The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-03-02
A FRIEND OF DICKENS.

The Chicago Man Who as a Boy Knew
the "Kindest Man That Ever Lived"
His Friendliness to Working Boys.
Henry T. Jones, a pioneer Of Chica-
go, who lives at the corner of Wood
and Superior streets, was born in Wilt
shire England, in 1923, and has some
interesting memories OF Charles Dick
ems Mr. Jones was employed in a
brickyard where Dickens was In the
habit of stopping on his tours of OBJ
servation, and the boy with whom he
talked longer and more frequently
than with any one else in the place re-
| members him now in his years Of three
score and ten with an adoring regard.
Charles Dickens was the kindest
man that ever lived in England, and /
| believe no kinder man ever lived in the
whole world" said Mr.. Jones. He had
a kind and pleasant word for every
| one, but more especially I think for
| boys. Why for boys? Oh, because of
| his own neglected childhood. You
| know 1t is said that the early history
| of David Copperfield Is the story of his
own youthful days. know he always
spoke to boys whenever he would come
into contact with them. He had a way
of laying his hand on a boys shoulder
| and of looking into his eyes and say
| ing, We'll, my little man; how are you!
| that made the boy remember it as long
| as he lived. Yes, I have had the mas
ter's hand on my shoulder many a
| time. 1t made me proud then to be
noticed by him, but I was more inn
pressed with his Kindness and goodness
than his greatness. I admired his APP
| pearance too. Some of his pictures of
| that time resemble him, but he wore
when I knew him a nice brown beard,
and his pictures never make that beard
| as handsome and becoming as 1t really
was. He was a noted man then, for he
had published two Of his great novels
oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby'
/ and all England was talking about
him. I have all his works, and they
are my greatest comfort.
| "Our brckyard, where I worked"
continued Mr.. Jones, was Just short
distance from Gads Hill, the home of
| Mr.. Dickenssand scarcely day passed
that he did not come to visit the place.
Why he came sometimes as early as
4S0 O'clock in the morning, although
the yards only opened at 4. He was so
fond of watching laboring people and
brickmaking is-or was at that time In
| England-a slow and tedious process,
one brick being made by hand at a
time. In 1s47 they could make six
bricks at time in America, but before
that I had heard of the new country
across the sea, where bricks were made
! by machinery, and ] talked with Mr..
Dickens about plans for coming here.
| / often wondered If the men were rude
or surly and If that was why he talked
to boys in preference, but l suppose he
liked to get into a boys thoughts, and
that is perhaps the secret of his capt.
tai studies of boys.
1.-THE boys on their part had the
greatest respect for him, a fact which
was noticeable. for brickyard boys are,
as rule, rather tough lot. They
were all the way from eleven to fifteen
years of age, and their greatest sport
was the molesting of passers-by. They
always threw stones or caHed names
after everybody not of their own class,
and had quick and complete revenge
on any who dared to oppose or answer
them. Many a ruined suit of clothes
they were responsible for, and the Of
| lt1lueT COulu DtNGE US lOl lOO
many were guilty. But they made a
great exception of Mr.. Dickens. When
any one saw him coming down the
street he quickly informed the rest,
and the boys would all stop to brush
their hair with their hands and rub
some of the clay off their clothes, and
all were glad and excited The cry
would go forth: There's Mr.. Dickens
coming--don't ZEE see him.
"Then he would come up and shake
hands with them all. He had such a
hearty hand-shake, and he always told
us that he honored the hand Of labor
ing boy more than that of the greatest
landowner And we believed him. If
you ever read his will you will know
how he remembered all his servants,