CHARLES DICKENS AS AN EDITOR.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 45, 22 February 1901, Page 2

CHARLES DICKENS AS AN EDITOR.

"Household Words" was founded by Charles Dickens in 1350. He had tasted of the inky waters of journalism as the first editor of the "Daily News." There is a legend that Dickens edited in state, and that the proofs of printed matter were brought up on silver salvers by liveried footmen, and not by unwashed "printer's devils."

When Mr Dilke (the grandfather of Ihe present Sir Charles Dilke. M.P.). a very ablo literary man with commercial instincts, was induced to take "The Daily News" in hand, Charles Dickens, followed by his faithful henchman and life-long; friend, W. H. Willis, migrated to Wellington -street, Strand (the north sectloni, and took an office at the corner of Exeter Arcade.a Bohemian parody of the Lowther Arcade, full of small empty shops, half of them always unlet, and the other half occupied by very shifty tenants. These tenants were mostly geniuses or hanfTors on Of geniuses, and their combined amusement and occupation was to bring out small periodicals and journalsweekly In their issue, and weakly in thoir constitution. They appeared one week and disappointed the next.

It was at the mouth of this tunnel oi impecuniosity that "Household Words' was started In a pot-bellied building of throe floors, now forming part of the

stage of the Gaiety Theatre. The first floor room over the shop with a large bay window, was Charles Dlckcns'fi working room, and here the chief sat with W. H. Willis, his friend and secretary, interviewing contributors, when necessary, and transact t.ig business. The small room above was used as a dining or supper room, whero little parties, seldom exceeding six, were entertained with that plain but savoury fare which the chief never failed to describe with an enthusiastic relish in his novels. "Old Rule of Maiden Lane" was nearly always one of the caterers, sending a man with a tub of oysters in the season, and a baked potato man with his can was often another. A favourite dish was a roast boned leg oi mutton—the place of the bone being supplied with oysters and veal stufling. When Wilkie Collins came to these office dinners, which he did frequently, there was always an apple pudding. Wilkie Collins was an admirer of French cooking, and not so Britannic in his taste as Dickens, but he held that a, well-made apple pudding had no rival on any dinner table.

A journal started by Charles Dickens naturally attracted many contributors. especially among the class called "voluntary." Scarcely a postman passed the office without leaving a bundle of manuscript, sometimes small, like a roly-poly jam pudding-, sometimes largo, like a small bolster. These "voluntary contributions," amounting to several hundreds In the course of the year, were always opened and looked at. In some coses a mere glance would show that they were not suitable for "Household Words," and probably for no other journal; in' other cases, unfortunately very few, they merited careful' reading-, and got it Glanced at or read, lam justified in saying that during- five years only two manuscripts were accepted from outside contributors, one of which had to be almost rewritten, and the other was used with a little editorial alteration. This statement may favour the idea that Dickensjournal was a "close borough," open only to a select few who had earned a public reputation, but such a conclusion would be Quite unjust. The conductor (Charles Dickens) and the editor (W H Willis) were always only too anxious to discover new contributors—men with new ideas, fresh enthusiasm, and unhackneyed style—and Charles Dickens was the last man to say, as Thackeray did when he was forming his "Cornhill Magazine" staff, "I am afraid there are only a cartain number of cabs upon the stand." Thackeray said it in no unkind spirit. It was only "his fun." Dickens had certain" eau»l "fun." and he probably jgtCKjgfcfc tbAjiaiae in so. unkind spirit.