The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1888-01-22

OF country life. Neither will II probably be
questioned that tho number Of Mrs Brown
ing's admirers has scnsibly diminished in the
last twenty years. We shall, therefore. make
no extracts from Mr.. Trollope's recollections Of
these writer's, or Of George Henry Lswes, who
seems destined to be remembered chiefly
through his association with a woman incom-
parably greater than himself. and pass ut once
to the authors Impressions OF Dickens and
George Eliot.
Mr.. Trollope met Dickens for the first time in
Florence, and the experience is thus recount
ed: We were at first disappointed and dis
posed to imagine there must DO some mistake.
No! that is not the man who wrote 'Pickwickp
What we saw was q dandifed, pretty boy-look-
ing sort OF figure: singularly young looking, I
thought, with aaslight flavor of the whipper-
snapper genus OF humanity" Then the author
quotes Carlyle's we'll known description Of
Dickens's appearance ut the sam date. but
adds that "there are two errors to be noted in
this sketch. graphic as 1t is. Firstly. Dickens's
eyes were not blue. but Of n very distinct and
brilliant hazel-the color additionally assigned
to shakespeare eyes. Secondly. Dick
ems. although truly OF q slight compact
figure. was not a rerv small man. 1 do
not think he . was below the average
middle height. q speak from my remem-
brance OF him, at a later day when I
had become infinite with him; but, curiously
enough. / find, on looking back into my men,
DRY. that II ] had been asked to describe him rs
/ first saw him l should have said that he was
very small. In later life he lost the D'Orsay
look completely, and was bronzed and Redeemed
by wind and weather like n seaman. He was
80 when l first saw him, being Just two years
my junior. AS l knew him afterward. and to
tho end OF his days. he was a strikingly manly
man. not only in appearance but In bearing.
The lustrous brflliancy of his eyes was very
striking. And I do not think that I have ever
seen 1t noticed that those wonderful eyes,
which saw 30 much and 80 keenly. were
appreciably. though to q very slight de-
gree. near-sighted eyes. Very few persons
even among those who knew him we'll
were aware Of this, for Dickens never
used a glass. But he continually exercised his
vision by looking at distant objects and making
them out IA well rs he could without any arti-
fetal assistance 1t was an instance Of that
force of will In him which compelled a natural.
ly somewhat delicate frame to comport itself
like that Of IN athlete. OF the general charm
Of his manner Idespair Of giving any idea to
those who have NOT seen or known him. This
was a charm byno means dependent on his
genius. He mighthave been the great writer he
was and yet not have warmed the social atmos-
pueIo WHeKoNeT ue dIptdreu Will tudI III
glow which seemed to attend him. His laugh
was brimful Of enjoyment. There was a Pc
culiar humorous protest in 1t whom recounting
or hearing anything specially absurd, as who
should say, 'Pon my soul. this is too ridiculous!
This passes all bounds! His enthusiasm was
boundless. 1t entered into everything he said
or did. 1t belonged DOUBTLESS to that amazing
fertility'and wealth Of ideas and feeling that dis
tinguished his genius. No ono having any
knowledge of tho profession Of literature can
read Dickens's private letters and not stand
amazed at the unbounded afluence Of i'm
agery. sentiment. humor. and keen observation
which he poured out in them. There was no
stint, no reservation for trade purposes. SO
with his conversation-every thought. every
fancy. every feeling was expressed with the ut
most vivacity OF feeling. but a ~vivacity and in
tensity compatible with the most singular deli
cacy and nicely Of touch. when delicacy and
nicely OF touch were needed. What were called
the exaggerations Of his writing were due, I
have NO doubt, to the extraordinary luminosity
OF his Imagination. He got at the quintessence
OF his creatures, and enables us all. In our
various measures, to perceive 1t too"
But Mr.. Trollope. Us one who know him
thoroughly, cannot refrain from recurring from
the genius OF Dickens to the man. He thinks
that =" an epithet which. much and senselessly
rs 1t has been misapplied and degraded. is yet,
when rightly used. perhaps tho grandest that
can be applied to a human being was. especially
applicable to him. He was a hearty mana
large-hearted man, that Is to say. He was.
perhaps. the largest-hearted man l ever knew.
I think he made a nearer approach to obeying
the divine preeept. Love thy neighbor Us thy
self, than one man In a hundred thousand.
His benevolence, his active. energizing desire
for good to all Gods creatures. and restless
anxiety to be In some way active for the achiev-
ing OF 1t. were unceasinG and busy In his heart
ever and always. But he had. also. a sufficient
capacity for O virtue which, I think, seems to
be moribund among us-the virtue Of moral in
dignation. Men and their ACTIONS were not al!
much OF a muchness to him. There was none
OF the indifferentism of that pseudo philosophic
moderation which. whom a scoundrel or a scoun-
drelly action Is on the tapis, hints that there Is
much to be said on both sides. Dickens hated
a moan action or a mean sentiment as ono
hates something that is physically loathsome
to the sight and touch. And he could be angry,
as those with whom he had been angry did not
very readily forget"
A tribute like this to the character OF Dickens
outweighs O thousand criticisms levelled at
some idiosyncrasy or some petty conventional
Shortcomings. Aud perhaps, In view fthe space
allotted to the one novelist. the circumstance
will be deemed not devoid Of significance that
although his great rival, Thackcray. was well
known to Troilope. the illusions to him in these
ana are very few and curt, and there is not q
word about his personal traits. or George
Eliot. on the other hand, the author speaks
with the keenest appreciation and warmest re-
gard. In 1860 and again in 1861 Mrs. Lewes,
as the author always punctiliously calls
her, visited Florence Mr.. Lewes. and OF
course saw a good deal OF tho Troliopes.
"Never. we read, in a chapter which recounts
these visits. " have / met with 30 impression
able and SO dehcately sensitive a mind as that
OF George Eliot. use sensitive In the sense In
which a photographer uses the word In speaking
OF his plates. Everything that passed within
the ken Of that wonderful organism. whether a
thing or combination Of things seen. or an in
cident, or a trait revealing or suggesting char
acter. was instantly reproduced. fixed. regis
tered by 1t. the operating light being tho Won
derful native force Of her intellect. And tho
photographs 30 reproduced were by no means
evanescent. II ever the admirably epigram-