my meaning, and I will do so in the words of a great thinker,
a great writer, and a great scholar, whose death, unfortunately for
mankind, cut short his “History of Civilization in England:” –
“They may talk as they will about reforms which Government has
introduced and improvements to be expected from legislation, but
whoever will take a wider and more commanding view of human
affairs, will soon discover that such hopes are chimerical. They
will learn that lawgivers are nearly always the obstructors of
society instead of its helpers, and that in the extremely few cases
where their measures have turned out well their success has been
owing to the fact that, contrary to their usual custom, they have
implicitly obeyed the spirit of their time, and have been – as they
always should be – the mere servants of the people, to whose wishes
they are bound to give a public and legal sanction.”
SPEECH: LONDON, APRIL 6, 1846. (1)
[The first anniversary festival of the General Theatrical Fund
Association was held on the evening of the above date at the London
Tavern. The chair was taken by Mr. Dickens, who thus proposed the
principal toast:]
GENTLEMEN, – In offering to you a toast which has not as yet been
publicly drunk in any company, it becomes incumbent on me to offer
a few words in explanation: in the first place, premising that the
toast will be “The General Theatrical Fund.”
The Association, whose anniversary we celebrate to-night, was
founded seven years ago, for the purpose of granting permanent
pensions to such of the CORPS DRAMATIQUE as had retired from the
stage, either from a decline in their years or a decay of their
powers. Collected within the scope of its benevolence are all
actors and actresses, singers, or dancers, of five years’ standing
in the profession. To relieve their necessities and to protect
them from want is the great end of the Society, and it is good to
know that for seven years the members of it have steadily,
patiently, quietly, and perseveringly pursued this end, advancing
by regular contribution, moneys which many of them could ill
afford, and cheered by no external help or assistance of any kind
whatsoever. It has thus served a regular apprenticeship, but I
trust that we shall establish to-night that its time is out, and
that henceforth the Fund will enter upon a flourishing and
brilliant career.
I have no doubt that you are all aware that there are, and were
when this institution was founded, two other institutions existing
of a similar nature – Covent Garden and Drury Lane – both of long
standing, both richly endowed. It cannot, however, be too
distinctly understood, that the present Institution is not in any
way adverse to those. How can it be when it is only a wide and
broad extension of all that is most excellent in the principles on
which they are founded? That such an extension was absolutely
necessary was sufficiently proved by the fact that the great body
of the dramatic corps were excluded from the benefits conferred by
a membership of either of these institutions; for it was essential,
in order to become a member of the Drury Lane Society, that the
applicant, either he or she, should have been engaged for three
consecutive seasons as a performer. This was afterwards reduced,
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in the case of Covent Garden, to a period of two years, but it
really is as exclusive one way as the other, for I need not tell
you that Covent Garden is now but a vision of the past. You might
play the bottle conjuror with its dramatic company and put them all
into a pint bottle. The human voice is rarely heard within its
walls save in connexion with corn, or the ambidextrous
prestidigitation of the Wizard of the North. In like manner, Drury
Lane is conducted now with almost a sole view to the opera and
ballet, insomuch that the statue of Shakespeare over the door
serves as emphatically to point out his grave as his bust did in
the church of Stratford-upon-Avon. How can the profession