The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-10-08
From the Washington Post.

from the washington Post.
~ LOSING fierce assault on the
W. works Of Charles Dickens. a writ
er in the New York Sun is en-
boldened to cay:
IF we take up such work as Mid
dlemarch and compare 1t with any of
Dickens books we shall see the differ
ence between superficial and profound
treatment of life. 1t used to be the habit
Of schoolboys years ago to compare Dick
ems with Thackeray. 1t would be as ra-
tional to compare Fielding with Mark
Twain. The uneducated will cling for
some time longer to the tradition of Dick
ems. The educated will let that vulgar
caricaturist rest, and will read Fielding.
Thackeray, Bulwer Lytton. George Eliot.
Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Nathaniel
Hawthorne and Thomas Hardy"
"Middlemarch," indeed It takes
Baconian or a Websterian understanding
to get the kernel out of that nut, and
very few of us compose that tribe. Who
ever read 'Middlemarch" for amuse-
ment? Who has not read "Pickwick'
with delight?
Certainly Dickens was vulgar; but he
was not half as coarse as Fielding. No
good parent would allow his daughter to
Andrews" but every sensible parent is
pleased to see Nicholas Nickleby," lit
tie Dorrit," and David Copperfield" in
the hands of his daughter.
AS for Thackeray, he Is greater than
Dickens when you read him last. just as
Dickens is greater than Thackeray when
you read him last Dickens could not have
writ Henry Esmond;" no more could
Thackeray have writ Martin Chuz-
zlowit," each the masterpiece of its au-
thor Thackeray could a tale unfold bet
ter than Dickens, but Thackeray had but
one tale, while Dickens had thousand
and one.
Grant that Dickens wit was coarse;
grant that his pathos was maudlin; grant
that his nicture was caricature-grant
this. these, all-yet they are immortal,
and will live as long as our tongue, ana
if our tongue is not immortal, they Will
survive it. Was there ever anything more
exquisite than the quarrel scene between
sairy Camp and Betsy Prigg! Our cri'ic
talks about Fielding. Does he think the
disnutations between Squire Western and
his sister are a "patchin' to this scene
that Is to comedy what the quarrel be-
tween Brutus and Cassius Is to tragedy!
Again. take the scene where the COM
nanv was assembled at the residence OF
that Immortal miscreant, Daniel Qulip'
to take action upon his supposed drown
ing There was Samson Brass, man OF
first-class Importance now that his mas
ter was supposed to have passed In his
checks. Mrs. Jenniwig was delighted, now
that her son-in-law was no longer left to
,,ague the life out of her. Mrs. Quilp,
her daughter, was glad. too, but did not
know it. and made sincere attempt to
be sorry. Samson and Mrs. Jenniwig
were discussing the personal appearance
of the supposed dead man, and the moth
er-in-law insisted that his nose was a
mug. "a decided pug when the door
opened and in stalked Quilp himsen. with
his yociferation, 'Aquiline, aquiline, you
hagv
There is a scene that will amuse men
az long as the human intelligence Graves
entertainment, and so with the supper at
Kenniwig's and the return of Mr.. Lilly
wick from the wanderings that followed
his prodigal marriage to the actress. Who
cannot get relaxation and positive enjoy
ment from the drubbing Nicholas MCKEE
by gave the scoundrel Squeers?
And the opening Of "A Tale Of Two
Cities''-who ever forgot those two para
graphs, beginning, one. ut was the best
of times. it was the worst of times, it
was the)age of wisdom, It was the age of
foolishness;' the other beginning, "There
was king with large jaw and a queen
with plain face on the throne Of Eng