New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-06-13
CHARLES DICKENS, EDITOR
HOW He TREATED HIS CONTRIBUTORS
VIC Y,xn,y 1r1TFRs-A GENIAL SEvERFLAGGiN0
rRIrNp-urs EDITORIAL INSTRUCTIONS
r.on, The Ceullculag's li:gd=iac.

The figure Of the amiabe, 2ceompllshcu, "i
to-be-rcGrettcd Charles Dickens hhs IivcJ with
before us "cven in lns hablI "S he "N'''
abundance Of detail and Color. r liz, ,,b;ch la.
There is hovevcr. one view OF MN "ihTh n.i
scarcely been sufficiently Grat rc and friends n,
editor and otherwise. These eXhlbf nm IN u iI"'
cngaginc light. and viii perhaps ne surpiHf ~
10 those abundantly familiar WITH Ills an'iaoic ""'
In the old Household Hords days the place OF
bu,jncss" was nj n charming little immature on H.
in WclliuCton-st. close Ia the sage dooi vi w
Co;ctv Theatre II seemed all bow Wlnu"" 81
least It's two stOrieS-it had only t"0-WtIV tn"'
bowed. The drawiug-room m9er !: 'illrI & "orL
cheerful place to work in. THIS Is now .ir w D.
.Lon Of ann'hcy magazine TIE .frBq Gnd -N"'H' h'l
I always pass il with respect and aicct3h. 49,
came away from il without taking win NE SoN'-
' n,icp about o'clock he was to he seen tramp
inc hr;skIv along the Strand. coming iroIn ChaThs
Cros. station. fresh from his pleasant country
nlacc in Kent H.. n and ready for the day WORK;
and carving his little black bag ull OF proofs am
Ms. Thai daily journey from Instrumentation. WIN
the drive to il in his little carnage OF "nisk cai '"UN
full an hour each way, ard was serious slice OUT
VI A. nriforl-s. hy the bootmahcrs shop, he would
tu,n ont of the Straud-thOSe in the shops he pdSSl
wonId know his figure well, and told me aitcr ms
death how thrv missed this familiar arion-an'i
would then post along IN the saTc brisk slrih ne
through Maiden Lane. past " Rules. wherG ne
often had hS oyster, through IayiStock-st. TIL ne
emerged IN Nclliagton-st the last house ne passed
before crossing being Major lhtts, me hat'cr =
This mention OF Major Pitt" suggests that 1t was
aira,s nIeo.ant to See what pride the tradesmcn
took i'm having him for customer, ana What aIl '-
MY tbcy nat tu his service or IN Ohlgc INN III any
way This believe was really owing 10 ne Cua,,ii I
inC hearty manner ever courteous cordldI' ,H",,'
jealous his chccrv fashion o joking or J's', Witt
WAS irresistible. The average trade iiial h,S sll
,-inuatl,v or intelligence for the regular literary
Hro,bcr little Hons hoH Uords tradition was this
Tho chief himself always wrote with blue INK
ru bilc pair.r His was siuguarly neat ana iGEu-
lar baud, really arts IN us con'cP!Ion' i !,
iIwr rs i'm everything else vas 60 be noted the per
frct finish as il might he styled, 81 hs lcttrt-WfI-
inI-thc disposition of The paragraphs wen ne Nto
ping the usr Of capitals, az moving dllls1V %
.lur and conveying excellent ANA valuable lessons.
mi. "conv" for the printers. written aS II H. IN very
small hand. much crowded Is trying "nonGh To ih'
Owes but the printers never idund any dilhrW'l'S
II was much and carefully corrected, ana wherever
thcr, was an crdsurc. IL was done IN thorough
fashion 80 that what was ciiacci coui nol
lie read Nearly all the band followed MS
,xo,nnic in writing i'm blue ink aud on blue paper,
and this Tor many years: bat not without hconN"-
ncnce For. like the hoy and his button des'TinrH ny
Sir Waller Scott the absence OF paper on lik ol thc
necessary color affected the ideas, and one M"rkrh
under serious disabilities stranecncs. etc. Another
iloSyncrasy Of hs Vas writing me gay oi 'h'
month in ful ~ January twen,y-SNth
II il i'm his relations with writers IN ms periodical
and indeed in all connections with his lt'r9rF
re,hrcI" rs h. modcStlN called them, that inns
aniablc and engaging man appears 10 tue most ~
traorlinarv adv aiiiacc. As | read over ms many
letters those points, am amazed al the gn"ti-
turcd allowance the untirlng gon1 hulnof i"o Wi~h
To please and make pleasant. me Almost u'hi-
ence. the mOacsty IN one Of ms giea' poSluol rs
head perhaps. of all living wrltcTS-tO say morning
of his position - director 81 the perodl'ai
which he kindcd with his own perpetual
iu>pirations There was ever The same uniform
good nature and arl0r. the careneSs 10 welcome
and second any plan, Reluctance ~ hi,VNs 1t, aio
tLis done with apologies; all, too. in the strag'st
contrast to the summary and plun-Spoken ia~i"h
of the ordinary editor. fancy tins Wow mas
scarcely been sufficiently brought ont III all IN"
this most charming 81 lilf ~.
