Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-09-22


shown by letter written by the novel;
list in 1888 which Mr. Osborne quotes.
Concerning Mr. and Mrs. Halls. q.
] presume 20 be the Christian initials
! IN confidence denOunce that amiable
couple as the most terrific humbugs
known on earth ar any period 81 It's his
tory And as TO their being iu my con-
fldence. or knowing my affairs, ] can
only say that II must be In magnetic.
table moving or spirit rapping way
wholly without participation OF mine
and altogether unaccOuntable and SUI
pernatural,"
The Halls were spiritualists, which
accounts Tor the fling az them in the
latter pa.t OF the letter. The ran
cor which the letter displays Il due TO
the fact that something had come TO
Dickens ears of scaudalous story
absolutely devoid OF foundation" says
Mr.. Osbo.le which Mr.. Hall often
repeated as to an alleged incident
which he said had led 10 the separa-
ton between the novelist and his wife.
iu commenting on the letter, Mr.. Os-
borne protests against Mrs Han be-
ing coupled with her husband as 2
terrific humbug" "A more sincere
and klnd-hearted woman, have never
known he says intellectually there
was no comparison between Mr.. Hall
and his wife, and morally as INTEL
lectually she was, IN my opinion In
hnitely his superior"
Dickens characters were, for the
most part. caricatures Of people whom
he had actually known and it was ma
tural that he should take as the proto-
type Of the greatest humbue I'm fiction
the man whom he regarded as "the
most terrific humbug known on earth
az any period Of It's history"
Mr.. Osborne cites many minor points
81 resemblance between Pecksniff and
Mr. Hail Pecksniff improved every
opportunity 10 give utterance 20 moral
platitudes with sublime JUNCTION. THAN
Mr Hall" says Mr. Osborne, no man,
] venture 10 think. ever had a larger
stock Of tags Of morality and COM
monplace quotations from the poets W
Pecksnih was q snuff-taker and was
always drawing out his handkerchief.
Mr.. Hall had the same habit. In one
passage IN Martin Chuzzlewit, Dickens
describes Pecksniff as keeping his
hand IN his walstcoat as though he
was ready, on the shortest notice. 10
produce his heart" This sentence"
says Mr.. Osborne, "amuslngly de-
scribcs a trick Mr. Hall had OF putting
his right hand inside the velvet Jacket
which he usually wore. buttoned by
one button at the waist"
still stronger evidence Is afforded
that Dickens evolved Pecksnlff from
his study Of Mr. Hall by the similar
ity OF their sleeping apartments When
showing Martin Chuzzlewit over his
house. Pechsniff says;
This is my chamber ! read
here when the family suppose / have
retired 20 rest Sometimes I injure
my health rather more than ] can
quite Justify 10 myself by doing 80;
but ant is long and time Is short Every
facility. you see. for jotting down
crude notions, even here
These latter words were explained
by his pointing 90 a small round ia
bic. on which were a lamp, divers
sheets Of paper, piece " india rubber
and a case OF instruments; all put
ready IN case an architectural idea
should come into Mr.. Pocksnih's head
In the night. In which event he would
instantly leap out Of bed and fix It for
ever
Every detail" said Mr.. Osborne,
rs copied from Mr. Hall. with certain
In his old age. AZ any
rate the table was represented by a
shelf above his head, the lamp by a |
candle and for case OF instruments |
we must, Of course, substitute a couple |
u lead pencils
Mr.. Halls chamber al Avenue !
villa. Holland street Kensington.
opened of his writing room: and | /
never remember his going into the |
bedroom that he did not point Ia his /
shelf the sheets 81 paper. the pencils. |
and the candle, with an afr Of pride. |
md as an evidence Of his indefatigable |
Industry | have heard him say a !
score Of times:
All. my dear hoy'--a favorite |
mode ~ address % any a. his youth /
ful assistants-'Ah' you see am
never idle II get an idea during |
he night. I light my candle and jot It |
down. and then work Il out IN the |
before get up. Let as live
Ia be useful That Is the way I have |
.ucceeded IN doing 50 much work |
This Is the fourth hundredth volume |
have written or edited. IN addition |
10 all my other writings and reviews
Be industrious. my dear boy, and you
sill be happy
"'Ah, This g. a portrait 81 Mrs
.iall's sanity mother Mrs Fielding.
God bless her.
Here he always took down the pic.
urc and kissed i)
She was a saint She was a saint
M, what ] owe "a that woman and
% Mrs. Hall no one knows'"
IN his diary Nathaniel Hawthorne |
dives an account Of his meeting with
Iir. Hall and says. II believe there Is
10 doubt Of his having been the orig
nal Of Dickens Mr.. Peoksniif"
But Mr. Osborne dlscrimlnates be-
ween the living man and the carl
allure Of him presented az Pecksnln.
To state that Mr. Hall was the orig.
nal Of Pecksnin,' he writes. IS a
cry different thing from saying that
fr. Hall was an arTanf hypOorite and
Iumbug In drawing the portrait Of
o.. Pecksniff, Dickens borrowed al
fr. Hall = faillngs and ignored an his
iftues His many foihles would have
aorded an inexhsustible subject 81
idicule to an even less keen observer
I human nature than the great novel;