New-York tribune., 1912-01-22
DICKENS FUND GROWS
"To Assure Success American
Help Is Needed"-Lord Burnham.
FIVE GIRLS IN POVERTY
One Granddaughter of the Nov
elist Describes Their
Circumstances.

A letter from Ethel Dickens, one Of the
five daughters Of Charles Dickens, jr., 10
the Dickens Centenary Committee in Lon
don told in a few brief paragraphs the
long story of the fight which she and her
sisters had waged against poverty. 1t told
how her fathers death, fifteen years ago
had left his printing business a wreck and
his family penniless. 1t told how her fOu:
unmarried sisters We're earning a bare liv-
ing, helped By the pension of f25 apiece
which the British government granted tc
them, and how she, considered the most
successful of the five. had spent the twenty
best years of her life in copying office
The letter said:
We have none OF us been able to make
enough money to save. ] do not think un-
der these circumstances there can be any
question that our circumstances are ne
cessiious. As long as there was no prospect
or help of any kind none Of us complained.
best of bad job. holding that It is no
use fretting about what cannot be helped.
Now, however there seems an oppor-
tunity by which the anxiety for the future,
which naturally gets greater year by year.
might be considerably lessened, and we do
not wish to throw away such a chance.
Poverty. through absolutely 10 fault OF
ones own, cannot possibly he regarded as
my grandfather himself would not were
he now alive. be ashamed of us and our
acknowledgment OF our pecuniary position.
In printing this letter at the request Of
Lord Alverstonc, Lord Chief Justice OF
England and chairman OF the English ex-
ecutive committee of the Dickens Centen-
ary Fund. THE London Daily Telegraph"
opened its columns to an appeal for sub
.g..sg .,T hill
calling the service OF the great writer in
helping TO make that season a time OF
friendly feelings and ennobling thoughts
The English fund has already reached q
total Of S25,OOO. OF which $1,000 was con-
tr!buted by the London stock Exchange.
But a cable message reached this coun-
try not long ago from Lord Burnham, a
member of the English committee, which
said. ITO assure success American help
is needed" II was then that the Ameri-
can branch Of the fund was formed, with
Joseph II. Choate as honorary chairman
1t has sent out a final appeal that the
fund might be made worthy of it's unseifsh
object before the Tooth anniversary OF the
great authors birth. on February T.
Charles Dickens, though read and loved
died in comparative poverty The sums
which he received for all his books during
his lifetime hardly amounted TO what a
single one OF them probably would bring
II published in this century. The sale OF
&c. 600. 900 copies OF his works In this
country. which should have added mate
rally TO his income. brought him nothing,
for when he wrote them there was no In
ternational copyright When he died in
harness his children were thrown upon
their own resources.
Several OF them were able 10 keep away
from the dread clutch Of wrant. Alfred
Tennyson Dickens. who died in this city
recently. made a fortune AT sheep rais-
ing I'm Australia. and when this was sud
denly swept away by a plague he man
aged 10 make "A comfortable living from
his lectures about his father. Kate Dick
ems married I'm London and is to-day COM
paratively well or Hs Is Henry Fielding
Dickens. now Kings Counsellor I'm the
English capital But Charles Dickens, Jr..
died poor. as his father did, and 1t is for
his children that the fund is being raised
Tho Tribune first printed Little Dorrit
in this country. That is only one of the
many books. and its pitlful little heroine Is
only one OF the many characters. vivid as
though they had just been met around the
corner, by which the man OF tender humor
will be remembered by millions OF the chill
drcn OF this age and ages to come.
When william Makcpeace Thackeray VS.
tied this city, in 1852 one OF tho things ne
said about his friend was this:
AS for the charities OF Mr. Dickens. null
tiplled Kindness which he has conferred
upon MS all-upon our children, upon peo-
pie. educated and uneduCated, upon the
myriads here and at home who speak our
common tongue. have not you, have not
all Of us-reason to be thankful TO thls
kind friend who soothed ana charmed so
many hours, brought pleasure and sweet
laughter TO so many homes: made such
multitudes OF children happy; endowed us
with such sweet store OF gracious
thoughts, fair fancies, soft sympathles ana
hearty enjoyment?
II is sucn a question as this that the men
ask who are trying To- save the granddaugh-
tcrs of this man from want.
-o amy rS,UTNI rU CThMpC