Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-27
A FRIEND OF DlcKENs%

OFrom the Chicago Evening Post)
Henry T. Jones, a pioneer of Chicago,
who lives at the corner of Wood and Su-
perior streets, was born in Wiltshire, Eng
land, in 1923, and has some interesting
memories of Charles Dickens. Mr.. Jones
was employed in a brick yard, where
Dickens was in the habit of stopping ON
his tours of observation, and the boy,
with whom he talked longer and more fire.
queAty than with any one else in the
place, remembers him now in his years of
three score and ten with an adoring re-
"Charles Dickens was the kindest man
that ever lived in England, and believe
world" said Mr.. Jones. "He had kind
and pleasant word for every one, but
more especially l think for boys Why
for boys2 Oh, because of his own neglect
ed childhood You know 1t is said that
the early history of David Copperf1eld Is
the story of his own youthful days. l
know he always spoke to boys whenever
he would come into contact with them.
He had way of laying his hand on a
boys shoulder and of looking into his
eyes and saying, Well my little man, how
are. your that made the boy, remember it
as long as he lived. Yes / have had the
masters hand on my shoulder many a
time. 1t made me proud then to be no.
ticed by him, but l was more impressed
greatness. 1 admired his appearance too.
Some of his pictures of that time resem-
BILE him, but he wore when knew him a
nice brown beard, and his pictures never
ing as it really was. He was noted man
then, for he had published two of his great
novels, Oliver Twist and Nicholas Mic
kleby' and all England was talking about
him. l have all his works, and they are
my greatest comfort:
''Our brickyard, where I worked con-
tance from Gad's Hill, the home Of Mr..
Dickens. and scarcely a day passed that
he did not come to visit the place. Why,
he came sometimes as early as 4.S0 o'clock
in the morning, although the yards only
opened at 4. He was so fond of watching
labortng 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 1847 they could make
six bricks at time in America, but before
that had heard of the new country
across the sea, where bricks were made by
machinery, and l talked with Mr.. Dickens
about plans for coming here. l 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 boy S thoughts, and that is perhaps
the secret of his capital studies of boys.
The boys on their part had the greatest
respect for him, a fact which was noticea-
Bile, for brickyard boys are as a rule a
rather tough lot. They We're all the way
from II to 10 years of age, and their
IlOleSLlnR
sers-by. They always threw stones or
called names after everybody not of their
own class, and had quick and complete re-
venge on any one who dared to oppose or
answer them. Many a ruined suit of
clothes they were responsible for, and the
offender could never be punished for too
many were guilty. But they made great
exception of Mr. Dickens When any one
saw him coming down the street he quick
ly 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 hearty
handshake and he always told us that he
honored the hand of a laboring boy more
than that. of the greatest landowner. And
we believed him If you, ever read his
all his servants, and instructed his ex-
ecutors not to put Mr.. or Esquire on his
tombstone, but just Charles Dickens. And
think his reference to the lessons of the
New Testament in that last document
gives the whole character of the man.
am sure he mentions the briekyard, or
England, in one of his wor&s-I think it is
in Edwin brood.
Taking UP a copy of David Copper
field he turned the leaves slowly and
said las read Of boys hardships and
sutterings as they are recounted here |
feel the thrill of his touch upon my shoul-
Ger ana near again that pleasant, kindly
voice saying, as in the old days when he
Watched me making bricks: We'll, my
boy, how are you today?'
Being asked if David Copperfeld" was
not considered an autobiography, Mr..
Jones said: We'll. that is hard to saw,
Il is told that Mr. Dickens had a step
father who was very cruel to him. and
that might be in his mind when he wrote
the book. But he was so kind to boys and
such good friend to them that he would
naturally be more sympathetic in telling
the story of their wrongs Perhaps
though. il was because he himself had
suffered at tender age"
Mr.. Jones became master Of his own
art and prospered in the country of his
adoption. The court house, fremont
House, Palmer House, Cook County Hos,
pital and other large and important build.
ings were constructed from material fur.
nished by him. but for many years now he
has lived retired, enjoying the competence
his business afforded. He does not regret
that he never knew Charles Dickens aftel
he had grown to mans estate
~ should not then remember him as tht
| friend of boys, or given him that niche II
my heart which he will occupy as long a.
that heart beats for IL was as the mar
and friend that l knew him best, and
did not care then for what he had writer
lit was his own personality that i'm
| pressed me most and made me remembe
| him longest"
/