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Excuse me.

Uh, what are all these people doing here?

I'm so excited I can hardly wait. Oh!

Uh, well?

The stage will be on time.

Henry said the stage is on time, ladies.

It'll be here any moment.

You didn't answer my question. Please.

What's all the commotion about? Is there gonna be a hanging?

Ugh. We are all waiting for 802. Boz?

What's Boz?

Ah, Boz happens to be none other than Charles Dickens.

Oh, what do they want him for? What'd he do?

What has he done, heh?

Mr. Dickens has written some distinguished novels,

that's what he's done.

Well, they shouldn't ought to hang a man for that.

Impossible man, heh.

Oh, there's Mr. Cartwright.

I do hope he has a nice welcoming speech ready for 802.

Um...

Mr. Dickens, on behalf of myself and...

On behalf of the Virginia City Literary Society,

myself and my sons-- No, no, Pa.

Pa, go easy with that pan

because you don't wanna sound like one of those Carson City senators.

Oh! No, no, easy, easy.

Joseph, it isn't every day you welcome a man like Mr. Dickens to Virginia City.

Why not say something simple to him like, uh-- Like, "Howdy, Mr. Dickens"?

Let him think the rest for himself.

Oh, oh, oh, Mr. Cartwright. Morning.

Are we all ready for Mr. Dickens? Well, I...

As ready as we can be, I suppose, heh.

Mr. Cartwright. Great day for Virginia City.

Yes, it certainly is. You care to join me.

Oh, it's a bit early for that, isn't it, Danny?

Must you?

This is no occasion for drinking, Mr. Stoker.

Half the town is drunk already.

Oh, Mr. Dickens ain't gonna mind, ma'am.

He's a real broadminded gent, is old Charlie.

Charlie?

Do you know him? Of course I know him.

Him and me's both born in Portsmouth, England, you know.

Wait till he sees a fellow Englishman here in Virginia City.

It's gonna be a real reunion. Hands across the sea.

Stage is coming! Hyah!

Whoa!

Hello, Mr. Dickens. Dan Stoker's the name, a fellow countryman.

In that case, what are you doing here?

Are you an ex-patriot? Oh, no, sir. I'm a printer.

Born in Portsmouth, just like you.

Hands across the sea. Thank you, my good man.

And you'll find a still larger bag on the stage.

Welcome to Virginia City, Mr. Dickens. I'm, uh, Ben Cartwright.

I liked your letter inviting me here, Mr. Cartwright.

Thank you. It piqued my curiosity.

Oh, uh, ahem.

Mr. Dickens, on behalf of mys-- Uh.

On behalf of the Virginia City Literary Society,

my sons and myself,

I want to take this opportunity to welcome you to Virginia City.

I'm certain that your presence on the stage

of our social hall will be a, uh...

...memorable one. Yes, yes, quite so.

However, Mr. Cartwright, at this point, I feel a warm bath

would be far more welcome than a welcoming speech.

So if you would direct me to whatever serves as a hotel in your community.

Uh, this way, Mr. Dickens, sir.

Wanna read the speech to me?

A counsel was held, lots were cast

who should walk up to the master after supper that evening

and ask for more.

And it fell to Oliver Twist.

Child as he was, Oliver Twist was desperate with hunger

and reckless with misery.

He rose from the table,

and advancing to the master, basin and spoon in hand, said:

"Please sir, I want some more."

The master was a fat healthy man, but he turned very pale.

"What?" said the master in a faint voice.

"Please, sir," said Oliver, "I want some more."

The master aimed a blow at Oliver's head,

pinioned him in his arms

and shrieked aloud for Mr. Bumble the beadle.

The workhouse board was sitting in solemn conclave

when Mr. Bumble rushed into the room in great excitement

and addressed the gentleman in the high chair.

"Mr. Limbkins, beg your pardon, sir.

Oliver Twist has asked for more."

"For more," said Mr. Limbkins.

"Answer me distinctly, Bumble. Do I understand

that he asked for more after he had eaten the supper

allotted by the dietary?"

"He did, sir," replied Bumble.

"That boy will be hung," said the gentleman in the white waistcoat.

I know that boy will be hung.

I know that boy will be...

I note that a great number of you

are more than a little familiar with my work.

We sure are, Mr. Dickens.

In other words, you have not only read Oliver Twist,

you have memorized it? Yes, sir.

