Evening star., 1934-06-03
Famous Novelist
Once Created In
terest in American
Tobacco Ches0ing.
FuHer2SHote,H His
First Shipping
Place Here, and
WeIckerS, His
Headquarters in
l868-R Relatives
IN Chicago.
RY John CLACETT PROCTOR.

T is probable that no one mas personal
recollections of the visit made by Charles
Dickens to Washington in 1872 but there
should be quite number still living who
not only recall his second visit here in
1863 but who also might even have at
tended one of his readings.
At the time of the first visit the press did
not nav as much attention to distinguished
visitors as it did when he returned to this city
26 years later. Political matters, upon the
former occasion. usually took up about page
and half, and foreign news was literally
printed, but local matters, such as the coming
of Mr.. Dickens, were not given any consider
able space and what he did. day by day. was
later related better by himself than told at the
time by the press, except that he might have
been more discreet.
Naturally, Dickens came to this country for
new ideas, and, knowing what would appeal to
his readers most, selected certain high lights
which he knew would make good story. For
instance, bis reference to tobacco chewing car
Tied wit.Ag a sting, because it was true-and
the truth does hurt sometimes very badly, and
for that reason it may not always be best to
tell the truth.
An old bit of advice is that an outsider
should never interfere in an Irish family'5
fight, for the combatants will most assuredly
turn upon him. And so 1t Is with the Ameri-
can people. We do not hesitate to fight
among ourselves or ridicule ourselves. but We
are quick to resent outside interference or to
after Dickens returned home from his visit
here in 1912, and released his american
Notes." he was for many years afterward
surely persona non grata so far as the people
Of this country were concerned
Indeed, so resentful were our people toward
him at that time that they coined word
from his name which compared him with the
evil spirit, and instead of saying THE devil,
YOU say" used the word dickens instead,
and this is still good dictionary word.
A similar revenge was taken on Mrs. Frances
Milton Trollope, who, after visiting this
country about 10 years before Dickens first
visit made some unkind remarks about us in
her Domestic Manners Of the Americans" and
'"The Refugee in America" with the result that
Mrs. Trollope had her name immortaltzed as
synonym for the meanest kind of woman;
and one who would be called "hussy" in the
Old Country was thereafter called "trollope"
here. These words have only dropped out OF
general use in recent years, and many, no
doubt, recall when they were commonly used.
DEGRADING our tobacco chewers Of that
~ period. Mr.. Dickens pays his respects as
follows:
"As Washington may be called the head
quarters Of tobacco-tinctured saliva, the time
is come when I must confess, without any
disguise, that the prevalence Of those two
odious practices Of chewing and expectorating
began about this time to be anything but
agreeable, and soon became most offensive and
sickening. In all the public places Of America
this filthy custom is recognized. In the courts
of law the judge has his spittoon, the crier
his, the witness his, and the prisoner his,
while the jurymen and spectators are provided
for as many men who, in the course OF
nature, must desire to spit necessarily. In
the hospitals the students of medicine are
requested by notices upon the wall, to eject
their tobacco Juice into the boxes provided for
that purpose and not to discolor the stairs.
Tn r,rh1i h1li1f visitors
through the same agency, to squirt the essence
of their guilds, or plugs as have heard them
called by gentlemen learned in this kind Of
sweetmeat, into the national spittoons, and
not about the bases of the marble columns.
"But in some parts this custom is INSOFAR
ably mixed up with every meal and morning
CALL and with all the transactions Of social
life. The stranger who follows in the track
took myself will find it in its full bloom and