New-York tribune., 1912-02-07
THE DICKENS CENTENARY
Mr.. Choate Appeals to Americans to
Aid Granddaughters.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir The response to the appeal of the
American Executive Committee in behalf
OF five necessitous granddaughter Of the
late Charles Dickens has been gratifying,
but it will be necessary for our treasurer
to acknowledge still more checks, big and
small. before We raise the sum which Amer
lea ought to contribute as compared with
the London fund, now amounting, as we are
informed by the English committee to $780,
900. That we shall be finally successful In
our appeal TO American sentiment We can
not and will not doubt.
IN reply to inquiries regarding the cir
cumStances of the proposed benefciaries
Lord Alyerstone, Lord Chief Justice, fur
nishes us with the following letter which
has hitherto been unpublished in America,
and which was addressed to him in his ca
pacity OF chairman of tho English Dickens
Centenary Fund. II IS from Ethel Dick
ens one Of the five granddaughters:
! venture on behalf OF myself and OF my
four unmarried sisters, to bring 10 the no.
ttce Of your committee the following state
mcnt of fact.
My father, Charles Dickens, jr, died If
teen years ago, at the comparatively
early age of ffty-nine. His printing
own-failcd. and on his death my mother
and five unmarried daughters were lett
absolutely pcnuileSs. Ny mother was
subsequently granted n government pen
sion OF tluJ a year, which on her death
three years ago-was continued 10 my four
sisters In the proportion OF t25 year each.
OF these four sisters two twhO are not AT
all strong or tit for work at alb arc just
barely making q living, one as a kinder
Eartcn teacher and the other keeping
home for Indian children. The third Is a
present out Of a post altogether. and while
trying TO find fresh work has nothing az all
but her f2j pension, and the fourth Is one
Of tho secretaries AZ the National Health
Society | myself, who am supposed 20
have been fairly successful have copy
inE OiiiCc.hayr boon working excessively
hard for over twenty years | have had one
or two bad attacks Of Oycrwork Illness. and
tho doctor now tells me thas ! have over
worked for so long that six months com
pleto rest IS imperative. We have none OF
us been able to make enough money to
save. / DO not think under these circum-
stances there can ho any question that our
circumstances are necesstous. As long as
there was no prospect OF hclp or any Mnd
we none Of Us complained, but have, think
] may say, made the best Of a bad job,
holding that It is no Use fretting about
what cannot be helped Now. however,
there seems an opportunity by which anX-
iciy of the future. which naturally gets
greater wear by year might be consider
ably lcesCnod. and We do not wish To throw
absolutely no fault of ones own cannot
possibly hc regarded as a disgrace. and ]
am perfectly sure that my grandfather
himself would not. were h" now alive. be
ashamed II us and of our acknowledge
mont Of our UcCUniarv position
apologize FOR tho length ~ this letter,
which ] hone may be- excused hv TN" cNi-
Ccucv which has occasioued It, / remain,
yours sincerely and gratefully
ETHEL DICKENS.
We m" undersigned daughters of the late
Charles Dickens. tr desire N indorse tho
statements which are made In the above
letter MARY DICKENS.
CECIL DICKENS.
DOROTHY DICKENS.
EVELYN DICKENS"
Americans who read the above will agree
that the circumstances arc. indeed. ''neces-
sItoup" and I'm part payment Of that debt
which we in common with all English read
ing people owe 20 tho famous author should
hasten to send n GIFT no matter how small,
to our treasurer Mr. Clarence H. Mackay
No 253 Broadway. New York
II is yet time for America 10 show on the
centennial OF his birthday whether her
people are grateful for the benefits which
they have received from the great English
novelist Please send In your checks at
once. JOSEPH IT, CHOATE,
Honorary Chairman ~ th" American EX-
ecutlvc Committee
New York Feb ;. 1919