The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-03


tainted in 1s41 had grown to be strong,
successful, seIf-contained, sensible man.
whom his praise could not initiate nor his
censure irritate.
In a farewell public address in New
York in 1868 Dickens confessed that he
found America in 1868 nation he did not
divine in the America of 1S41, and he
thanked God for it. Dickens could not
say less at farewell banquet in his honor
than pleasant word of people who. if
they could not make books, could make
money and had spent a great deal of it for
the privilege of hearing Dickens read the
wonderful books he had written.
Dickens died in 1870, and the publica-
ton of his letters to his friend Fos-
ter proved that he did not think
about America at all except when
he was obliged to; he did
not come to America, as Professor Bryce,
or Goodwin Smith, or Sir Charles Dixie,
or Tom Hughes, or Herbert Spencer came,
because he felt any interest whatever in
our past career or our present political
hopes, but solely to make money. At
heart he was the same insular and in
sulated English cockney of genius he was
in 1S41 America had no interest for him
beyond few social friends, like James I.
Fields mot very noble specimen OF
American manhood, either in social or
business relarions) save the interest
America excited as a good stamping
ground for a gifted Englishman who
wanted to read TO large audiences and
rapidly make great deal of money.
Dickens was a man too intensely Brit
ish, or rather too intensely cockney IN his
tastes and prejudices to think of America
as anything better than land swarming
with successful traders and pediars, who
had made money rapidly and were willing
to spend it freely to hear Mr.. Dickens
read. A man of genius, Dickens philoso-
ply of life was low-toned and vulgar, be-
cause he was a low-bred man; his ''hu-
manity," his "honor," his Sentiment"
his "pathos" were all part of the tools of
his trade as literary artisan-the
puppets of his play: he was
born actor; and the humanity"
of his novels is nothing but the
machine made humanity and pathos of
the brilliant playwright; not the deep
voice of a profoundly sympathetic and
sincerely philanthropic soul. A man
of genius, he was full of vulgar, senti-
mental melodramatic stage tricks; his
most intimate friends were vulgar men
&c
earthly, animal habits, selfish, boorish, ILL
bred men, whose loud taste in dress and
excess of jewelry always recall the pres
ence of an oppressively prosperous and
superlatively arrogant Ethiopian minstrel
or horse jockey.
This charlatan quality of Dickens
character, and the comparative cheap
ness Of his personal manhood has moth
ing to do with the settlement of the rank
won and retained by Dickens in the field
of fiction. His reputation has stood the
test of time and the criticism of that maker
of blue and white china dudes and dolls. w.
D. Howells, nominally of New York, but
chiefly of Boston. 4. The great French
critic, Taine, places Dickens at the top of
the humorists of English literature, and
the world seems to agree with Tame that
Dickens belongs to the permanent rather
than the transient in fiction, where he is
placed by good Mr.. Howells, of Boston, or
1t is fifty-one years since "Pickwick"
was published, and Sam Weller has be-
come permanent figure in the gallery of
the great humorous creations of English
fiction. He was to Pickwick what San
cho Panza was to Don Quixote, and the
comical valet of the stupid old English
humanitarian is as immortal as the
shrewd squire of the crazy old Spanish
knight. Without Sam Weller "Pickwick
Papers" would be barren of permanent
popularity and interest. "Oliver Twist"
has no figures OF literary life, save Bum
BILE, the stupid old beadle. Nicholas
Nickteby" added nothing to the perma-
nent in fiction, but "Old Curiosity Shop"
contains two characters of permanent
excellence, Dick Swiveller and The
Marchioness. In 'Martin Chuzzlewit''
are three figures of permanent quality.
Pecksnif will stand for sanctimonious
scoundrelism rs long as Iago will for cold,
bold, daring and subtle villainy. Mark
Tapley is a most vital and original figure,
while Elijah Pogram Is the most effective
satire of spread eagle" craftsmanship
ever penned. "Dombey and Son" lives by
force of Captain Cutie and Jack Bunsby;
all the other figures upon which Dickens
used to hang his stage sentiment and
pathos are of no particular permanent con-
sequence.
In David Copperfeld" the genius of
Dickens reached its highest point. Mr..
Peggotty, Micawber and Uriah Heep are
instinct with the quality of permanent
literary vitality. Dickens was then but IS
years of age, but during the remaining
twenty years of his life he produced moth
ing that eoualed David Copperfeld, but
Lady Dedlock, Miss Summerson, Inspec-
tor Bucket, Harold Skimpole, Chadband,
Josiah Bounderby and Stephen Blackpool
are exceptionally good subsequent work.
"a Tale of Two Cities" is an eloquent
book, exceedingly popular with women,
but there is not a really fine, striking,
original figure in it. The hero, Sydney
Carter, an English lawyer for years de-
based by drink, is represented as taking
the place ct the scaffold of the husband of
awoman he had hopelessly loved Few
men do that sort of thing, and particularly
men debased by intemperance don't do it.
1t is an old literary figure; it was dressed
up in eloquent language by Dickens; its
popularity was once very great, but 1t is