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Show THE REAL SQUEERS. I recently read in a newspaper an account ac-count of the death of the man who furnished fur-nished Dickens with the character of Mr. Squeers of Dotbeboys Hall. He was described as "a mild, scholarly man," but I happen to know that Dickens Dick-ens did not exaggerate! I was a very small boy when Nicholas Nlckleby was being Issued fof the first time, in monthly parts. In fact, I was at that time a scholar at a large school in Yorkshire, situated within a mile or so of the veritable Dotheboya Hall. The boys of the two schools went to the same church together. The real name of Squeers was Sowerby, and the statements state-ments made by Dickens were pretty near the truth, as we boys knew who were in such close contact with the Squeers boys once a week. We were known as "Simpson's lads."" they as "Sowerby's boys." Observing as we did the starved condition of the other boys, we used to pocket "hunks" of suet pudding and "chunks" of good bread and take them to church to pass to our hungry neighbors as we marched upstairs beside them. The great treat of their lives came to the Sowerby boys on Sundays, when they were given half a salt herring and a boiled potato for dinner. If Dickens had seen the poor scarecrows dressed for church he would have done better with his description of the use of the wardrobes required by the prospectus. A part of the farm belonging to our school adjoined Sowerby's place at a small "nut gill," or little ravine with a stream running through it, which divided di-vided the properties. Haselnut bushes lined both sides of the gill, and there Simpson's lads were allowed to gather all the nuts they could find and save them for winter use. At nut-gathering time Sowerby would patrol his side of the gill, having a heavy dog whip in his hand, and accompanied by a half-starved half-starved bulldog, which he would try to set on the lads. The dog was acquainted acquaint-ed with us because we carried food to him, and when ordered to "elck 'urn" he would chase across, wagging his tall in expectation of "grub." ,'as we always al-ways went in squads of twe've of twenty, twen-ty, we had no fear of Sowerby. The picture of Dothebos Hall drawn by Dickens ruined the business of all the Yorkshire schools, and on my return re-turn home I was asked if I were not kglad to leave the beautiful place in which I had spent four happy years. But from my actual knowledge of the creature who supplied the character of Squeers, the idea of his being "a mild, scholarly gentleman" is too great a libel on the fair fame of Dickens to be al- I lowed to pass uncontradicted. Satur- I day Evening Post. I |