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Show oo MANUSCRIPTS OF DICKENS. "During my searph for the manuscript manu-script of 'Pickwick',' " writes J. Holt Schooling in the Strand. "I heard i from one source that the original was In America. Later Inquiry about the manuscript of 'Pickwick' 'brought the following Information from Miss Hogarth: Ho-garth: 'The manuscript of "Pickwick" was never preserved In Its entirety at all. Stray fragments of It have turned turn-ed up and are dispersed about the world, I believe, Bpt It was not given by its author to any one I don't think he attached much Importance to his manuscripts in those early days." "So we must go (jyjthont this manuscript manu-script It is of course impossible for us of tho present generation to realize what a godBend to the peoplo of nearly a century ago were the light green monthly parts of 'Pickwick.' It came out in heavy days, when people had solid mahogany sideboards, weighing tons (more or loss) and when the vogue of the black horse-hair covered shiny sofa was supreme; they had armchairs, but no easy ones, and this remark applies to the literature of tho poriod as well as to Its furniture. "Thomas Carlylc wrote In a lotter to a friend: 'An archdeacon with his own venerable lips repeated to me the other night a strange profane story of a solemn clorgyman who had been administering ad-ministering ghostly consolation to a sick person: having finished, satisfactorily, satis-factorily, as he thought, and got out of the room, ho heard tho sick person ejaculate: 'Well, thank God! 'Pickwick 'Pick-wick will be out in ten days any way!' This Is dreadful! ,The binder prepared 400 copies of Part I of 'Pickwick 'Pick-wick and of Park "XV his order was for more than 40,000. "The manuscript of 'Our Mutal Friend' was given bv Charles Dickens to Mr. Dallas (the "husband of Miss Glyn, the well-known actress). Mr. Dallas at tho time 'Our Mutual Friend' was published was a writer in the London Lon-don Times, and ho wrote a very sympathetic sym-pathetic and pleasant review of the book, which pleased Charles Dickons, who very seldom read reviews. "When the manuscript was bound up he pave it to Mr. Dallas. Shortly after Charles Dickens died TUr. Dallas sold the manuscript man-uscript and it was bought by George W. Childs of Philadelphia, for a large sum. "Somo of the American papers said that It had been sold by Charles Dickens to Mr, Dallas and afterward resold by him. When tills false statement state-ment reached Charles Dickens' executrix, execu-trix, that lady aaked Mr. Childs to contradict the statement in America, and this was at onco done. 'As for Charles Dickens to have sold any manuscrlps of his own,' wrote Miss Hogarth to me, 'this wan simply an imi ossibility.' " |