The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-02


portunties OF meeting Dickens. and heard him
deliver several after-dinner speeches. Let
me say at once that he was the very best after
dinner speaker / ever heard do not quite
know whom should put second to him. Some
times feel inclined to give Mr.. james Russell
Lowell that second place. and sometimes my
mind mpels me to give II to Mr.. Lowell's coun-
tryman. Mr. Chauncey Depew. But. so far as my
judgment can 20, there is no difficulty about
awarding the first place to Dickens. His voice
was rich. full and deep. capable OF imparting
without effort every tone and half tone OF emo
ton. pathetic. inspiriting or humorous, that
any spoken word could demand. His deep eyes
seemed to flash upon every listener among the
audience whom he addressed. l have no doubt
that his after dinner speeches were prepared
in some fashion. hut they carried with them 10
hint OF preparation. They seemed to come
from the very heart OF the speaker and to go
straight to the heart OF the listener. l heard
him make hs famous speech at the dinner Of
the Press Fund. in which he described with so
much humor and so much vivldness. and with
so many sudden CLEANS OF UNEXPECTED
pathos. some OF his own experiences as
reporter: and although most OF us
in that company were newspaper men in
whose minds speechmaking had become some
what too closely associated with mechanical
taskwork. think we were all Of us alike car
ried away by the extraordinary charm OF that
speech" With regard to Dickens's personal
characteristics. our author recalls that when
he met him he wac not merely a young man.
but totally obscure young man. and had
nothing to recommend him to the noveist's
notice except the fact that he belonged to the
staff OF a daily newspaper ITO saw the truth.
Dickens rather frightened me: =-,I11t uneasy
when he spoke to me, and I d not quite see
.l...st 4
man. His manner was full OF Mercy: there
was something physically overpoWering about
It. as 1t then seemed to me- the very vehe-
mence OF his CHEEKY good humor rather bore
one down. From the first he appeared
to me 10 be a man with whom I could
not venture to differ on any subject Then
again, as was but natural. he was generally
surrounded by crowd OF young men who sin
cerely worshipred him. and to whom. indeed.
he seemed to represent all literature I know
how kind. and friendly. and encouraging he
was to many young men as young as was. and
whose very first efforts In literature received his
helping hand-1 knew many such young men.
and they were never tired OF telling me how
kind he was. and how gentle. how quick to en-
courage and slow to GsparaGe.' II | may adopt
certain words which think were used by him
self when speaking Of another leader OF lltera-
ture. But am only putting down my impress
sons just for what they are worth. as the phrase
goes and. indeed, they are worth nothing at
all except as impressions. and I can only say
that Dickens. somehow or other. always made
me feel rather afraid"
Mr. Mccarthy is unable to explain why II
was he never felt the same kind OF awe or
awkwardness in the presence OF Thackeray
One might have thought that Thackerays
aspect would have been more awe-inspiring
to young and obscure man. 'Thackeray
was much taller than Dickens: his form, in
deed. approached to the gigantic in It's proper
tions: he looked far older. although the two
men were about the same age his immense
head. his broad forehead and his prematurely
white hair gave him an appearance OF author
ity and even of severity. which one might have
thought would prove intim dating to n stranger.
Yet at least never felt it so. He seemed to
me to be less sclt-assertive. less conscious
of his superiority than Dickens appeared to
be-" When our author first heard that Thack-
cray was to lecture he was rather nervous,
he tells us, because OF fear that the novelist
might be undertaking task outside his proper
range. and so might disappoint his hearers.
AL Tears vanished. however. when the first
lecture was delivered. "Thackeray was not a
magnificent decamer like Dickens: he made
no attempt at dramatic effect OF any kind his
voice. though clear and penetrating. and some
times thrilling. had nothing like the variety
and richness OF intonation which the voice OF
Dickens could always command he was simply
an educated gentleman reading aloud to an
educated assembly. But he had to the full the
unstudied art OF expression in all that he reads
and. after long and vast variety OF experiences.
in the hearing OF all manner Of public men, ad-
dressing audiences from platforms from pull
pits ,from judicial benches and from the benches
oflthe Houses of Parliament. can remem Der no
instance ofan audience kept more thoroughlyin
hushed and anxious delight. delight blended
with terror lest single word should be lost.
than was the audience that listened to the clos
ing passage OF Thackeray's lecture on George
Ill" Our author recalls the discussions that
used to tahe place toward the close OF Thack-
eray's life as to whether Thackeray was or WAS
not great admir- - rank whether he was
not In Tact. as some ill-natured critics declared
him to he. parsonage who ought to have had
a place in the collection of characters repre-
scntcd by his own " Book OF Snohs" Mr. Mo-
Carthy AYERS that so far as | knew or could
observe Thackcray had no reason to believe
that he had any defect Of the kind had known
him to be on the most kindly and friendly
terms with men and women who had nothing
Whatever OF rank or station to recommend
them to his notice"
she was living at her house called The Priory.
North Bank. Regents Park. the house wherein
she used to receive her friends on Sundays
during greatpar Of the year. Her object ap-
parently. in her Sunday gatherings was to get
all her guests to talk and to relieve all her
newer visitors from the awkwardness Of
silent shynesS. She did not do much of the
alking herself, but she always listened with
he closest attention. and gently interviewed
whenever any pause took place either for the
sake OF carrying on the old conversation or Of
.aking care that some new subject should be
to the group 1t seemed to be no
part OF her desire that the talk should
DO exclusively. or even mainly, about
or science, or letters for
everything thOt was going on in the world
round appeared to have interest for her and
he most modest among her company was en-
to offer an opinion or to tell OF an ex-
oerience. Mr.. Mccarthy by no means agrees
With certain guests Of George Fliot's who have |
described her as n rather ovcrbearinG woman, |
He'd with intellectual s"lf-Prde who seemed
o delight In domincerinG over her assembly