God bless us, everyone!"
-Tiny Tim, in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"
In 1843, Charles Dickens whose last three books had been flops, now had a wife, pregnant with child number five, and a publisher who was threatening to substantially reduce his income. He had to produce another book—and quickly.
The first chapter came to him speedily, but was roundly criticized due to the Christmas theme. He was told Christmas was a minor holiday, and even more problematic was that it was already October. How could he write a book and get it published before December 25th?
But this story was coming from the very marrow of the writer. Brought up as a member of the burgeoning English middle class—all was taken away from him at age 12 when his spend-thrift father plunged the family into bankruptcy and was sent with his wife to debtor's prison. Charles was taken out of school and put to work in a rat-infested shoe blacking factory, instilling in him a deep personal wound and outrage at the plight of the poor.
The mechanics of "A Christmas Carol" of course was the transformation of Mr. Scrooge, but the great message of the tale was that generosity can change lives.
When the book hit the streets on December 19, 1843, it sold out by Christmas Eve. Thirteen more additions were published during the next year, and according to historians charitable giving skyrocketed across the country. In 75 years, "A Christmas Carol" has never been out of print.
All the critics agreed that the ending was all important. Little Tiny Tim did not die. He lived due to the generosity of one man.
I am dogged by thoughts of how much more important the ending is for the real children of our city and how many we could save if we all worked together.
Looking forward to working with you all.
God bless us everyone,
Jim
"...With God, all things are possible" - Matthew 19:26
