Year: 1867

people, 10 Abraham LlDCOin ldinllJ


MR. DICKENS.


From Mr.. Charles Dickens himself we have
intimation that he will come TO this country III
November and in succeeding months give
series of readings from his own works III our
principal cities. This is great good news. The
visit to us of writer held in such universal
esteem must of course be more important and
interesting in itself than that of any prince.
king, or minister. Not Herr Won Bismarck,
the diplomatic hero of Europe, has half as much
right to our intelligent attention as the author
Of the immortal jollity of Pickwick. Such
literary democrat as Nicholas Nickleby makes
the world ignore its pOtentates and million
aires and the dOminions of a Caesar are not as
great in one respect as the realm of imagina-
ton and feeling mapped out in work OF such
sympathetic universally rs the Old Curiosity
Shop. Only men like Garibaldi in politics
and Victor Hugo in literature can claim from us
the amount and kind OF consideration which
we ought to extend To- such benefactor as MIR.
Dickens. In men of this class the world
reverences its experience and its aspiration.
The mob may shout over an emperor or
lemagogue, or any other ialsehood In the
worlds melodrama but the true intelligence
of mankind cannot respect anything but the
ideals.


Mr.. Dickens will not, OF course, come among
us a stranger. He has been read and reread
by us certainly with not less appreciation than
by the millions of his own countrymen His
genius. To some extent, is an element in our
social life, and the number of his well-wishers
| 4 l., IL, ,f
tors. IL is Il preposter0us suspicion, therefore,
that for any criticism of American life and
manners which Mr.. Dickens had the liberty OF
making some years ago our people VIII be IN
hosptablc to his genius. When he came to us
last he found our civilization fcttcred by
slavery, with the rust of chains-whlch it has
taken years OF recent war to remove-eatlng
into its soul. lie wrote then of the many
shaped blots upon eur politics and society
brutality in Congress; despcablc trlckery in
election; venality and scul1ility of the press
| He was here when champion of liberty was
put upon trial, and the ve-driveI's whip was
cracked in the Senate We have all said as
bitter things He found the pulpit of New
England Gn all but its UnitarianS) chiefly
employed in "denomcing innocent and ra-
tonal amusementsn and that wherever ere
"ligion was resorted to as n strong drink
those preachers were most popular who strewed
the eternal path with the greatest quantity
of brimstone He objected to the heart
less love of smart dealing, thought that the
quaintnesS of the Yankee was of cast-iron, and
that the national mind was mathematical and
humoress. at would he well for the Ameri-
" can people rs whole thought Mr.. Dickens,
4" if they loved the real less aud the ideal some
"what more; il there were greater encourage
"ment to lghtness of heart and gayety, and q
wider cultivation of what is beautiful with
out being cmincntly and directly useful
Wise, true words many of these undoubtedly
were, both in spirit and letter, but, as n ma
tonal critic, Mr.. Dickens may have in more
instances than one set too much store upon
surfaces, given too much significance TO
glimpses. Yet we have no reason to be thank
less for an honest mans criticism, harsh ms one
view of it may seem. Some of Mr. Dickens's
objections will hold true, more or less,
to the present day. Some of them,
as the novelist himself is aware, are
true of every society. We cannot deem
bis deductions as philosophical, and there





late NJ. de Tocqucvillc. But Mr.. Dickenss
sharp sight and quick wit could not fail to
present lis graphic truth of some kind. Giving
due allowance to a certain spirit of caricature,
which is sometimes needed to convey the
broadest fact, we are reluctantly convinced
that Jefferson Brick and Elijah Pogram were
natives of this very wide and variously
charactered regions of ours. We meet them
daily in Broadway. Ii is the high business
of the great humorist to seek out the most
distinct and striking features and follies of
society; and to be angry with what Mr.. Dickens
has done is simply to protest against the humor
of satire. But Mr.. Dickens will have some
changes to observe in the national life
at the end of q score of years. He
will find our communities still somewhat
rectangular and matter-of- fact but he
will also discover perhaps, that our popular
life has gained in bonhon,mie as it has gained
in numbers, and that our intelligence is begin
ming TO acquire something like many sided
culture. Great and decided changes we may


70. rc-oule have occurred II church aud state