P.N. Townswomen’s Guild

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 46, 25 February 1936, Page 11

P.N. Townswomen’s Guild

A DICKENS AFTERNOON

Members of the Palmerston North Townswomen’s Guild gathered in happy association for the first meeting of the year yesterday at the Empire hall. There was a large attendance presided over by Mrs. A. E. Mansford, who wished members the compliments of the season with the hope that the following months would be better than the tv;o first. In extending a general welcome to the visitors Mrs. Mansford offered a special welcome to four members of tho Wkakarongo Women’s Institute who were present by invitation. Before commencing the business of the meeting Mrs. Mansford made feeling reference to the passing of King George V which had brought sorrow to the whole world, sympathy with Queen Mary and the Royal Family being expressed by those assembled standing a few moments in silence. The January meeting had been abandoned on account of the death of our late King. The hall had been charmingly decorated with gladioli, zinnias, Chatham lily berries, and other autumn blooms with the dark green foliage of holly, the stago being particularly attractive. Thanks were conveyed by the president to Mesdames D. James, Denham and W. G. Woodroofe, members of the gardening circle, who had achieved such a gay result despite the fact, that most gardens had. been wrecked by recent storms.

Mrs. Mansford reported that the subcommittee appointed had met Miss P. Hindle with regard- to using the Y.W.C;A. rooms for circle meetings and the committee had confirmed the satisfactory arrangements made for all circles.

r The secretary (Miss M. Buchanan) reminded members .tnat nominations for president, vice-presidents and com-mittee-would close on March 16 at noon and pointed out that the president must also be nominated for the committee if so desired.

Plans for the now year’s activities were outlined by the circle leaders: Mrs. j. penwick (arts and crafts), Miss M. Grant (civics), Mrs. W. S. Woodroofe (gardening), Mrs. J. W. Davidson (play-reading),- Mrs. A. J. McNeilly (music). " Suggestions were then invited for future meetings and several useful ideas were'put forward.'

Sympathy was expressed with Mrs. W.'A. Tapp in her recent severe illness, Mrs. Mansford reporting that she had seen Mrs. Tapp in hospital on Christmas Day and she asked members to join with her in voicing the hope that Mrs. Tapp would soon be restored to health and able to return to the guild of which she was a very valued member. Sympathy was also expressed with Mrs. A. MaePherson in her indisposition and hopes expressed for a speedy recovery. Charles Dickens. The speaker for the day was Mrs. F. Christian, city librarian, who gave a most thoughtful address on tfie life of Charles Dickens, touching briefly on some of his best known work/1. Introduced by Mrs. Mansford, Mrs. Christian opened her address by remarking that it was often stated that the works of Charles Dickens were too long and tedious to read. But this was the fault of our age, the speaker contended. We want everything condensed and made easy. It was a great pity we had to say we had no time to read a long book, but the speaker ventured the opinion that Dickens would always live He was the first author to write of and characterise poor people—his unfortunate early life had brought him in contact with many ordinary every-day people and of these he wrote. Thackeray had written of London ladies and high society but never before had stories been written of the people Dickens portrayed. The reading public was ready for this brilliant new writer—Sir Walter Scott had been dead for some years and Jane Austen for 20 years. Little was known of his ancestry beyond the fact that his mother was an adept at telling stories, continued the speaker. His father, John Dickens, at the age of 24, married Elizabeth Barrow, a pretty, well-edu-cated girl. At this time he was a clerk in the navy pay office at Portsmouth and there the young people lived. Two children were born, a daughter Fanny,' and on February 7, 1812, Charles. Already the young couple were getting into financial muddles and the Barrow family had constantly to come to their aid. When Charles was two the family moved to Chatham where their income was increased from £BO to £2OO •and later to £3BO. However, John Dickens, who was an able man but shiftless and extravagant, soon had the family in difficulties. More children were born and the position became more hopeless. Mr. Dickens’ widowed fister lived with the family and to fiei mother and aunt Charles Dickens owed his early education. Later he was sent to a Dames’ school, where, said Dickens, a reverent old lady with hard knuckles instilled into his mind the first principles of education for 9d a week. This was the old lady, Mrs. Christian said, who must be associated with Wopsle’s great aunt in “Great Expectations” as we also imagine that David Copperfield was Dickens himself. His sister Fanny was musical and they often sang duets together, and the boy indulged i - his love of theatricals. He would keep his school fellows entranced by stories of his owb invention. This happy state did not last long, the family becoming hopelessly in debt and in spuite of efforts to /establish -a achool-John Dickeflfi K&S-.

