The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-08-27
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.
WILMINGTON. N. C.
SOME BOOKS OF UNDYING FAME,

The living English critics Of the
higher order, 1ith but one or two ex-
ceptions, have d tender affection for
Charles Dickens, and have cordial
praise for his unique genius and de-
lightful productions. We are glad of
this, and We hope for the delectation of
the present and the next generationl
that admiration and love of the splen-|
did creations OF this great novelist mayI
abide with the children of men. In his
he vas indeed a consummatsl
master. From 1897 to the full flower of
Thackeray's great powers Dickens was
the greatest writer of that time, and
has neve been equalled since by anyl
himself. If any man e knew 1.-The
nation of LONDON" as DeQuincey called
that great city a half century ago, it
was Dickens. He knew but little of
royalty and nobility, but his knowledge
of the people was immense and accur-
ate. He haG indeed "inexhaustihle
knowledge OF all the mysteries of Lon
don life, particularly in the lower
class" That was not all. The same
writer who was a gifted contemporary
of Dickens, wrote of him in 1849, that he
possessed that rare and infallible evil
dence of genius-the power of extract
ing novelty and interest from the Or
binary and common details of society,
from things which we are so familiar
with h a we cannot conceive how they
can contain materials either for laugh
ter or tears" That was true of Dick
ems when he wrote his earliest sketches,
The Marinestore Shop" Seven Dials,"
etc, his immortal "Pickwick," ''Oliver
Twist" md others. "Pickwick" made
him a great name at once and was i'm
mensely popular for those times-about
1888. He made early a prodigious i'm
preston only second to hat made by
h greatest Of novelists, Walter Scott.
"Pickwick" is desultory, irregular, with
out plan or plot. But is original, hui
mOrous. beyond rivalry since and quite
picturesque. His fertility, c~reativeness
wa ~stupendous. We care less for oil
NCI L" IIldI LUZ d1y OI his movers,
and yet it is cleve workmanship, with
characters that will live in literature
for a long ~time-Fagin, the Artful Dod-
ger, Sykes. His next work was MAS
ter Humphreys Clock" a failure some
what. Then came in succession 1.-The
Old Curiosity Shop" and "Barnaby
Ridge" still full of human interest and
pathos as we'll as of originality and
power.
The first is indeed very striking in its
originality and vigor, and the portraits
are drawn with the cunning hand of
art backed by creative power. We
overlooked Nicholas Nickleby" that
followed "Pickwick." 1t is very clearly
planned and written with much care
and in his best manner 1t is read still
with undimlnished interest. It's people
survive, and it will be long we must
think before Nicholas himself and
Squeers and Vincent Crummles and
Ralph Nickleby and Arthur Gride, all
natural, life-like creations, shall step
behind the scenes and lev again ap-
pear on the stage of fiction. Martin
Chuzzlewit' is generally regarded as
one of his best books. P~ecksniff, and
Tom Pinch ard Jonas Chuzzlewit will
remain among the best creations ir
the realm of fiction. There are remorse
brutality, Jun ard other good things ir
this important novel. His man, Christ
mas tales survive, the delight of many
a household. The Chimes" "A Christ,
mas CAROL and THE Cricket on thu
Hearth will be read with pleasure ant
profit when nearly all of the ictive lit
erature of the last decade is buried
and forgotten. Dickens had high con,
captions of honor and mercy and duty
and his view of life is generous, ele'
waiting. genial" He had noble impulses
and intense sympathy for the distress
ed, the injured, the abused, the suffer
ing. He was indeed overlooking with
9TH milk OF human kindness" He
sympathizes With what is good anC
noble in all classes and conditions
alike; he makes US love the exercise OF
the humber and more modest virtues.
he chronicles the minor accidents and
impressions OF life; his writings, though
describing the poorest and lowest class
es of mankind, contain nothing which
can shock the most fastidious taste :
He is an author OF whom Eng
land may be proud" That was writ
ten by one of his gifted countrymeT
more than a half century since. 1t va:
true hen and remains true. We can
not now. for want of pac glance a
his many other novels, some of which
are among the most precious inherit
ances of the English race from nine
tenth century chief authorship.