AN EVENING WITH DICKENS.

Evening Star, Issue 11606, 17 June 1902, Page 3

AN EVENING WITH DICKENS.

The lirst of Mr Allred H. Burton’s evenings with great authors, givcyi last night, was very largely attended, the floor of the Choral Hall being filled with an .nterested aud.ence. The lecturer chose for his subject the man who.e deep insight into human life, human customs, and human fob les has furnished, and will for many ages furnish, the world with ab orbing narrat.ve and keen character study—Charles Dickens. Dickens’s peculiar claim to popularity is probably based not so ramli on his origiralty as on his accurate reproduction of the most apparently trivial deta Is of indiv.dual character. His descript.ons are rendered infinitely luminous to us by a simple reference to a common chaiacteristic, instructively noted by all, but lying dormant in the memory till the peculiarity is leen crystallised into words by the inimitable pen of onr author. Mr Burton’s readings Irst evening showed this peculiar ab Ity of the author in a strong light. He began by showing the almost diabolic power of Dickens in express'ng the trag c side of human life, selecting the powerful description of Bill Sykes’s assassination of his flight, and his terrifying end. Using all the powerful effects that shaded intonations of voice can produce, Mr Burton read the story with telling power. He then passed on to the pabhet'c aspect of Dickens's genius, and showed h : s intimate sympathy with child-life by reference to the child characters "Oliver Twit, Little Nell, ard Paul Domber. He gave a reading from ‘ Doinbey and Son ’ to illustrate bis point, and here again he succeeded in moving hi - audience by bis extremely ton h ; ng interpretation of the story of Little Paul’s life and dying days. Svriftly leaving these lugubrious v’ews of the verat'le author’s' work, he passed on to the infinitely humorous wr’t ng of Dickens, suggesting Sarcy Gamp and Sam Weller ns the most popular types of his humorou character*. The evening was co"cluded by a, couple of selections from ‘ Pickwick,’ having special reference to the doings of the two Wellers, rairing many a hearty laugh bv his droll rendering. The next read : rg will deal with De Quincey’s ‘ Opium Eater ’ and two American authors. __