The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-11
THACKERY KNEW PEOPLE

his, you will find him, at least I did in
 his club in Pail Mall. Pendennises and
 Warirngtons still have chambers in the
 Temple, only they do not wear long hair
 and whiskers. The barber has done more
 to alter the Thackeray types than the tailor
 Fashions In hair and clothes may come and go, but human creations are today still as true to life as when he wrote
 Vanity Fair more than sixty years ago. When Thackeray settled in London as
 a professional man of letters he had al-
 ready touched life at more points than
 most young men of six and twenty who look to their pen to provide them with a, livelihood, and in so far he was better equipped than his contemporaries for thel struggle. He had entered London liff through the gates open to the upper mid
 dle class. He came of a well to do faniz fly of Anglo-Indian officials, civil and
 military, and among his connections
 found men could sit for Colonel New come and James Binnie.
 "The Charter house supplied him with
 a knowledge of public school life and his
 resident at Cambridge of course, largely
 increased his circle of acquaintances.
 There he found the prototype of Major
 Dobbn and brought away with him ma
 terial for some chapters of the as yet un- dreamed of novel of 'Pendennis.
 His proprietorship of the National Standard brought him into touch with journalism, and his connection with the constitutional was the means of intro- ducng him to several of the leading rad l ical politicians of the day, notably Sir James Molesworth-the Buffers he had known earlier-and before he came of l age he had absented himself from Tap relrs to go down into Cornwall to can- cass for Charles Butler, who was stand ing for Liskeard in the liberal interest When he was studying art in London he made many acquaintances who doubt less furnished him subsequently with
 characters that figure in certain chapters
 of The Newcomes' The Temple had been the means of his meeting with many | young lawyers and numerous journalists of the better (sociaD class.
 l "There it was that he acquired somo {, knowledge of Captain Rock Sand Mr.
 Pigeon, which not only furnished him
 with a character sketch bearing the name of these two worthies but which also gave him the idea for section of The | Yellowplush Papers. He also in the days when he was sup posed to be studying law, as again some
 years later, was introduced to the mixed society of those places of entertainment I out of which eventually the music halls of today developed, the 'Cyder Cellars,
 the Coal Hole and Evans What use
 he made of his acquaintance with these
 haunts of dubious resorts all readers or
 'Pendennis' and The Newcomes' are aware.
 ITO cluband he had the entree in carry life, having been elected member or the Garrick when he came of age, ana at | this his favorite club he met the unaoup.- ed original of Poker. In his tnlrtieth year he became a member of the Reform club. and 1t is generally supposed that 1t
 u.es at this club he found most of the
 suohs whom lie so calmly dissected.
 .sIt has been said that he saw in every
 ,,,an snob, and it is certain that this
 rarticular work is not vastly popular.
 Nc man likes to have the mirror held up | +o bic own nature.