ORIGIN OF MR. DICKENS' PUBLIC READINGS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 206, 31 August 1871, Page 4

ORIGIN OF MR. DICKENS' PUBLIC READINGS.

In a series of articles on the history of tljfcj IBirmingham. and Midland Institute; the' Birmingham Morning News iri- . cidentally gives the origin of Mr. Dickens' public readings. It appears that in 1852, the Local Society of Artists being in a somewhat declining state, a Prize Fund •was instituted by Mr. Linnaeus Banks and others, with- a view to enhance the character of their forthcoming annual exhibition! The money required was cheerftilljr subscribed by gentlemen of the town, and Mr. E, Ward— since made an R. A- —-carried off the prize with his magnificent picture "Charlotte Corday." Elated with the success of their endeavors — for. the; exhibition was in all respects a brilliant one — the promoters of the Prize Fond resolved to crown the event with a banquet, and in invitations to celebrities, tci associate literature with art, Mr. Charles Dickens, Mr. Macaulay, Mr. Sheridan Knowdes, Mr. Samuel Lever, Mr. John For&ter, Sir C. L. Eastlake, P.R.A., Sir L Edwin Landseer, Mr. Maclise, Mr. Ward, 1 Mr. Millais, &c, were amongst the proposed guests. About the same period Mr. -Dickens was made acquainted by Mr. Banks with the. desire of the working men of 'Birmingham to present him with a ring and some other specimen of local manufacture as a mark of their reverence and good. wi11,,, and the contemplated banquet was suggested as affording a fitting opportunity. The following is a copy of Mr. Dickens' characteristic reply :-rTavistock House, Sunday, 26th December, 1852. * My dear sir,— I will not attempt to tell you how affected and gratified I am by the intelligence your kind letter conveys to me. Nothing could l>e more welcome to. me than such a mark of confidence and approval from such a source; nothing more precious, or that I. could set a higher value upon. I Hasten to return the gauges, of which I have marked one as. the size of the finger from which this token will never more be ; absent, as long as I live. With feelings of the liveliest gratitude and cordiality towards the many friends who so honor me, and with many thanks to you for the _ genial earnestness with which, you represent thene|— l am, my dear sir, very faithfully yours, /.-. „ Charles Dickens. G/Linnasjis, Banks, EsqiThe presentaiion, which consisted of a diamond /ing and a copy of the "Iliad" salver,; in silver; by Messrs. Elkinglipn and Mason, was made at the Society of Artist's Rooms, on the afternoon of January 6, 1853, and the grand banquet, presided over by the Mayor, and attended by most; of the notables of the town and country, took place at the Royal Hotel, the same, evening. The Birmingham and Midland Institute, then in course of formation,—now one of the most important educational institutions in the country, — naturally, occupied a prominent place in the minds of the various speakers, and before leaving town, the same night, Mr. Dickens privately expressed his willingness to publicly read his ," Christmas Carol" in aid of the new project) and formally communicated his proposal in the subjoined letter the next ■i- ■■■■•'■ Tayistocfc House, Tavistoek Square, ,'■:■■■- ■ jfriday, 7th January, 1853. Mjrfaear sir,— -'Mr., [Linnaeus] Banks being so good as to come down to the railroad last night with the keys of the salver case, which had been forgotten, I mentioned to him something that had occurred to me, and which I meant to have communicated to you. As 1 begged him to do so for me, I need only «ay that I would read' the " Christmas Carol" next Christmas, — we heing, please God, all alive and fell, — to the Town Hall folk, either on one or two nights ,\ I should particularly desire, in any case, to have. large numbers of the working people in the audience. I should like to do it in some way for the benefit and to the advantage of the new institution, and yet I should like the working people to be admitted free. If you approve, and can in the meantime advise some means of doing this to the advancement of the great object, I am entirely in your hands. It would take about two hours, with a pause of ten .minutes about half-way through. There would be; some novelty in the thing, as I have never done it in public, though I have in private* land,— if I; may do so,~with a great effect on ihe hearers. I was eo inexpressibly satisfied last night by the warmth and enthusiasm of my Birmingham friends that I -feel half ashamed this morning of so poor an offer. But as I had decided on making it before I came down yesterday, I propose it nevertheless. — Believe me, always, very faithfully yours, Charles Dickens. Arthur,. |fcyj(and,. Esq., , , „ The readings, looked for, came off in due course,i;he slowly progressing fund of the institute was suddenly stimulated by the accession xijf several hundred pounds, and Mr. Dickens himself safely launched upon. his career ' as an inimitable reader of his own inimitable* iworks. •■/■:*;•; ,:, .;. ,