arrested for debt and sent to Marshalsea prison. Cnarles Dickens became embittered and derided his father in “David Copperfield.” The bitterest period of his life now began. His mother -as offered for him a position in a blacking factory at 6s a week, a terrible life for a sensitive boy and he later hated to think or speak of it. One of his'associates he used in “Oliver Twist as “Tom Fagan.” It was a sad little boy that with his beloved sister visited their parents in prison. The memory of this dreadful period affected Dickens all his nie ana it was years a'fer his marriage before he mentioned his experience to his wife. In the debtors’ prison the Dickens were waited upon by a poor little waif from a workhouse, later immortalised as the “Marchioness” in “Nicholas Mickleby.” After two years at the blacking fact n -y a legacy arrived and his parents were able to leave Marshalsea. Charles was sent to school at Hampstead. Here again we meet in later years the schoolmaster, as Air. Creakle. Charles appeared to have been happy. He wrote stories on scraps of paper which he clipped together and let out to companions for some small return. With the help of a chum he got out a morning paper with comic advertisements indicative of his great sense of humour. Upon leaving school Dickens worked in a lawyer’s office in London. He studied shorthand and become a reporter. Through the interest of an uncle he later became a Parliamentary reporter, achieving great success .

Charles Dickens felt the desire to enter upon a stage career but just as he had succeeded in obtaining an interview with two influential men ho became ill. By the next session this desire to act had disappeared as he /ad begun writing and was earning money by it. Whilst a Parliamentary reporter Charles Dickens began writing for a monthly magazine, his “Sketches by Boz” becoming extremely popular. Later he was asked to write a letterpress for comic pictures and these, too, were received with great eagerness and excitement. It was after this that Sam Weller was created in “Pickwick Papers” and Dickens’ name was made. “Oliver Twist” was the next effort and where people had laughted at foam Weller they now wept with Oliver Twist. Dickens travelled extensively abroad always gathering fresh copy for his writings. Always his works were associated with suffering children and though sometimes satirical there was always the humorous touch. In 1807 Charles Dickens was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey. In concluding, Mrs. Christian stressed the fact that the works of Charles Dickens are to-day still very much alive, especially among the children. We may truly say that he portrayed the history of England in his day and his characters were definitely not fictitious.

Mrs. Mansford conveyed the thanks of all present to Mrs. Christian for her interesting address. With imaginations pleasantly stimulated by the interesting address members were ihirther entertained by Miss Cranston's players in dramatic readings I in character of plays taken from works i of Charles Dickens. The-first was an episode in the life of Mrs. Nickleby and the gentleman next door, from “Nicholas Nickleby" in which the parts we~e admirably portrayed as fol-

Mrs. N. Lamont (Kate Nickleby), Mrs. M. Wilson (an old • mad gentleman), Mrs. Ellery (a keeper). The second play was taken from “Our Mutual Friend,” “Bella Wilfer’s Return,” with an excellent cast comprising: Mrs. D. Bagnall (Mr. Wilfer), Mrs. N. V. Ballinger (Bella Wilfer), Miss E. Ashby (Lairona Wilfer), Mrs. Stubbs (John Rokesmith), .Miss C. Jamieson (George Sampson). At the conclusion of the sketches Mrs. Mansford thanked the performers and Miss Cranston for the delightful entertainment they had provided.

The tea hostesses were Mrs. D. Evans ancl Mrs.: H. Sinclair, the helpers being Mesdames T. Turnbull, E. Bee, W. E. Cooper, L. Duffin, R, Hooker, J. Sweeney and A. Bradley. Hostesses extending a welcome at the door were Mrs. W. E. Eield and