The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-01-02
'josGPB VusHtipt DiRaoa

strained relations, but have not yet
come 10 hostility.
WHITE HOUSE, Jan. "a, 1903.
DEAR ARCHIE:
Scamp 10 really a cunning little dog,
but he takes such an extremely keen
interest IN hunting, ana is so active,
that when he is out on the grounds
with US We merely catch giimpses
of him as he flashes by. The other
night after the judicial reception
when We went upstaiFs 70 supper the
kitchen eat suddenly appeared parad-
lag down the hall with great friend
ltness, and was forthwith eIiled TO
ker proper homo again.
Ton PineA
WHITE HOUSE, Feb. q, 1908.
DEAREST KERMIT:
quite agree with you about Tom
Pinch. He is despicable kind Of
character; just the kind Of character
Dickens liked, because he had him
self a thick streak OF maudlin senti-
mentality OF the kind that as some
body phrased 1t, made him wallow
naked In the pathetic" II always in
terests me about Dickens 10 think
how almost all OF It was mixed up
with every kind Of cheap. second
rate matter. am very fond OF him.
There are innumerable characters
that he has created which symbolic
vices, virtues, follies. and the like al
most as we'll as the characters Il.
Bunyan; and therefore / think tn
wise thing to do is simply to skip the
bosh and twaddle and vutgarity ant
untruth, and get. the benefit out OF
the rest. OF course one fundamental
difficulty between Nackeray and
Dickens is that Thackeray was a
gentleman and Dickens was not. But
q man might do some mighty good
work and not be gentleman In any
sense.
MARTIN chuxziswit.
WHITE HOUSE, Feb. 30, 1908.
DEAREST KERMIT:
OF course 1 entirely agree with you
about Martin Chu1zlsWit. But the
point seems to me that the prepos-
ferrous pefversion OF truth and the Ill
nature and malice OF the book are OF
con 0skuenee chiefly a. indicating
Dickens own character. about which
II care not rap: whereas, the char.
acters in American shortcomings and
vices and follies as typlfied are i'm
mortal and, moreover, can BY studied
with great profit by all Of US to-day.
Dickens was an ill-natured, selfish
cad and boor, who had no understand
ing of what the word gentleman
meant, and no appreciation Of hospi-
tslity or good treatment. He was ut
terly incapable Of seeing the high
purpose and the real greatness which
Tin spite Of the presence also OF
much that was bad or vile) could
have been visible all around him here
in America to any man whose vision
was both keen and lofty. He could not
see the qualities of the young men
growing up here, though 1t was these
qualities that enabled these men to
conquer the west aad to fight to q
finish the great Civil War, aud though
that OF Lincoln, Lee and Grant
no gentlemen in New York, because
by no possibility could he have re-
cognized gentleman II he had met
one. Naturally he would condemn all
America because he had not the soul
to see what America was really do.
ing. gut he was in his element in
describing With bitter truthfulness
Scadder and Jefferson Brick, and
Elijah Pogram, and Hannibal Chollup,
and Mrs. Hominy and the various
other characters, great and small, that
have made me enjoy Martin Chuszel-
witt Most Of these character, we
still have with US.
tTe so ceotinusd.)