The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-12-13
AMONG WOMEN'S CLUBS.

The Assembly Rooms of the Mathew
| son Street Church were again file
| with an audience OF club women. o.
| Saturday afternoon. the occasion bein
! IN. December meeting OF the Sarah L
Doyle club.
Miss Haniin, pFeeeptress- of Dear
academy. Massachusetts, who enter
tained the Embreoso club SO delightful-
~ on Thursday of the past week with
her lecture. An Hour WI Burns, .
spoke also before the Doyle club on
Saturday, giving her lecture entitled,
"A Merry Hour With Dickens"
Miss Annie S. Brown, president OF
the club, in introducing Miss Ham
lin paid a graceful tribute TO her high
reputation as lecturer among the
womens clubs OF our city adding that
she was not stranger within our
gates"
In beginning the lecturer touched
briefly upon the early life and environ
ment of Dickens. The tale is a familiar
one yetfas told by Miss Hamlin IL was
fun OF interest. His boyhood of toll
ana poverty she said. was far from be-
ing happy one spent, as IL was. with
a father, who In his propensity for
waiting for things TO turn up was
fair representative OF Mr. MiCawber
and a mother, who In the charming in
accuracy OF her memory and the Curl
Gus lack OF connection I'm her converse
tion resembled the never to- be forgot
ten Mrs. Nickleby.
Mo Cap helfay. ytI,sH Ia. y.,t-y "a l.,,,
self concerning this time, that. but for
the mercy Of God, ne might easily have
become, for any care that was taken
OF him a Nttle robber or a little vaga-
bond.
Hem Miss Hamln pictured the sad
childhood az Dickens "A little nine
Ncar-old fellow set down in the back
garrett of one OF the narrow streets OF
London. all hone OF going to school cut
OFT, and almost crushed i'm spirit by the
knowledge that his fathers only shelter
was a debtors prison"
In connection with the pitiful story of
his childhood Miss Hamin referred to
the fact OF how much of himself Dick
ems wrought into the character of his
hero, David COnuerhcid. Attention was
called 90 many passages i'm David Cop
periield where Dickens writes OF his
own llfe
ul nllk lIhll l0t SpmDfN picture OF
the great novplis,'s life. Miss Hamlin
presented its brighter side. when the
star OF his fame had arisen,and Pick
wick Papers oliver Twist 'NiCho-
las Nlckleby.' "Old Curiosity shop"
and the rest were the wonder and the
charm of an the world.
Hungry little oliver Twist ana
sweet Rose Maybe" continued Miss
Hamlin 'the grptesQue Squcers family
and their humble victim. Smikc. state
ly Lady Dodlock and Poor Jo cruel
Madame Dcfargo and noble sidney
Carton. "A motley procession they pre-
sent and yet the master has made them
so real We have lived with them SO in
umately. that We scarcely know. at
times. whether ~ley or we are but the
nickering shadows. We are constantly
meeting them in daily lifc and We talk
about them as if they we're our next
door ueighbors or friends
At this point Miss HamHn entered in
to an ANALYSIS OF the peculiar stvle OF
Dickens and spoke quite in detail Of his
characters There is no author" said
She, with thc exception of Sbakespeare
whose men ani women -n pulse wiih
iifr'
This admirable lecture was most
agreeahy interspcrs % with readings
from Dickens. by Miss Buucfa of
Franklin. Miss Bowers select ons were
exceedingly we'll Given particularly
those entitled The Courtship of Uavld
aud Dora ANA "Liitlo Mss Flto.f
Following The lecture. thc ladies ad-
jourucd to tho parlurs where ccs and
mittec OF which Nr- Th9mas W. a.
dffTh nur chairman