The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-05-17
CHARLES DICKENS.
Great NOveIist's Regard for His
3"' Parents. 84fEt AH

rho many admirers of the great novel
- uere much panied by statements in
-. nrblic press few years ago, that he
w deficient in his filial affection and
,%ot in his portrayal of Mrs. Nickleby,
~orv weak and vain woman, he was
featuring his own mother. Joseph
Lotion. an English correspondent OF
4ho Christian Union, Gives "a New
pooe in the History of Charles Dick
.nsn from which we extract the fol.
lowing: ss ! :.
"Mr. Darcy, himself kind, gentle and
rttv. was always beloved favorite
Nth all who knew him, and the circle
If his friends and acquaintance was
,.r,e one. Thlther sometimes came
Lord Lytton, Thackeray, Thornburn,
nckens, and Cowden Clarkes, Guizot,
and Rev. Richard Boyle, Mrs. Sargood
MISS Flower,) Baltaggs. Mr.. and Mrs.
Charles Kean, and, when he was in
town. Charles Lever, and many another
celebrity long since lost to this world.
II happened Mr.. John Dickens consult
ed DR., Davey concerning his health,
and that gentleman. in order to better
sfndv the case, consented to receive
him into his house, together with his
wife. Mrs Davey, in a letter to her
youngest son, r. Davey, the well-known
journalist, written some years ago, thus
describes the death of the great novel
ists father: ~
III that at first hesitated in sending for
MI Charles Dickens, but at last my
husband said he believedit was absolute
" necessary to do SO. Charles came at
ence and made preparations to remain
throughout the night. Mr.. Dickens,
senior, was suffering from complica-
ton of disorders, and the stroke, which
finally killed him, left but little hope
for recovery, although his end came
quicker than we had imagined possible.
On the night of March 81, 1852, he sank
rapidly, but painlessly, to rest, at about
midnight. Nothing could exceed the
tenderness, gentleness, and thoughtful-
ness of his illustrious son. He held his
" kissing it and bathing it with tears.
IN his arms, and after embracing her,
led her quietly from the room. He as
sured her that she need have no trouble
fol the futGre pecuniarily that he would
see to all things himself, and begged
her to take rest. Mrs. Dickens, worn
out with grief, fell asleep, and the SON
went back to the room where his dead.
father lay, and. kneeling down, remain
ed praying till daybreak, when those
terrible but necessary folks, who are
always upon hand on these occasions,
appeared upon the scene. When they
arrived, ] took Mr.. Dickens, with gentle
force, from the room; as he reached the
door he obliged me to return, and,
holding my hand. and my dear hus-
bands also, looked at his father for a
considerable length of time, and then,
without relinquishing his hold of us,
stopped and kissed the dead mans face
After that he braced himself up, even
his tears were checked, and he came
down with me to my drawing room, and
seating himself, calmly discussed with
my husband and myself various BUSH
ness matters connected with the death,
He wished the body to be removed to
Devonshire Terrace, for fear of giving
us trouble; but l determined that it
should be buried from our house, both
my husband and myself considering it
kind of breach of hospitality to close
our doors on the body of a friend. He
was most grateful to US for this, and,
when she awOke, communicated the
into the details of the funeral, but will
simply record my recollections of Mr..
and Mrs Dickens 1 knew them both
well and liked them. Mr.. John Dickens
was we'll educated and able. He was,
however, a fiery old gentleman, and
easily irritated. / remember that when
there were some theatricals at the st.
James Theatre, in which Charles Dick
ems and other celebrities took part, Mr.,
Dickens, senior, was told off by his son
as manager before the curtain and
requested him on no account to let any
body come behind the scenes or beyond
a given door. Fancying he saw some
one infringing upon this rule, he sud-
denly struck at an advancing figure in
one of the corridors, who apparently
insisted on approaching instead of re-
firing as he had been requested. Anger
ed by what he deemed to be the strang-
ers obstinacy, he hit a looking-glass
and smashed it, for it was his own re-
Election he had addressed, and being
near-sighted. mistaken it for stranger.
persistently disobeying his orders. Mrs.
Dickens was a small woman, who must
have been pretty in her youth, for she
was still nice looking. never met with
asmore amusing person, and | am sure
that Dickens inherited his drollery from
her. She was singularly gifted with the
sense of the comic, and her description
OF old people and scenes were simply
Inimitable. l never traced ia her or
Mr.. Dickens, her husband, any one of
Dickens characters, and feel persuaded
mat he never sketched or caricatured
either for any of his books. '-Ex.