Government　failed　in　his　duty　in　not　anticipating　it　by　a　brighter
  and　a　better　one！　　Name　you　the　day；　First　Lord；　make　a　day；　work
  for　a　day　beyond　your　little　time；　Lord　Palmerston；　and　History　in
  return　may　then　…　not　otherwise　…　find　a　day　for　you；　a　day　equally
  associated　with　the　contentment　of　the　loyal；　patient；　willing…
  hearted　English　people；　and　with　the　happiness　of　your　Royal
  Mistress　and　her　fair　line　of　children。〃
  SPEECH：　　SHEFFIELD；　DECEMBER　22；　1855。
  ＇On　Saturday　Evening　Mr。　Charles　Dickens　read　his　Christmas　Carol
  in　the　Mechanics'　Hall　in　behalf　of　the　funds　of　the　Institute。
  After　the　reading　the　Mayor　said；　he　had　been　charged　by　a　few
  gentlemen　in　Sheffield　to　present　to　Mr。　Dickens　for　his　acceptance
  a　very　handsome　service　of　table　cutlery；　a　pair　of　razors；　and　a
  pair　of　fish　carvers；　as　some　substantial　manifestation　of　their
  gratitude　to　Mr。　Dickens　for　his　kindness　in　coming　to　Sheffield。
  Henceforth　the　Christmas　of　1855　would　be　associated　in　his　mind
  with　the　name　of　that　gentleman。＇
  MR。　CHARLES　DICKENS；　in　receiving　the　presentation；　said；　he
  accepted　with　heartfelt　delight　and　cordial　gratitude　such
  beautiful　specimens　of　Sheffield…workmanship；　and　he　begged　to
  assure　them　that　the　kind　observations　which　had　been　made　by　the
  Mayor；　and　the　way　in　which　they　had　been　responded　to　by　that
  assembly；　would　never　be　obliterated　from　his　remembrance。　　The
  present　testified　not　only　to　the　work　of　Sheffield　hands；　but　to
  the　warmth　and　generosity　of　Sheffield　hearts。　　It　was　his　earnest
  desire　to　do　right　by　his　readers；　and　to　leave　imaginative　and
  popular　literature　associated　with　the　private　homes　and　public
  rights　of　the　people　of　England。　　The　case　of　cutlery　with　which　he
  had　been　so　kindly　presented；　should　be　retained　as　an　heirloom　in
  his　family；　and　he　assured　them　that　he　should　ever　be　faithful　to
  his　death　to　the　principles　which　had　earned　for　him　their
  approval。　　In　taking　his　reluctant　leave　of　them；　he　wished　them
  many　merry　Christmases；　and　many　happy　new　years。
  SPEECH：　　LONDON；　FEBRUARY　9；　1858。
  ＇At　the　Anniversary　Festival　of　the　Hospital　for　Sick　Children；　on
  Tuesday；　February　the　9th；　1858；　about　one　hundred　and　fifty
  gentlemen　sat　down　to　dinner；　in　the　Freemasons'　Hall。　　Later　in
  the　evening　all　the　seats　in　the　gallery　were　filled　with　ladies
  interested　in　the　success　of　the　Hospital。　　After　the　usual　loyal
  and　other　toasts；　the　Chairman；　Mr。　Dickens；　proposed　〃Prosperity
  to　the　Hospital　for　Sick　Children；〃　and　said：…＇
  LADIES　AND　GENTLEMEN；　…　It　is　one　of　my　rules　in　life　not　to
  believe　a　man　who　may　happen　to　tell　me　that　he　feels　no　interest
  in　children。　　I　hold　myself　bound　to　this　principle　by　all　kind
  consideration；　because　I　know；　as　we　all　must；　that　any　heart　which
  could　really　toughen　its　affections　and　sympathies　against　those
  dear　little　people　must　be　wanting　in　so　many　humanising
  experiences　of　innocence　and　tenderness；　as　to　be　quite　an　unsafe
  monstrosity　among　men。　　Therefore　I　set　the　assertion　down；
  whenever　I　happen　to　meet　with　it　…　which　is　sometimes；　though　not
  often　…　as　an　idle　word；　originating　possibly　in　the　genteel
  languor　of　the　hour；　and　meaning　about　as　much　as　that　knowing
  social　lassitude；　which　has　used　up　the　cardinal　virtues　and　quite
  found　out　things　in　general；　usually　does　mean。　　I　suppose　it　may
  be　taken　for　granted　that　we；　who　come　together　in　the　name　of
  children　and　for　the　sake　of　children；　acknowledge　that　we　have　an
  interest　in　them；　indeed；　I　have　observed　since　I　sit　down　here
  that　we　are　quite　in　a　childlike　state　altogether；　representing　an
  infant　institution；　and　not　even　yet　a　grown…up　company。　　A　few
  years　are　necessary　to　the　increase　of　our　strength　and　the
  expansion　of　our　figure；　and　then　these　tables；　which　now　have　a
  few　tucks　in　them；　will　be　let　out；　and　then　this　hall；　which　now
  sits　so　easily　upon　us；　will　be　too　tight　and　small　for　us。
  Nevertheless；　it　is　likely　that　even　we　are　not　without　our
  experience　now　and　then　of　spoilt　children。　　I　do　not　mean　of　our
  own　spoilt　children；　because　nobody's　own　children　ever　were
  spoilt；　but　I　mean　the　disagreeable　children　of　our　particular
  friends。　　We　know　by　experience　what　it　is　to　have　them　down　after
  dinner；　and；　across　the　rich　perspective　of　a　miscellaneous　dessert
  to　see；　as　in　a　black　dose　darkly；　the　family　doctor　looming　in　the
  distance。　　We　know；　I　have　no　doubt　we　all　know；　what　it　is　to
