The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-03
1872 Fsh:Z 1912
NY j. w. MILLER,

Bf j. w, MULLER.
IN "fhe Life nDd Adventures of Marlin
ChoLIicNit," which bcgan publication
IN mohthiv numbers In 1913, Charles
dickens wrote Is novel thut. viewed
tcchnicn1i! uh novel, falls npnrt nm
der HIS hands. IL nhifts its centre or
interest 80 Violently Tint the plot
thht WINS designed In the bcginnIuE
gives wny to quite nnother plot that
docs not mt all concern the original
chicf characters. The hero whose
mime gives the title TO the story,
never becomes hero. never be-
comes commanding AEurc in the
story, never nrOusen the rcader'h In
tcrcht very lnrEcI.. Murtin Chuz-
zieNit II not lay figure. Dickens
ronidn't put iny figures Into amy
thing. Hut he Is not u Dickens ng-
ure. Unlike Nicholas NickIeby In
Tic Life mud Adventures of Mich
"ins SickIcby." Martin Chnzzicwit
simply serves nv nm excuse for the
story.
let "Mnrtin ChuzzicNit" In not mere
" Ercnt story, but ii Rrcnt novel.
THOUGH u violates tho literary work
shops dchuItioDs OF novel aud
rules for making enc. Il IL "a puru-
h"Sicnl novel, for, though Il con-
inius two OF the greatest humorous
characters Dickens ever drew, and ~
troop Of minor hut not less humur-
Gus ones. the nu,cI>Hs Whole TX
Nombrc. Even those two trcnt n,ns-
tcTpfrccs of humnr. Mr. prcItspIn mud
snircy Camp, hive something norn-
hrc nbout them. Diciecns's genius flew
on immrusciy lifting wings when he
rrenscH them. mud hi, humor ,vns
rrodIEni Ike n cnscndr; yet often, In
their widest hur,cr. We Lnrc hardly
lnEEh. nehind them there stands n
>hshou. The rich lnuEh az humor
gives way ever and nynIn 10 the cold
smile nf >ntIrc.
Nj Tint nmukiug I'cchsnin and Chuz-
Zlr"it fnmil! H. rs wildly funny us II
Witches snbbntb no doubt would he
AMI ms terrible. Tnc two Nisscs
Pechsnin are always inughubic nnd
nlwn!, hateful. ,Irs. Todgcrs, Mon
tnEu TiSE, Bct-cY Pris, Augustur
Noodle, Jefferson brick, Elijah Po-
gram, Nrs. Iiominy, Nil are mnEnin-
cent. absurd. and all nrc bU,e. We
long tu hick them nftcr we have
laughed ut them. Even harmless III
tie Foil sNyrcdlcpipc Inns u touch OF
something sad about him.
The Srrnt fnct about tho humorous
characters In tbis book &. that we
cnn "nly lnuEh anthem. They do not
laugh With Us. Air. Pict>nirk laughs
with us. SO docs Nr. Micnwbcr w.
inugh with sam Weller, Dick Swivel
l"r. Joe Gargcry, Cnp'n Cutie, Nr.
nnu Yrs. Boiiin. In "Nurtin Chuy-
Hicwit" there IN only one character
with whom We can Inurh mud who
lnuEl, With u-. rhut Is Mark Tap
ley.
That Dickens nncrccdcd la making
Nurk rnplcy famous character L.
one of the grcnt achievements OF bis
Hrt. lie did not, mt FIRST. really in
whimsical idcN-thc ldcn of man
nho. though perfectly anne, huh the
a::surh desirc 10 seek troubic be-
cnuse lie whntrd The credit OF hcinE
Jolly under adverse circnmstnnccA
Under the hand Of almuSt my other
writer In tho world. this untennbic
position would hnNc ted 10 failure
Under Charles Dickrns's hand Mark
THpIcy grew nupeAur to the cnpri-
cluUa Idea. First, Mark Trnplcy is
simply tho form I'm which the fhcn
Is clothed. Spou. the idea becomes
simply pleasant. rather charming
within OF Mark Tnplcy. As usual
with Dickens, the human heing grew
and grew. Mark Tnpicy IL the rreut
practical ontimist OF Charles Dick
cnn; and he inugit> ncssimism out of
court.