Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-03-19
DICKENS AND CHILDREN.
NovELsTs CHILDHOOD VIEWS OF CHILD


will not allow that there is anything
to explain. He will tiercely deny that
Dickens ever failed with a child. Per-
haps he will remind you of the trail
ing clouds of glory about Little Nell
and the poor little person whom JEFF
frey, no sentimentalist, could only re-
fer to as that sweet Paul" Even in
1912, we suspect, the majority will
still accept Little Nell and Little
Dombey as masterpieces of the pa
thetic. If we call them failures it is
not from any desire to write the criti-
cism of the superior personals
worthless a product as anything in
literature--it is not in ignorance that
great names are to be found against
us. The man who told Of the death
of Colnol Newcome and Esmond's
visit to his mothers grave may be al
lowed to rank as master of pathos.
Thackeray came into the Punch Office
one day and flung down on the table
the number of "Domaey" which con-
tanned the story Of Paurs death, cry
ing, who can stand against that?"
We can only answer that there are
many things in Dickens. many things
by much smaller men than Dickens,
which are far more than worthy TO
stand against tnat."
1t is. of course. not matter on
which proof is possible. 1t is a
question of taste. If a man likes
lemonade better than claret you will
never prove that he is wrong. When
I die says little Nell, put near me
something that has loved the light and
had the sky above it always" Does
it ring true? Is it a child speaking?
We will not ask whether you care for
the taste that celebrates a scene about
a child's death-bed. But does it ring
true Little Paul's last breath is spent
in saying: But tell them that the
print upon the stairs at the school is
not divine enough. The light about the
head is shining on me as | GO Do
you believe in it? Does it ring true2
Is it a child speaking, or a novelist S
straining fancy? Take a simpler test.
a test from a character which is. on
the whole, admirably done. The little
boy Pip thinks that Mr.. Pumblechook,
the scotsman, is "a very happy man
to have so many little drawers in his
shop" That, we all. agree is delight
full. The true nature of childhood Is
in it, But then Pip must go on to
wonder whether the flower seeds and
bulbs" ever wanted OF fine day TO
break out of those jails and bloom" "
That is not childhood at all. That is
Dickens trying to make us believe
there are monstrously wonderful
things in a ehild's brain.
Here is enough. and more than
enough, of fault finding. 1t is a dis
agreeable business. an ungenerous
business perhaps, when there is so
much to praise and enjoy, so much
unique success and enduring pleasure.
Where, in all the world of books. is
there better boy than David Copper
field, with his agonies over horrible
sums and his admiration for the dash
ing Steerforth? Who ever read with
out a touch of personal anger of his
"puny rage" when Murdstone beat
him, and his shame and distress when
he worked from morning until night
with common men and boys, a shabby
child?" Where will sou find u pic
ture of a child's terror with more
power than in that scene of the sell
ing of the jacket to the dreadful old
man in a filthy flannel waistcoat, who
whined out "Oh, my eyes and limbs,
what do you want? oh, my lungs and
liver, what do you want? Oh. goroo,
gorooi 1t is remembered and
imagined with a wonderful force and
brilliance, a wonderful power of liv-
ing again with the emotions and
only admirable boy in David Copper
field. The dashing snob Steerforth
is just as real. and Traddles, in his
tight sky blue suit, no less. How
yell they show each other off in that
scene with Nell the usher, Steer
forth, the bounder, blatantly impu-
dent; David, the hero Worshipper,
thinking him a mighty fine fellow, and
yet telling very miserable about the
poor usher; Traddles, the sound. nor
NAL boy, calling out, Shame. J.
Steerforth,"
You can hardly help reminding
yourself how good public school, in
habited chiefly by Traddleses as all
good schools are would have taken
Stcerferth to its arms and dealt with
him faithfully and painfully. But
When Dickens has several boys to-
sether he is almost always admirable.
Even little Paul becomes quite hui
man at DR.. Blimber's school The
boys in it are of very little impor-
lance to the tale, except the immortal
Toots there is hardly more than few
lines to spare for them all, and yet
they are all individually alive So are
the boys in the warehouse where Da-
vid Copperfield worked. Mick Walker
and Mealy Potatoes Even IN the
squalor and misery of Dotheboys Hall
YOU find other boys. beside that fine
specimen of the little beast. Waek-
ford, who insists on being distinct and
interesting. ii seems thatsa boy, how
ever superfiGous, even a boy who was
a mere piece of plot furniture, always
seemed To Dickens worth q good
stroke or two. His treasures of OBJ
serVation and invention always had
something to spare for a boy So we
remember Bob SdWYer'S boy and
'Quilp's boy as well as we remember
Bob Sawyer himself or Quilp and
much better than many of the sweet