New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-07
THE WRITER-READER.
HIS RELATION TO THE AUDIENCE AND
THE PUBLIC.
SOME OF THE READING AUTHORS IN TIE LINE
FROM CHARLES DICKENS TO
ANTHONY HOPE.
ANTHONY HOPE.

given rise to certain thoughts far from new. on
the subject of the public exhibition Of an au-
thor as an author through the medium OF a
reading of his book. Long as the custom has
endured and widespread as it has become there
are still those who question the dignity and
the grace of the act Of a man who writes. pub
fishes what he writes. and then stands on
St. g before an audience and reads what he has
written and let's the audience look at him In
actual experience it has sometimes proved that
an author was wholly unable to read his own
works or anything else To an audience in
CAPABLE manner. More often it has proved that
h. could convey something Of the significance
{, his own work which it would not he easy
for even his best admirers To find unaided. but
in either case. doubtless the chief desire of the
persons who paid to attend was to see the man
whose works had delighted them and to hear
his voice and any question as to the proprlety
Of an authors reading must De answered with
reference to this motive.
II is lust thirty years ago this month that
Charles Dickens came To America To read in
public from his books. a New-fork paper thch
said: OF the millions here who treasure every
word that he has written. there are tens oil
thousands who would make a large sacrifice to
see and hear the man who has made happy so
many hours
This expressed without doubt. genuine de-
sire on the part of great masses Of people FOR
wears they had wept and laughed with charles
Dickens He had touched their hearts derp'heu
their feelings and frightened their ives Ihey
,l, - nosiiive affection for him. Was it not
natural that they should wish To see ms lace
and to hear him speak and be able to feel that
they we're near to him for an hour IN aho'he'
manner than they had even been before? was
..ich
the idle curiosity to behold a famous man
Could such a man as Dickens. who UNDERSTOOD
himself fail To know that this feeling and this
desire existed and could he not consent 10
craft, this desire without falling under any
necessary accusation of posing as the great man
n. actually was or Of selling his dignity Tor
money?
HOW DICKENS FELT ABOUT IT.
# was certainly his own feeling that he could.
Ten Years before when 1t was first proposed
that ne should read for his own profit. he had
felt the same doubts that have troubled others
eyer since He had already read selections from
his stories for the benefit Of charities, ana MS
readings had been successful that there was
an enormous public demand for them. NJ inns
time he wrote to his friend John Forster VINO
was oppuacd the scheme Of his reading 'or
his own benefit: But do you quito consider
equally whosoever may get TIE money. Ana
have YOU any idea that at this moment-thiS
very time-half the public at least supposes me
TO be paid? My dear f. out OF twenty or
tyentv-nve letters a week that | get about
Readings twenty will ask at what price or on
what terms, it can be done
few months later he wrote again 10 FORSTER
"Will YOU then try to think OF TINS readlhs
,roioct CAS- do, apart from all personal ilkIheS
and 5islikings and solely with a view to it's
effect ON that peculiar relation personally alice
,iona,e and like no other mans which subsists
between me and the public
No doubt the relation between Dickens and
tbe Duhlic was at that time personally aHec-
,ionato and like no other mans" but it may be
tbat come other writer's since have enjoyed
eimilar relation. in kind though doubtless not
in degree SO much has been said about DICK
ems although his case is now such an Ola one
because II involves the questions that arise win
regard to the attitude of every writer VINO reads
his works publicly. Dickens did decide 10 read
He read with enormous success in England ana
Ireland and then he read with enormous sue
cess in America II public enthusiasm was any
vindication he had it. In Boston. where the
first reading in this country was given, people
waited I'm a freezing street for twelve hours for
the privilege Of buying tickets. In New YORK.
too a long line formed at the place where the
tickets were to be sold and Dickens wrote in
one of his letters Spectators went up and
down Offering $50 for anybody's place. The
money was il. case accepted. But one man
sold two tickets for the second. third and fourth
nights: his payment in exchange being one
Greet nfpht nd