VICTORIA LEAGUE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 128, 2 June 1927, Page 14

VICTORIA LEAGUE.

An interesting evening with Dickens whs enjoyed by the members of the Victoria Leauue in their rooms on Tuesday. In her opening remarks Mrs. Kenneth Gordon mentioned the fact that tiie secretary of the league, Mrs. Dav.es. had seen and heard Dickens himself, and thus u note of personal contact with the matter was struck. Rather than offer a chronological record of Dickens and hie works, the speaker preferred to create something of the Dickens atmosphere by presenting a review of many of his chnrarters. and stated what a "joy his works were to people of all ages. Children and the old and infirm alike derived the greatest pleasure from his writing:-. She touched on three female character* who appealed to her—Mrs. IMorni-h. with her peculiar linguistic faculty: Mr*. Blimber. "who was not clever but pretended to be. and it did iii-t ,i- well"; and Mrs. Pardijrgle and iiii dUi/uiitented brood, including her \i>nnjc-t. Alfred, aged five, who had voluntary enrolled himself in the Infant liund* • ! •!<■>. and was pledsjed through ! life never to use tobacco in any form. I Admitting that Dickens was a carica- : uiri-t. pointed out what a prince of exaggeration he could be. but so true in type were his characters that they made iiip author immortal. If he satirised iho profession of law in Buzfuz, Uriah Hi'pji and Dodson and Fopg, he gave ue ' alr-o the lovable Truddles and Sydney I Carton: if the med'cal profession in i Boh' Sawyer and Benjamin Allen, he pa\e Allan Wood court by contrast—and if Chadliand and Stiggins as clergymen. so also he save us Rev. Frank Mulvey and Canon Crisparkle. Reference to John Jaundyce. Joe (iargery and Tom Pinch. Litrle Dorrit and l.ix/ii , Nexam followed . and brief recitals of pathetic and hum- ' orou* passages. Quotations from "A ' Talo of Two Cities." "Our Mutual! Kner.d." and "tin at Kvrxv-tati"n'." and instance* of Dickens' wonderful de»crip- J live i.u--ages fuitht-r illustrated her lee j

I ture. Reference was also made to the clean fun Mini rollicking humour of '"The Pickwick I'ap'-r-"—so free from the vulgarity and of many modern writers—the offnrtß of Dickens to ameliorate the social ill? with which his life had familiarised him, and finally to tbe humanity, the compassion, the charity and the true brotherhood eo emphasised in his writings. Mi<s d'Au'hreau gave "Nancy."' from "Oliver Twist." and Mis* Mat ham a reading from '"Pickwick."