The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-08

Martin ChuszIewit'. is story which, II
placed upon the dissecting table Of the SUI
ptrlor Critic would suffer tremendously
There is too much mystery and the part
some of the characters play in 1t Is not
clearly enough defined. The transforma-
tor Of TigG is 10. great a change. Ruth
md the herohe. Mary are lay figures ! al.
nest embarrassing. The story wanders
pbnut and is involved, etc
But these faults, SO easily pointed out. are
lost and oyerpoweredi by the genius Mus of the
novelist. In Martin ch,iszewit, Dickens has
created some OF his most fafnous charac-
tcrs--the immortal Betsy prig and the i'm
mortal sairey. Camp. with her invisible
and greatest of all, II we except sairey, Nh.
Pccksnifr
his daushters-litte masterpieces. So is
Mark Tapley. AS for the tero--well. no
ono is much Interested In him. except when
he gets TO America and secs n country and
people that no man ever looked upon be-
fore Or since. Asa work. OF the imagination
Is 10 be ADMIRED. Blu, most Americans of
thu. day took IL seriously, and Dickens him
self afterward made u full and formal apol-
ogy for IL.
-HE Chu1zlewi;s were a proud.
hard. money ting race. self
ISL obstinate and suspicious.
foung Martin. however who
had been brought lip by his
grandfather, lacked two OF these fam
lily qualities--he was not money
getter and he was not suspicious He
said himself. and lie ought to have
known. that his grandfather. old Mar
tin. who lad taken him as desolate
orphan 10 rear. was the most obstinate
man he had ever seen. As for himself.
he took pride III the fact that lie was
not obstinate. but merely possessed Of
great frmness.
Old Martin loved his grandson. but
ruled him. dominated him. doing 1t
with much friction and With frequent
quarrels, H. is true, but doing It, until
one day question came UP which
rendered the contest between nrmness
and obstinacy no longer to be borne.
Diseased wi.h5.th idea that all his
relatives were after his money--and
most of tlem were--old Martin sepa-
rated himself from them with scGrn
and contempt lastly driving forth i'll
tile worl1, penniless and without occu-
patton, mis- granGson--which last act,
of course, greatly pleased the other
relatives, and caused them to make
redoublea attempts to take charge or
the old n,sn AMI his wealth.
Poor Mary Graham cried her eyes
out the day Martin was driven forth.
The old man had taken her as a child
and reared her to attend him. He
took an oath before her that she should
have none Of his money when lie died.
but that so long as he lived she would
be provided for. She was TO be his
companion. and was to call him by his
first name, as he was to call her by
hers.
There was TO be no protestation of
affection between them. That he
wanted thoroughly understood. He ex-
planned all tbis to the girl when she
became old enough 10 understand lie
simply wanted somebody. lie said, about
him. who would he benefited by his
living and injured BY his dying.
So Mary and young Martin grew mp
together, she submissive, devoted and
getting more beautiful every day. he
developing into a goodlookng young
man, kind to others in a condcscending
manner when IT cost him no effort to
be So proud and chip of that tough
old block, his grandfather. when 1t
came to having his own way
1t was natural that the two young
people should fall in love with each
other. Even old Martin thought 10
himself that when the time came, It
might please him to order his ward
and his grandson to be married.. That
they would dare to fall in love without
first asking his consent never entered
his head. So. one day when Mar
tin came to him and said that he and
Mary were in love and would like to
be married.. the old man was furious.
You WILL. he married when and to
whom i ORDER he stormed.
Old Martin was full of suspicion at
once. Had Mary secretly played upon
\, ~, :. ts,.,
with an idea of marrying the man who
should inherit the Chuzzlewit property?
Had Martin made love TO Mary with
an idea of getting a bride who might,
after all. be one OF his GRANDPA theirs
legatees?
Young Martins "frmness" was 81
match for old Martins obstinacy. and
SO the two parted in anger ana with
bitter words. Martin faced the world
with an easy confidence, assured OF his
own great ability, and merely little
doubtful as to the particular line to
which he should devote HIS great tai
ents. He would become rich and ia
nous without delay. of course, and
then so back and take Mary away
from his cruel and unnatural grand
parent and marry her. If the old mar
was humble he would forgive him. II
was really pity the old man was &;
obstinate.
Thus when Martin, Instead of hayint
to hunt about for a means OF livel
hood, found himself established
through paths made easy for lin
rather nysteriously, az a student am
boarder In the household of Mr. Peck
sniff, in little Wiltshire village nea
Salisbury, he took Ii quite as q matte
of course. Mr.. pecksniff generally de
manded of his apprentices as large
premium as he thought he could sore,
out OF doing parents or guardians
hut Pscksniff was a cousin or old Nj
Chu2zlewit, and Welcomed young Ma,
tin as his own son. Money with hi
own flesh and blood, Perish the bas
Thought,
Mr. Pecksniff gently exuded mors
IDEAS While he slept. and poured thcl
forth in a ceaseiesss stream when Ii
was awake. There was nothing fro,
5 the salt cellar to the tongs which Nj
Peeksniff could not make the subtec
= OF An instructive and edifying homiI,
he mad two daughters christened !,
the edifying names Charity and Nero,
which had In time become shortene
into Cherry and Merry.