The San Francisco call., 1906-10-05
Where Charles Dickens Obtained the
Original of Pecksniff.
BY A STAFF CORRESPONDENT.

ONDON, Sept. 5.-Something akin
TO the Joy which explorers feel
,when they have succeeded In
tracking a river to its source is
experienced by the admirer of Dickens
in discovering the originals of his pest
known characters. OF all the creations
of. the master novelist none has OBJ
tained a deeper abiding place in the
popular imagination than PeeksniH,
He has added another synonym Tor
hypocrisy to the language. In an ar
ticle of unusual psychological interest,"
IN the current NUMBER of the lnde-
nendent Review Charles c. Osborne
Identifies Pecksniff with the late Sam
uel Carter Hall, author of "A Book OF
Memories of Great Men and Women
Of the Age, From Personal Acauaint-
ance. and>a legion of other forgotten
works.
Mr. osborne makes no claim to hav-
ing been the first to discover the re-
semblance between the Pecksnin OF
nction and the Hall of flesh and blood.
During the latter's lifetime 1t was more
than hinted att 1t was even printed.
But having had the advantage or an
intimate personal acquaintance with
him. Mr.. Osborne is able to demonstrate
as,it has never been done before that
Hall was the original of Dickens sane
timonious hypocrite. And, oddly enough
one of the strongest proofs Of II fur
nished by Mr.. Osborne is his report OF
a conversation with Mr.. Hall in which
he vehementIy denied his identity with
Pecksniff.
my dear boy, they say I am Peck
sniff. What is there of Pecksniff about
me? Do 1 resemble him in any way?
Can any man say l have ever wronged
him? Thank God, thank God, l have
a clear conscienee,--the best of all
possessions, my dear boy, the best of
all possessions. believe me.
"I Will not, continued the venerable
speaker drawing out a huge colored
pocket handkerchief and, adds Mr.. Os-
borne, quoting from one of Dickens
references to Pecksniff in Martin
Chuzzlewit." "winking with both eyes
at once as it were against his will, Il
will not defend myself against such
charge. Every one who knows me
knows that I have lived a life of USE
fulness: that l have tried to do good to
my fellow men; that I have been
good husband. a true friend an indus
trious author-I have written and ed
tied over 400 volumes, and no line has
ever come from my pen which as an
old man / wish to blot out, not one.
Every phrase here bears the authen-
tic stamp of the Pecksnifian character.
The vocabulary, the rhythm of the SEN
tences. the 1nannerismssare PecksnifT's 8.
And what could be more Pecksnifnan
than poor Mr.. Halls argument that he
could not really be a humbug since he
was, In point of fact, quite the most
virtuous and industrious man in all
London? He could not even repudiate
the likeness without confirming 1t.
What Dickens thought of Hall is
shown by a letter written by the novel
list in 1853, which Mr.. Osborne quotes:
Concerning Mr.. and Mrs. Halls. c..
I presume to be the Christian initials
/ in confidence denounce that amiable
couple as the most terrific humhugs
known on earth at any period of its
history. And to their being in my
confidence, or knowing my affairs, I
can only say that 1t must be in a
magnetic. table moving or spirit rap
ping wholly without participa
tion of mine--and altogether unac-
countable and supernatural"
The Halls were spiritualists, which
accounts for the fling at them In the
latter part of the letter. The rancor
which the letter displays is due to the
fact that something had come to Dick
ems ears of a scandalous story ABB
solutely devoid of foundation" says
Mr. Osborne, which Mr. Hall often re-
peated as to an alleged incident which
he said had led to the separation be-
tween the novelist and his wife. In
commenting on the letter. Mr. Osborne
protests against Mrs. Hall being cou-
pied with her husband as terrific