And ut the risk of some intrusion ol my own con-
Germs | shall hr enabled to show HIM III even more
engaging and attractive hight. Inc various ac-
counts have scarcely been concerned with TINS s"'
Of his character. -.
ibis patient interest should. in these. editorial
matters become more wonderful when IT Is c"nSih-
erred that his position head of an important peri
odical made hun mari cd figure for impor-
tunity. Many Of his friends were tempted I" ne
come literary" They even had their friends Who
desired To become literary and under pressure
would introduce to this great writer immature ana
improbable efforts which he had 10 put aside with
what excuses he could Then there were ms " It-
erary brethren" each with his novel or short
Iapcr, which il would occur 10 blm some morning
'' he would send OF tO Dickens. these had 10 ne
considered and his good nature or courtesy drawn
upon. rs for the general herd OF scribhlers inc
posman on "thi, beat e9nid give dIe account =. Oh
wonder that h" had 10 compose sort OF spccaI 'li-
cular answer which was duly autographed and re-
turned with their productions To the various cnHI-
dates | believe every composition was seriously
glanced at. and some estimate lladc-and many an
obscure clever girl WAS surprised 10 find her efforts
f}he time when "the Christmas Number" had TO
lie got ready was always one # pleasant expectancy
and alacrty: II was an object Tor all To nave s,dI
i'm "a vehicle" which travelled every road ana
reached the houses OF quarter Of million persons.
With his usual conscientious feeling OF duty to the
public. he laboTcd hard; first, to secure good ann
telling idea and second 10 work II ont on the small
hut effective scale with which h had atterly grown
unfamiliar owing To his habit of dealing with large
canvass. Hence the labor was IN proportion, and
svir. hot lao
up altogether though il must have been "a serious
loss of profit. FuIpc- rite ct trdRPt FORT was the
system. lTcmcmhcr hS SAYING when complaining
Of this tax, have really put as much INTO urS.
IirTiyer as would almost make q novel" lie nm
self generally supplied framework and couple of
sior, stories and the rest was filled III by other
hands, have myself idrhished TWO IN Single
As the time drew near pleasantly welcome cir
nal: the paragraphs of which, as they exhibit ms
lighter touches, will be welcome. They show, too,
the matter-Offact busiuesS-like style In which the
matter was conceived and carried out:
Ininviting YOU to contribute 10 Christmas Mum
Der beg TO send YOU Nj DckcnsS memorandum OF the
range that may be tsAen this year You viii see that 1t
The slight leading notion Of the Number being devised
with view to placing little restriction rs possible on
the ances OF my fellow writers IN H. there iS agn no
limitation scene or first person or third person non
reference to the season OF the year essential
II Il to Ne observed that the tales are not supposed 10
be narrated any audience but are supposed to he IN
writing How they come 10 bc IN writing requires no
accounting for whatever Nothing to which they refer
have happened within seven years. III any cOntrlOu
ton should be OF kind that would derive any force or
playfulness suggestvenes Of any sort from the pre-
fence that IL II incOmpete-that the beginning Is not
there OF the cnd, the middle any other portion
the prctence Will he quite consistent win the general
iiea Of the Number
In connection with this matter ! may say that
nothing was more delightful than the uurcstrained
way in which he cOniided his plans about his own
stories or discussed others connected with mime
imparting quite dramatic interest and color TO
what might as mere business details, have been left
to his deputy.
Once, in little town in Wales, had seen quaint
local museum, formed by an old ship captain. who
had collected odds and ends of his profession,
mostly worthless much like what is described IN
"Little Pedlngton." The oldest feature was the
garden. in which he had planted varions figure
keads OF ycs.els. Dnkcs of York and Others. who