The evening times., 1898-10-22
CHARLES DICKENS.

Laurence Hutton, who is passionate
admirer of Dickens pays heartfelt trib-
ute to the great novelist in the Outlook.
His Indebtedness TO him began with his
first reading of David Copperiield" when
he was boy, and there never has been a
time since when his loyalty to his work
has abated. At one period, however.
probably because detraetion of the man
was In the air, his admiration of the writ
er's books did not extend 10 his PERSONAL
ity, but when, in 1912. he edited the
letters of Dickens TO Wilkie Collins he
learned that an injustice had been done
him, and came to know his personal worth
as well as his personal charm.
Turning to the question of the perma-
nence of his contributions TO literature.
Mr.. Hutton first considers the chances
that initiate against permanence In any
author. He shows that many books which
a very short day indeed. And he adds:
Dickens certainly wrote for his own
time. and generally of his own time. And
during his own time he achieved d popu-
larity without parallel in the history of
fiction. But the fashions of all times
change; and although Dickens had been
in fashion longer than most of his con-
temporaries, and is still the fashion among
oIdfashioned folk. there are acute critics
who say that his day is over. The book
sellers and the officials of circulating Ii
braries tell different story. however,
and when little children who never heard
the name of Dickens. who know nothing
of his great reputation, turn away from
Alice in Wonderland and Little Lord
Fauntleroy to The Cricket on the
Hearth. loving the old much as they
love the new, ii would seem II the
sun had not yet set upon Dickens. and
| that the night which is to leave him in
total darkness is still far Off.
Attention is also called to the long con-
| tinued interest in the dram tizations from
| Dickens works as evidence of the per-
| sistent loyalty of the public to his books.
| AS a rule when novels are put upon the
stage they are the most ephemeral of
| dramatic productions. And Dickens nov
| els on account of their great length the
I great number Of figures introduced. the
| variety and occasional exaggeratiOn OF
| the dialogues and situations have been
| peculiarly difficult of adaptation to theat-
| rfcal purposes. Nevertheless. the world
| laughed and cried over Micawber Capt
| Cutie, Danl Peggotty and Caleb Plum
|
| Dolly SpaniEer, Aminadab Sleek, Timothy
| Toodles, Alfred Evelyn and Godfrey
| Dale. their contemporaries in the stand
/ ard and legitimate drama created solely
| and particularly for dramatic representa-
| ton, were absolutely forgotten. And Sir
| Henry Irving. sixty years after the pro-
| duction OF 'Pickwick drew great crowds
to see his Alfred Jingle, while that pic
| turesque and ingenious swindIer Robert
| Macaire, Jingles once famous and famil-
! lar confrere in plausible rascality. was
| never seen on the boards except as hC
| was burlesqued and caricatured in comic
| opera
As to the future of Dickens works Mr.
| Hutton says: 1T is pretty safe TO say
and not in Pickwickian sense-that
| Pecksniff will live almost as long as hy
| pocrisy lasts: that Heep will not be for
gotten while mock humility exists; thai
Mr.. Dick viii go down To posterity arm
| in arm with Charles l, whom he couic
not avoid in his memorial; that Bark.
will be quoted until men cease to b.
| wilin. And so long as cheap rough coat:
cover faith. charity and honest hearts
the world will remember that Capt Cut
tie and the Pegottys were so clad