125
had nothing to offer in the way of a song or a ballad, your scribbler had nothing else
to offer then: Frisia Non Cantat.
The Excursions.
Thursday was the day of excursions. First to the Dickens World in Chatham, for
pictures etc have a look on www.dickensworld.co.uk If you are accustomed to this
kind of amusement than it will be a very nice experience. To say the truth it was a
very nice experience. In some ways they have tackled the problem of how to get
young people interested in Charles Dickens, his time, his life and his works. When
we were there an abridged Tale of Two Cities was played by a small group of artists.
The audience existed mainly of a couple of school classes, young people. The play
had the audience in its grip. Afterwards the youth told me that they loved the play
and they were interested to hear more from Dickens. So if this is the way then it is a
better way than starting with thick books.
Afterwards we went to Gad's Hill Place. Nowadays it lodges a private school. It has
still some authentic parts from the time Dickens lived there. For example the
conservatory the glass house, finished in may 1870, the floor is from a design of
Dickens. And of course the library, his books are gone but the door with the wooden
dummies are still to admire with inspiring titles as: Hansard's Guide
Cratf s II ill Place
(as it appeared in Dickens's time;
According to F.G. Kitton: Gad's Hill Place as it appeared in Dickens's time
From Charles Dickens, a Critical Study, by George Gissing; with Topographical
Illustrations by F.G.Kitton, 1902: On the main road to Dover, at a point about three
miles on the London side of Rochester, stands a red-brick building which, by reason
