Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-03-26
Thurlow Weed on Dickens.

"You are o great admirer Of Dick
ems, are you not, Mr.. Weed P
Yes; for forty years I have read
and loved his works, and have always
felt that I owed him debt of graft
tude which never could be paid. I
read his works over and over again and
reading. Last year read A Tale of
Two Cities twice and each time l was
delighted. So it is with all his works.
have had lifetime of comfort from
Them"
do You consider Thackeray his
peer ?"
"There is NO comparison between
them, said Mr.. Weed. earnestly. "Not
long ago thought I would apply the
test to Thackeray, and began to read
Henry Esmond,' which consider the
best Of his works, but could not be-
come interested in it. Dickens, on the
other hand, has never failed me.
81 remember that good many years
ago dined in London with O number
of eminent gentlemen, including sew
eral journalists and writer's, aud I was
surprised to hear them speak disparag.
ingly of Charles Dickens. It panied
me, and 80 expressed myself to the
gentleman who sat next to me, adding
that had the most Intense admiration
for his writings. Yhe gentleman asked
me why, and said that one reason was
that every one of his books was written
for noble purpose, aud that regarded
him as one Of the greatest and most
successful of modern reformers. The
| gentleman in question said that he did
not know but that there might be some.
thing in that, and he believed indeed
that the publication OF 'Olivsr Twist ,
had called the attention of the authori-
ties to the bad state Of the poor laws,
but that he did not think much OF it,
anyhow. Then said that I did not
know how it might be in England, but
in America we felt that the picture of
Dotheboys Hall in Nicholas Nickleby,'
had called attention to some fragrant
wrongs in our own schools, and had
been the means of correcting them,
and had hoped it had been the case
on their side Of the Atlantic. Besides,
Iadmired Mr.. Dickens as philosopher.
The quaint bits of philosophy scattered
through his volumes were nuggets of
gold. As a humorist, too, he had won
my admiration. Here, the gentleman,
who had politely but quietly listened
to my eulogy, openly dissented, and
declared that, with the exception of one
or two funny characters IN The Pick.
wick Papers, he had not been able to
find any humor at all in the novelist's
writings Would I be 80 good as to
point out any evidences of humor :?
rhereupon I quoted Mr.. Dickens de-
scription of Squeers, the schoolmaster,
in which he said that Mr.. Squeers had
but one eye, adding in parentheses,
that there is "a popular prejudice in
favor of two eyes The gentleman
laughed outright, and this attracted
the attention of the other guests and I
was compelled to repeat the eulogy
and the quotation. The laughter was
universal, and they admitted the cor
rectness Of my position on this point,
and asked me to quote another instance
of humor. I gave them the scene at
Mr.. Dombey's house, where Mr.. Toots
is leaving after an interview with Miss
Dombey, followed by that lady and
Miss Susan Nipper. Mr.. Toots stopped
at the door, you remember, and re-
marked that it was of no conseque ;
but he had brought Diogenes, the
dog little Paul had. The girls rushed
to the door, and the description says
that 'there, in point OF fact, was
Diogenes, making furious Passes at the
window OF the cab. into which he had
been beguiled under false pretense of
rats in the straw J. That picture GER
tainly is humorous in the extreme aud
my fellow guests were forced to con.
cede IL, told these gentlemen, too,
that Dickens pictures Of chancery de-
lays and the ruinous evils of red tape
had gone great way toward reforming
courts and laws in America, and that q
distinguished English jurist also had
informed me that the first chapter OF
Bleak House had done more toward
reforming the chancery law and prac.
tlce OF Great Britain than all the news
papers and all the lawyers had been
able to accomplish. t.
but it is not alone az reformer
and humorist that I esteem Charles
Dickens. His refinement and delicacy
are everywhere conspicuous. He de.
scribes rough characters, such as you
and I meet often. but he does it with.
ont ever offending delicacy. There is
not q line in any OF his writings to
which q woman or child could object
not single allusion that is in any way
doubtful. He shows up hypocrisy and
evil, but the charge that he ever at.
tackled true and pure religion is absurd
on its face. The touch OF his pen was
most exquisite. Do you remember
when, in Bleak House,, the young
lady who has caught the smallpox by
nursing poor Joe,' finds on her re-
covery that there is change in the
room, and at last misses the mirror,
which Charley her maid, had re-
moved, so that she should not see her
SCARED face-could anything be more
exq uisite than the touches that describe
the scene Pm. T. World.
ORIENTAL CITY GATEs.-In 1884 DR..
Thomson resided for several months in
Jaffa, and to pass away the time, fire..
quently came out in the afternoon to
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