The Republican journal., 1912-02-15
she had skipped some of the ..long dull


parts"
'Ah. the long dull parts! don't hear
enough about those" on: ca me his
notebook, while he cross-questioned the
critic In hair ribbons, who, as she said in
her recital, delivered Infant stabs,
under the impression that they were
bouquets"
Then he put his arm about her, told
her he was glad she liked Copperfield the
best, for so did he, and how much he
cared that she had missed the reading
in Portland. Finally they both came to
| earth when he asked ii she were travelI
ing alone.
Il have a mother, but forgot her."
the child faltered, and one who was on
that train told the little girl afterward
that Dickens cried out:
Forgot your mother? My dear little
person, you are a past mistress in the
art of flattery." He kissed her as thew
parted on the station platform, and that
ride Kate Douglas Wiggin will never
forget.
Agnes Repplier spoke sadly of the
superclllous younger generation who
have no idea what they are losing by not
reading Dickens. 81 would rejoice"
she said, Ito agree with Andrew Lang,
who declared that he was almost recon-
c lied to education when he realized that
every English-speaking child who learns
his letters makes one more reader of
Dickens, but 1t is most disconcertlng to
find the rising generation too busy with
Bernard Shaw and Mr.. Wells to know
Bleak House and David Copperheld.
When we weave his words and people
into our speech these young people |
haven't the faintest idea what we are |
talking about. 1t is almost as bad as |
venturing on some Biblical allusion."
William Bayard Hale, who defined !
himself as humble sort of contribut-
ing editor" spoke of the novelist who
when he became man 'did not put away
childish things He answered the
charge that Dickens was caricaturist
by denying that it is charge, and Mr..
Kennedy answered the accusation of
sentimentality by crying out: ''Some of
US have hearts and blood as we'll as heads. |
The entire universe isn't made up of in
tellectuals, business men and empire !
builders, and thank God for it!'
F. Hopkinson Smith, who spoke on
''The Humor of Dickens" made few
preliminary remarks on Arnold Benefits
recent unfavorable criticism on the tech
nique of Dickens. Mr.. Smith did not
mention Mr.. Bennett by name, but he
said of him: "How dare any man say
that another man has or has not reached
a certain standard of art until time has
proved it SO? The greatest art is that
which has pleased the greatest length of
time, and knowing what Dickens is and
has been to so many thousands of peo-
pie, he must indeed be bold man who
will say that he has not reached a very
high standard of art" Mr.. Smith then
read portion of chapter from Pick
wick and the story of the meeting of the
Brick Lane Chapter of the Ebenezer
Junction Temperance Society where Tony
and Sam Weller and Stiggins, the red
nosed man, met.
At the close of the dinner Sydney VAL
entine, the English actor, read chapter
from David Copperield, the one called
"Peggotty Hears the News that Emily's
Run Away The diners sat down to a
menu that was headed by that classic en-
enlargement of Sam Weller's:
"And very good notion of a lunch it
is. Now, gentlemen, fall on, as the Eng
lish said to the French when they fixed
bagginets.
And before all this speaking began the
diners stood and drank silent toast to
the memory of Charles Dickens, accord
ing to the custom at any dinner given, as
was last evenings, by branch of the
Dickens Fellowship.