Uh, not only that, Mr. Dickens,

but we're also following The Old Curiosity Shop.

And we all pray that you don't let Little Nell die.

Your devotion to my work might be an honor, madam,

were it not for the fact that I have never given America

the right to publish my writings.

But it seems that certain unscrupulous American publishers

have stolen my work and distributed it wholesale.

Even in places as remote as this unimportant mining hamlet.

I need hardly say that I find your participation in my reading

completely without merit

and a thoroughly disgraceful example of impertinence.

Oh, come on, Charlie. Quit the preaching.

Let's have some more of little Oliver.

There will be no more of Oliver or of anything else.

My performance is over.

We want some more little Oliver! We paid to hear for little Oliver.

He can't get away with this. Come on, fellas.

Pa, you want me to call Mr. Dickens down for breakfast?

No, let him sleep.

He'll get more sleep than he would in that hotel in Virginia City.

Heh, people in Virginia City had their way,

they'd give him some sleep for a long time.

Yeah. Kind of sore that I allowed myself to be talked into

inviting him here in the first place.

Yeah, but, Pa, he was good. I'll tell you, when he was reading that thing

about that little Oliver Twist. I dang near bawled.

I sure would like to know how

that thing came out. Oh.

Hey, listen to this.

Joseph, will you eat your breakfast first, please?

"Mr. Charles Dickens in dramatic reading at the social hall."

Big thing here.

"Last night, the citizens of Virginia City

turned out to a man at the Social Hall

to hear Mr. Charles Dickens, celebrated English novelist,

enchant us with dramatic readings from his novels.

We were enchanted, true, but only up to a point."

Heh, but here's where they really give it to him, ha, ha.

"Then we were disenchanted and disillusioned."

Ahem, uh, Joseph. "Halfway through the performance,

Mr. Dickens stopped the reading and--"

I'll give you the paper in a minute.

"Mr. Dickens stopped the reading and then proceeded to say

that Virginia City was an un-important mining hamlet.

We found Mr. Dickens, the celebrated English novelist,

to be quite rude. We also found..."

Uh, found this big sale here, Dad. Let me see that, young man.

Grossly insulting.

No sense of justice at all!

Imagine, mocking me on the stage like the barbarians they are

and then condemning me.

No, I don't think they were mocking you, Mr. Dickens.

By reading along with you, they were just telling you,

in their own way, how much they like your work.

Bare-faced theft.

A further installment of The Old Curiosity Shop.

That's where that dreadful woman read about it.

Oh, names misspelled, dialogue mutilated.

I have never given a common newspaper anywhere

permission to publish my work.

Oh, it's not that I care about the money.

It's the principle of the thing.

Well, if the people like your work, and you don't care about the money,

doesn't that son of take care of the principle?

Nonsense, my boy.

It's not a matter of my personal considerations.

It is a question of justice.

I am going to tell the editor of this penny dreadful

what I think of him.

Adam, ahem, I think you'd better go along with Mr. Dickens.

Sam Walker has a pretty good temper of his own.

Thank you very much for reading us that newsworthy item, Joseph.

Now will you finish your breakfast?

Hyah, hyah. Hyah.

Whoa, there.

Well, here we are. I've enjoyed your company, Adam.

It's rare to find someone in these parts who can discuss books intelligently.

But this is a matter I prefer to handle alone.

Well, I just thought I'd introduce you to Sam.

Is it possible he doesn't know who I am?

Well, it's possible, but I thought I'd introduce you anyway.

Morning, Sam. I'd like you to meet a friend of mine.

Never mind the formalities, Adam. I know this gentleman quite well.

It's a pleasure to have you visit my small shop, Mr. Dickens.

The feeling is not mutual.

I am not hereto discuss your notice of my performance last night.

That is freedom of the press, I suppose.

But this. This pirated passage from my work.

I want to know by what authority you dare to publish it.

Well, seems like I didn't need much authority.

I liked the story, so I printed it.

I did send $25 to a Chicago publisher for the right to print his version.

Of all the impudence. His version. His rights.

What about my rights?

Hear, hear, 802. You tell him.

Did you hear that, Mr. Walker? What about his rights?

Always on the side of what's fair, I am, 802.

Only my friends are allowed to call me 802.

Get back to work, Dan.

Mr. Dickens, you know publishing as well or better than I do,

so you should know that without an international agreement on copyright

you haven't a leg to stand on.

