Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1880-02-05
PARADoxEs IN LITERATURE.
How Some Literary Men Are Hes
What They seem-Charlss Dick.
eus-Bres Harfs-Aark Twain.
Carson Appeai.

cu'so" hpPeots
Il is just beginning to conn to light
that Charles Dickens inner life was not
q reflex Of the characteristics which read
80 charminRly In his books. II IL as-
serted that he held his own father and
mother up to ridicule in his novels, the
one as "Micawber' and the other as
''Mrs. Nickleby." A writer who would
lampoon his own mother must indeed
lack all qualities Of flial respect or dc.
cency. Dickens VA such q man. and
while his writings reveal every phase OF
affection, kindness. tenderness and SYM
patty, and his characters are something
which seem to the reader like the spirits
OF dead friends, he himself was Q selfsh,
arrogant and egotistcal man, ever proud
OF his literary success, envious OF the
attainments OF others and o man who
looked with contempt upon the balance
OF the world; in fact. he seemed 10 have
been directly the opposite Of what q
would imagine from Q perusal Of his
books. or course there are those who
will decidedly object to having the bones
Of the dead novelist disturbed, or his
weaknesses and foibles dragged from the
grave. where his friends would DO glad
to sec them rest forever. Some claim
that a showing up Of the mans bad traits
ID not In good taste. This IL all bosh.
IL Q man 10 . fraud he is Q fraud dead or
alive, and no man should DO allowed to
sail under false oolors simply because he
10 dead.
We dislike to have our idols shattered,
but they are shattered every day. never
theless. II a statue We supposed was
gold turns out to be common clay, the
sooner We know II the better. II the
Dickens idol IL not made Of the right
stuff, let the i~conoolast set about bis
work at once. Literature presents some
curious anomalies. lola, author OF
L'Assamoine, depicts life Of the most
depraved sort. The reader threads .
labyrinth Of accidents In which murder.
ers, thieves. harlots and drunkards play
. prominent part. yet the author 10 o
singularly pure man in his lie and hab-
It's. lives apart from the world and Ia
almost Q hermit. The scenes OF do.
bauchery which he paints with 30 vigor-
Gus o hand he has really never mingled
In. Harte depicts scenes which make
tears spring in the eyes and he 10 con.
tinually impressing the reader with his
Hne sense Of justice. His heroes. how.
sver ~uncouth, are always on the dead
square," Yet Harts 10 q tricky. under
handed man. who never pays his tailor's
bills II be can avoid II, and has done
some Of the meanest things imaginable.
Mark Twain Is another Of Q class OF
men whose writings do not reveal their
characters. Ono would credit him with
being an honest. jovial, open.handed
fellow who was always overlooking with
generosity and good motives. On the
contrary. he 10 mean. tricky. disagreea-
BILE. boorish aud misery to the last
degree. He grips Q quarter until the
prints OF his nails are left In the silver,
and never did an act OF kindness In his
life that anybody al recollsct. He
ono invited an old friend and chum Of
early days to visit him In Hartford.
Twain occupied . 5000 900 house and
with 20 ~unoccupisd rooms in 1t sent his
friend to o hotel.