Moore's earlier poems, Walter SCOTS business
sad misadventure in Bath-all of these may be
attributed to insanity with as much reason
and with as many serious arguments gathered
from the phenomena of life as the relations Of
Dickens with his wife. If we bring ourselves
to the question, What divides madness from
answer, or, at least, to answer in such way
that we can admit the plea as an extenuation
for the admitted selfishness of Dickens, and
indeed for any manifestation Of selfshness on
the part of mankind.
There is another question about which much
has been spoken and written, and great deal
more Overwhelmingly, SIS the literary char
acter suited to the domestic sphere?" His
tory is filed with so many ruins
of the hearths and homes of literary
men that prudent fathers would do
well to give their daughters to men who,
like Jack Cade, could neither read nor write
and held scholarship to be an abomination
and sin. Is it not possible that literature is
O mistress so jealous that she will not respect
the bond of the altar? Does not the dream
ing, fanciful writer fashion an ideal mistress so