50 should we forget all this and you and Adam be my guests

over at the hotel for lunch?

Sir, this will be the last installment

of my work to appear in your paper, is that understood?

Sorry, I can't buy that. Disappoint too many readers.

But I'll tell you what I will do.

I'm running Pickwick Papers after The Old Curiosity Shop.

The devil you are.

And, just to be fair, I'll give you the $25

instead of sending it to Chicago.

Did you hear that, Adam? Sounds reasonable to me.

Bah! Walker, you will stop publication of my work as of today

or I shall see to it that your paper is closed down

and your name discredited from hereto New York!

I'm sorry, I can't oblige.

You see, there's so many people threatening to close me up

that getting the same threat from you is quite an honor.

Bah!

Oh, Mr. Dickens.

I hope you're not going to let Little Nell die.

If it disappoints you, she will.

Well, I knew you wouldn't get very far with Sam.

Citizens of Virginia City, may I have your attention, please.

What are you doing? Demanding justice.

I'm gonna tell them the kind of man Sam Walker is.

This is not the way to do it. Sam Walker is a very popular man here.

These people will ride you out of town on a rail.

For expressing my views in a free country?

Citizens of Virginia City, you all know who I am.

I appeal to you as fair-minded Americans.

The editor of that paper is a pirate.

Like the worst kind of buccaneer on the high seas,

he has plundered me of my property.

He is a brigand, a highwayman, a freebooter.

And all of you are little better if you support him.

I demand, as a simple matter of justice,

that you stop buying his paper.

Pipe down, lime juicer!

Tell it to the queen. Go on back to England.

Yeah, go back where you belong.

Tell it to the queen.

Where is your sense of justice?

Is that man to be allowed to--?

Mr. Dickens. Mr. Dickens!

Would you autograph this book, Mr. Dickens, for a fellow countryman?

Always on your side, you know. Uh, Dan Stoker's the name.

Hey, what you doing to my book?

I'm destroying it, my good man.

It's contraband.

Eh?

Hyah!

Where have you been? See what you done, Mr. Walker?

Turned him against his fellow countryman.

He'd have autographed this if you hadn't turned him nasty.

Let me see that.

Why, this is my property, not yours.

It ain't your property either. That's contraband, that's what that is.

Do you realize what you've done?

Most of this is missing.

It'll take me two weeks to get another copy from Chicago.

Yeah, you can't blame me for that, Mr. Walker.

I never tore up the book. It was Dickens what done it.

I've had just about all I can take from your toadying and your drinking.

Now get out of here, and this time, stay out.

You bet I will. You're no better than what he is.

Him with his grand airs and his books,

and you with your picayune newspaper.

Out of my way, Tim. I'm getting out of here.

This ain't no place for an honest gentleman.

Adam, where's Mr. Dickens?

Well, he's had his fill of Virginia City.

And, uh, he's waiting for tonight's stage east.

What happened down at the newspaper?

Well, he didn't get anywhere with Sam, so he tried it out on the crowd.

Oh, and?

Same thing at the theater, only on a smaller scale.

I just hope he stays in his hotel room and, uh, keeps out of trouble.

Ugh...

We invited him here, we...

I guess right after supper we should go in town and see what's happening.

Well.

Did you have anything to do with this?

Undoubtedly. Splendid illustration of poetic justice. Don't you agree?

Now, I don't know about the poetic part,

but I'm gonna have to take you in.

Now, come on. Sir, are you quite insane?

Suppose we let the judge decide that.

Release me, sir! Release me at once you hear, or take the consequences!

Release me, sir, you hear. Release me at once.

Sheriff.

Sheriff!

Sheriff, for the last time, I shall not tolerate this.

Sheriff, I demand that you send at once for the English ambassador!

Ben, I had to lock him up. He admitted responsibility.

Sheriff!

Ah, thank heaven you're here.

Not only have I been held incommunicado,

but in a cubicle obviously reserved for common felons.

Now, if this overzealous official will release me at once,

I'll agree not to prefer charges.

Well?

Well, Mr. Dickens, I know that there's been a very bad mistake.

But, uh, the fact of the matter is

that charges have been preferred against you.

By Sam Walker. What charges?

Willful and malicious destruction of property.

Preposterous. Sir, every hour that I am unlawfully detained

makes your position more and more perilous.

But, Mr. Dickens, the sheriff tells me

that this whole thing can be cleared up right now

if you'll only tell him

what you were doing at the Enterprise office this evening.