  assist　at　those　little　maternal　anecdotes　and　table　entertainments
  illustrated　with　imitations　and　descriptive　dialogue　which　might
  not　be　inaptly　called；　after　the　manner　of　my　friend　Mr。　Albert
  Smith；　the　toilsome　ascent　of　Miss　Mary　and　the　eruption
  （cutaneous）　of　Master　Alexander。　　We　know　what　it　is　when　those
  children　won't　go　to　bed；　we　know　how　they　prop　their　eyelids　open
  with　their　forefingers　when　they　will　sit　up；　how；　when　they　become
  fractious；　they　say　aloud　that　they　don't　like　us；　and　our　nose　is
  too　long；　and　why　don't　we　go？　　And　we　are　perfectly　acquainted
  with　those　kicking　bundles　which　are　carried　off　at　last
  protesting。　　An　eminent　eye…witness　told　me　that　he　was　one　of　a
  company　of　learned　pundits　who　assembled　at　the　house　of　a　very
  distinguished　philosopher　of　the　last　generation　to　hear　him
  expound　his　stringent　views　concerning　infant　education　and　early
  mental　development；　and　he　told　me　that　while　the　philosopher　did
  this　in　very　beautiful　and　lucid　language；　the　philosopher's　little
  boy；　for　his　part；　edified　the　assembled　sages　by　dabbling　up　to
  the　elbows　in　an　apple　pie　which　had　been　provided　for　their
  entertainment；　having　previously　anointed　his　hair　with　the　syrup；
  combed　it　with　his　fork；　and　brushed　it　with　his　spoon。　　It　is
  probable　that　we　also　have　our　similar　experiences　sometimes；　of
  principles　that　are　not　quite　practice；　and　that　we　know　people
  claiming　to　be　very　wise　and　profound　about　nations　of　men　who　show
  themselves　to　be　rather　weak　and　shallow　about　units　of　babies。
  But；　ladies　and　gentlemen；　the　spoilt　children　whom　I　have　to
  present　to　you　after　this　dinner　of　to…day　are　not　of　this　class。
  I　have　glanced　at　these　for　the　easier　and　lighter　introduction　of
  another；　a　very　different；　a　far　more　numerous；　and　a　far　more
  serious　class。　　The　spoilt　children　whom　I　must　show　you　are　the
  spoilt　children　of　the　poor　in　this　great　city；　the　children　who
  are；　every　year；　for　ever　and　ever　irrevocably　spoilt　out　of　this
  breathing　life　of　ours　by　tens　of　thousands；　but　who　may　in　vast
  numbers　be　preserved　if　you；　assisting　and　not　contravening　the
  ways　of　Providence；　will　help　to　save　them。　　The　two　grim　nurses；
  Poverty　and　Sickness；　who　bring　these　children　before　you；　preside
  over　their　births；　rock　their　wretched　cradles；　nail　down　their
  little　coffins；　pile　up　the　earth　above　their　graves。　　Of　the
  annual　deaths　in　this　great　town；　their　unnatural　deaths　form　more
  than　one…third。　　I　shall　not　ask　you；　according　to　the　custom　as　to
  the　other　class　…　I　shall　not　ask　you　on　behalf　of　these　children
  to　observe　how　good　they　are；　how　pretty　they　are；　how　clever　they
  are；　how　promising　they　are；　whose　beauty　they　most　resemble　…　I
  shall　only　ask　you　to　observe　how　weak　they　are；　and　how　like　death
  they　are！　　And　I　shall　ask　you；　by　the　remembrance　of　everything
  that　lies　between　your　own　infancy　and　that　so　miscalled　second
  childhood　when　the　child's　graces　are　gone　and　nothing　but　its
  helplessness　remains；　I　shall　ask　you　to　turn　your　thoughts　to
  THESE　spoilt　children　in　the　sacred　names　of　Pity　and　Compassion。
  Some　years　ago；　being　in　Scotland；　I　went　with　one　of　the　most
  humane　members　of　the　humane　medical　profession；　on　a　morning　tour
  among　some　of　the　worst　lodged　inhabitants　of　the　old　town　of
  Edinburgh。　　In　the　closes　and　wynds　of　that　picturesque　place　…　I
  am　sorry　to　remind　you　what　fast　friends　picturesqueness　and　typhus
  often　are　…　we　saw　more　poverty　and　sickness　in　an　hour　than　many
  people　would　believe　in　a　life。　　Our　way　lay　from　one　to　another　of
  the　most　wretched　dwellings；　reeking　with　horrible　odours；　shut　out
  from　the　sky；　shut　out　from　the　air；　mere　pits　and　dens。　　In　a　room
  in　one　of　these　places；　where　there　was　an　empty　porridge…pot　on
  the　cold　hearth；　with　a　ragged　woman　and　some　ragged　children
  crouching　on　the　bare　ground　near　it　…　where；　I　remember　as　I
  speak；　that　the　very　light；　refracted　from　a　high　damp…stained　and
  time…stained　house…wall；　came　trembling　in；　as　if　the　fever　which
  had　shaken　everything　else　there　had　shaken　even　it　…　there　lay；　in
  an　old　egg…box　which　the　mother　had　begged　from　a　shop；　a　little
  feeble；　wasted；　wan；　sick　child。　　With　his　little　wasted　face；　and
  his　little　hot；　worn　hands　folded　over　his　breast；　and　his　little
  bright；　attentive　eyes；　I　can　see　him　now；　as　I　have　seen　him　for
  several　years；　look　in　steadily