"Ah yet, tho' all the world forsake, I will not cramp my heart, nor take "Knowledge comes but wisdom lingers." "It is the little rift within the lute That by and by will make the music mute "Men may rise on stepping stones Of their dead selves, to higher things." "To loyal hearts the value of all gifts, "For manners are not idle, but the fruit "Raw Haste, half-sister to Delay." "Mockery is the fume of little hearts." "We needs must love the highest when we see it.”` 66 For what is true repentance but in thought Not even in inmost thought to think again "Not die but live a life of truest breath, To teach true life to fight with mortal wrongs." "Indeed I know Of no more subtle master under heaven "And I must work through months of toil, Upon my proper patch of soil, "The wanderings Of this most intricate Universe, Teach me the nothingness of things." 6. CHARLES DICKENS. Charles Dickens, the great English novelist, was born in Landsport, England, in 1812. He was one of the eight children of Mr. John Dickens, a poorly paid clerk in the navy pay office. When Charles was nine, the family removed to London where the father soon became bankrupt, and with his family, was imprisoned several months. Charles had already given a hint of what his life work was to be, in a little drama which he had written, called "Misnar, the Sultan of India." He was now, however, set to work in a blacking factory where he pasted labels on bottles, visiting the family in prison on Sundays. Mr. Dickens having inherited a small legacy was now released and soon obtained employment as a reporter. Charles was sent to school for two years. He then worked for a brief time in a lawyer's office, but soon left to learn shorthand. At nineteen he became a reporter. He had seen a good deal of London life, for he was a keen observer. He went all over the city, photographing upon his mind the interesting places and scenes. At the same time he was writing stories signed "Boz." This was a corruption of Moses, a nick name given to a younger brother of Dickens, on account of his resemblance to Moses, in Goldsmith's "Vicar of Wakefield." The fame of Boz grew. His stories attracted attention, and it was not long before he was well paid for them. "The Pickwick Papers," "Oliver Twist," and "Nicholas Nickleby" were among his first works. At twenty-four he married Miss Catharine Hogarth, daughter of a London newspaper writer. Five sons and two daughters were born to them. Mr. and Mrs. Dickens, in 1842, visited America, where they were warmly welcomed. Indeed, the Americans, not so much used to foreign celebrities as now, almost overdid their welcome. Dickens, alive to the humorous, could not help poking a little fun at them in his next book, “Martin Chuzzlewit." He visited Italy in 1844, remaining one year. "Little Dorrit," "Dombey and Son," "David Copperfield," and "The Tale of Two Cities" now given to the public. He also produced a number of poems and an interesting history of England, designed for young people. He was the busy editor, first of a paper called Household Words, and afterwards of All the Year Round. His works first appeared in the papers. All of his stories were written for some high purpose; all attack some wrong against which he wished to arouse public feeling. "Oliver Twist" exposes the abuse of the poor-house system. "Nicholas Nickleby" shows the miseries of cheap boarding-schools. "Hard Times" depicts the sufferings of the manufacturing classes. Dickens made a second visit to America in 1867, giving public readings from his own works in the eastern cities. They were brilliantly successful, but he overtaxed his strength. On returning to England he was obliged to seek the services of a physician. His famous home known as Gad's Hill is a most beautiful place. When a boy, Dickens longed to own it; at forty-five he purchased the place. It stands on the high road running from London to Dover, half way between Gravesend and Rochester. The road divides the vast estate into two parts. On one side is the house, with its lawns, pleasure grounds, driveways, and stables. On the other is a wilderness of large, stately elms and sturdy oaks, ivy-covered banks, and beds of mignonette and nasturtiums, threaded by winding woodland walks. The house, built in 1780, is a two-story, red brick building with a cupola and a quaint porch which has two large bay windows opening into it, and a broad flight of stone steps leading up to it. The highway is reached from the house by circular carriage-ways leading through massive oak gates at each corner. |