Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-01-29
CHARLES DICKENS.
Another Story Concerning His Un-
happy Marital Relations.

An0Lner story concerning his On-
happy Marital Relations.
London Cor Philadelphia Bulletin.
The manifest fact that every
thing near or remote about the
late Charles Dickens is yet a
source ofgreat lnterestin Amer
lea, must be my excuse for quo
ting az erte'So, from the Boule-
ward a series of paragraphs
"inside" paragraphs / suppose
they might be called-concern-
ling poor Mrs. Dickens. One
has abundant reason to know
that the writer is we'll informed.
The Boulevard, / may observe,
is a society paper printed in En-
glish, and published in Paris for
circulation there, and also on
this side of the channel. 1t has
a large and steadily increasing
circulation. The proprietor Is
a lady named Burke, and the
editor (conjointly with her) is
Mr.. Clifford Millage, Paris
correspondent of considerable
continental experience. Now
for the paragraphs:
"The novelist, being of all
men the greatest admirtr of the
useful virtues in women, of
course chose a wife for good
looks and good nature alone.
She belonged to a generation in
Mysteries and attacks of nerves
were INDUCED in by all women
as a matter of course whenever
the affairs of life seemed griey-
Gus to them; they were dowdy,
slow, strictly feminine, and lau-
dably innocent of aesthetics: but
the love of excitement, INSOFAR
able from human nature, found
its vent in fits of screams and
tears. Without any wish to
speak unkindly of the gentle
woman who is just dead, it must
be owned that she was eminent-
ly de son steele. Dickens was
not very tolerant of any form
of senslbility, and his wiie's
Mysteries gave on his nerves
past endurance. This alone, all
scandal Notwithstanding, was
the cause of the rupture and f.
nal parting.
"The domestic discomforts of
David Copperfeld and Dora are
no exaggerations of the real
miseries of the Dickens house
hold under the ffaccid manage
ment Of its mistress. Things
happened there which never
could by any possibility have
have occurred under any other
rooftree, as Dickens himself us
ed TO declare in desperation of
spirit. / have seen their houses
barricaded and garrisoned by II
drunken cook, who executed Il
war-dance at the drawiug-room
windows, hurting defiance there
from at the excluded family and
the assembled inhabitants of the
neighborhood. On one occa-
sion a somewhat numerous par
ty was gathered at the dinner
table, when MacIise remarked
to his neighbor in an innocent
voice: isn't there something
curious about this table-cloth?
1t doesn't shinep On examina-
ton, it struck the person adj
dressed that the dinner was
served upon a sheet. Far more
trying to the guests, however,
than any such little eccentricity
was the strong language with
which the host received the con-
versational blunders of the poor
little hostess.
"Miss Hogarth took her Sis
ter's place in the household by
reason of her order, briskness,
and managing powers. The
worlds suspicious Of her and of
her brother-in-law were abso-
lutely without foundation. She
was happily exempt from the
weakness Of her time, never had
Mysteries, and always kept brown
paper parcels and pieces of
string out of view OF the feroci-
ously orderly master Of the
house. Whether the course she
took was altogether sistcrly
may be questioned; but it's un-
selfishness and sclf-sacrifice can
hardly be a matter Of doubt.
"The brothers Dickens wero
not fitted for the holy estate.
Nevertheless, they all rushed
young into the bonds. OF four,
only one lived with his wife.
Private separation, the Divorce
Court, and flight to America,
put an end to the marriage of
the three Others"