I shall tell him nothing.

All it requires is a simple explanation. It may seem simple to you, Adam,

but if I explain, I automatically admit that

my presence at the Enterprise was suspicious,

and as I hope you know, Adam, I am above suspicion.

Now, how much longer is this sorry jest going to continue?

Now, you listen to me, Roy, you know very well he couldn't have done it.

No, I don't know. Look he ain't stopped shooting off his mouth

ever since he come to our town.

He's been doing nothing but criticizing conditions here,

he's inciting the people to close up Sam Walker's paper

and he's telling me how to run my jail. Oh, he's not--

Oh, Ben, I wouldn't put it past him to wreck that Territorial Enterprise

just out of sheer cussedness.

All right, all right, all right. All right.

Now, will you do something for me?

What? Release him in my custody.

Ben, the folks ain't gonna like that. I'll take full responsibility.

Will you also guarantee to have him show up at his trial?

He'll show up at his trial.

All right.

All right, Dickens. You're out on Ben Cartwright's say-so.

That is, until the trial. What trial?

What trial? Listen, I'll, uh-- I'll explain that to you.

Fetch my hat.

God save the queen.

"Fetch my hat."

Had about enough? By no means.

Ah! Splendid country.

Hard work, clear mountain air, the scent of pine.

A tonic for the soul as well as the body.

You know, Mr. Dickens,

you'd be mighty welcome to stay on here permanent if you liked.

Thank you, Hoss.

It is a temptation.

But, unfortunately, men have a way of spoiling even the best of things.

Mr. Dickens,

there's something you don't quite cotton to,

and maybe I can explain it to you.

Folks around here, well, they judge a man for what he is,

not what he was in some other place, whether he was good or bad.

You figured everybody ought to like you because of your reputation,

but the fact is, all they care about is what they see in you now.

And what do they see?

Well, it's son of hard for them to understand

why you get so touchy about that copyright business.

I mean, after you yourself said that the money didn't amount to nothing.

Son of hard for me to understand, as a matter of fact.

Hoss,

all this land, your land, you love it very much, don't you?

Yes, sir.

Then suppose, just for the moment suppose,

there were no laws to protect your land,

that anybody could come along and take all or pan of it.

What would you do?

Why, my Pa poured his life into this land, Mr. Dickens.

I reckon we'd have to fight for it.

Then you do understand, Hoss.

I've poured my life into what I write.

And I have to fight for it.

Yeah.

I don't reckon I ever looked at it like that.

Few people do.

They fail to realize how much a writer gives of himself.

How much of his soul is locked into every word.

Most men better themselves as they grow older.

My father did just the opposite.

Many months of my early childhood were spent with him...

...in debtor's prison.

Then, later, still a small child,

I graduated to a blacking factory,

filling bottles with shoe blanking for a few pence a week

in a dingy basement room.

I was sure it was going to be my future,

that there'd be nothing else.

Many of the stories that amuse and entertain you came out of the struggles

and deprivations of those years.

You know, maybe if you'd just explain it that way to them

then folks would understand, Mr. Dickens.

I have never chosen to expose my private emotions to the world,

and I certainly don't intend to start now.

Come, Hoss. There's work to be done.

Well, hello, Tim. Howdy, Mr. Cartwright.

Let me give you a hand there.

Sure is a mess, isn't it? Yeah.

Mr. Walker said it'd take about three weeks

to get the place back in working order.

Somebody had to get pretty riled up to do this to Sam.

Any trouble with some of your readers lately?

Only that Mr. Dickens.

Where's Dan? Mr. Walker fired him again.

This time I think it's for good.

When was that?

The day that you and Mr. Dickens were in here.

You know, Dan's a real good printer when he's sober.

And how often is that?

Not very often, Mr. Cartwright.

Eh, thanks, Tim.

Sam. Oh, the great liberator.

I tell you, the Cartwright's have get themselves quite a cause

in Charles Dickens.

Look, Sam, this whole thing is wrong.

I don't think Dickens is any more capable of, uh, wrecking your place

than I am.

Have some lunch?

Look, now, as the editor of the Enterprise,

you undoubtedly have made some enemies in this town.

Now, uh, isn't it just possible that somebody else might have done it?

Well, Dickens was found in the shop, not somebody else.

Look, if Dickens will admit that he wrecked my shop

and pay the damages,

I'll drop the charges. Now, is that fair enough?

