Thomas County cat., 1886-02-25
HARD on DICKENS.
The Late J. b. LippincOtt's Not Very -
tering Opinion of tho Great Eng
gliSh Novelist. -.

Tno Lot0 Js II. LjpptncOtt'S Not very
tering Opinion of the Great Eng
glish Novelist.
The late Joshua Ballinger Lippincott
was full of anecdotes of the most cele-
brated authors of the last fifty years
Dropping into the great Market street
store one day to have talk with him
about book Twas preparing, he in
vited me into his private Office. and, be-
ing in very chatty humor that morn
ing, he entertained me for an hour or
more with fund of literary reminis-
cences.
81 have seen most of the English and
American authors of my time, said Mr..
Lippincott. Dickens was naturally .
genial, good-natured fellow, but his ear
" and extraordinary success completely
dazzled him, his head was turned by the
.Pickwick Papers, and it never got en-
tirely straight again. He was not
gentleman, Is Bulwer and Thackeray
were. but born snob. No gentleman
would have written American Notes
after enjoying the boundless hospitality
that was showered upon him in this
country. There are some things'a gem
tleman can not dc and that one was one
of them. His novels are not so popular
as they were drfing his lifetime. A
reaction in favor of Thackeray has set
in. Thackeray won his way slowly to
recognition and he was all the better
for it. He was tn rty-seven when
he wrote Vanity Fair the novel
which established his reputation. After
that his course was right onward.
Thackeray was less elusive than Dick
ems, but he was more genuine. He was
delightful at a private dinner party. but
not SO ready as Dickens as public
speaker The latter was particularly
happy upon sTch occasions. Once., at,
meeting of the Authors Fund Society.
Tom Campbell. the chairman. could
not preside and Dickens was called
upon at moments notice to take his
place. He made 4 brill mt impromptu
speech which surprised and delighted
all who heard it. Thackeray enjoyed a
good dinner. He was particularly fond
of American oysters and canvas-back
ducks. In fact, he was too much of a
club mamie ate too many good dim
ners. His literary fame, though less
splendid than Dickens during life. will
probably be more lasting. People are
beginning to think that Dickens char
acters were caricatures; that here is too
much exaggeration in his wonderful
Little Nells. his Micawbers and his Tor
vevdrops. Few read Dickens third
time, and those who en- njOyed his novels
when they were young find it impossi-
BILE to read them when past middle age.
But in spite of his fcppery and snobbery
Dickens was fine fellow and did good
by drawing attention to the injustice
and cruelty practiced upon the poor i'll
public institutions. prisons, almshOuses,
etc His novels still sell. but are not 50
popular as they We're. His later works
wan: the hearty animal life and breezy
freshness that delighted all classes of
readers in 'Pickwick' and David Cop
pertield. ,"
Mr.. Lippincott told me how he once
entertained the Duke of Buckingham.
1T happened in this way. When Rob
ert Chambers visited the United States
some years since | gave dinner in his
honor. The Duke of Buckingham
happened to be stopping at the Cont
mental Hotel at the time, and hearing
of the affair that was to come off he
signified his desire to me to be present
at a genuine Philadelphia feed OF
course he was invited and sat down. as
he told me afterward, to the most ele-
CANT entertainment he had ever EN- njoyed.
There were present at the dinner the
Governor of Pennsylvania. the Mayor
of Philadelphia. and the most dis
tinguished men of the day 10 the num-
Der of one hundred. When / next
visited England the Duke invited Mrs.
Lippincott and myself to Stowe. where
my wife remained two weeks. Stowe
is one of the most magnificent seats IN
Great Britain. the house two hundred
feet long. the grounds an earthly para
disc. everything on a scale OF royal
splendor: in fact. doubt whether roy
atty itself has more sumptuoaS do
main than the princely Duke of Backing
ham. highly appreciated the honor
of being invited to the Dukes seat,
where an English publisher horse
would as soon be invited as himself. =
Pbii11eIDHin Times