Well, not if he didn't have anything to do with it.

Now, all we have to do is to get Mr. Dickens to tell us

why he was at the Territorial office.

That ain't gonna be easy. You know how he is.

Well, we gotta try.

Try?

What are you going to try?

Well, we're gonna try to get you to explain

what you were doing at the Enterprise.

My dear sir, I have no intention of contributing anything further

to the outcome of this farce.

Now, if one of you young gentlemen

would be kind enough of to assist me with the valise in my room.

Now, hold on there.

You saying you're, uh-- You're leaving here before the trial?

Yes, I do.

Even though I personally guaranteed your appearance at that trial.

That's right, Mr. Cartwright, so you did.

This will play the devil with my timetable.

Still, I can't but admire your respect for the law.

Even though the law is usually an ass.

Now, Jeb, you haven't formed an opinion on this case, have you?

Nope.

You wouldn't be afraid of bringing in a verdict of guilty

just because the defendant happens to be

a famous English author, would you?

Ha, ha, I wouldn't be afeared if it was Billy Shakespeare himself.

All right, Jeb, you're fine with me.

That completes the jury for the plaintiff, Your Honor.

Is the defendant going to challenge the qualifications of this juror?

I haven't challenged any of the others, My Lord.

Dickens, we don't have lords and ladies in this country.

From now on you'll address the bench as "Your Honor", like everyone else.

This, uh, person needs counsel, Ben.

Your Honor, I tried to get him to engage a lawyer...

...but he refuses.

All right, Rogers, proceed for the plaintiff.

And then the defendant demanded, with threats,

that Sam Walker discontinue publication of a certain piece of writing

known as The Old Curiosity Shop.

Not a certain piece of writing, sir, my piece of writing.

Don't interrupt, Dickens. You'll get your turn.

And when all his vocal efforts failed,

the defendant resorted to a shameful act of violence.

In the dead of night, like some marauding redskin,

he stole into the office of the plaintiff's newspaper

and he wrecked every piece of equipment in the establishment.

A wanton and vindictive act

that will take many thousands of dollars to repair.

Now, gentlemen of the jury,

there is only one verdict you can bring in when I have proven all these facts.

The defendant has attempted to bludgeon Sam Walker

and the citizens of Virginia City into submission to his arrogant

and illegal demands.

Now, if you arrive at a verdict of guilty as charged,

then you will be known throughout the world as true Americans.

By Jove, that man was almost as good as Sergeant Buzfuz

in my own Pickwick Papers.

All right, now, Dickens, we'll hear from you.

No comment, Your Honor. Didn't ask for comment.

Just want you to open for the defense in the proper manner.

There is nothing proper in this whole proceeding, Your Honor.

I have no intention of lending myself to a trial here.

This is a star chamber,

and it is quite obvious to me that you already consider me guilty.

You're guilty, all right. Guilty of contempt.

That'll be $10. New, sit down.

Now, look, let me ask for a continuance

and get you a lawyer, or at least tell the judge

what you were doing at the Enterprise office that night.

I've already said all I intend to say, Mr. Cartwright.

Now, Dickens, are you gonna stand up

and say a few words for yourself before I give this case to the jury?

I have nothing to say.

All right, gentlemen, it looks like that does it.

You can retire to the back room to consider the verdict.

Four minutes. That ought to set some kind of a record.

Yeah. Sure ought to.

It's guilty as charged.

Just the verdict I expected.

Or asked for.

The defendant has been found guilty.

He will pay the plaintiff, uh, let me see,

$1260 plus the cost of the action,

and don't forget the $10 I fined you for contempt.

Court's adjourned.

Not one penny, sir. I'll not pay a single penny.

You prefer jail?

For the rest of my life, if necessary,

rather than submit to this mockery of justice.

Your Honor, I know that Mr. Dickens is innocent of the charge.

You got proof?

Well, no, not yet, but-- Do what's needful, bailiff.

Well, I guess we showed that fella a thing or two, huh?

Exactly what do you think you showed that fella?

He was asking for it, and we sure gave it to him.

We sure did.

Yeah, you gave it to him.

Heh, you sure gave it to him.

You listen to me, all of you.

Now, Mr. Dickens came to Virginia City as my guest.

He came here as a guest of a Virginia City club.

He gave a performance in this very hall which you all enjoyed.

He didn't finish it because when he tried to tell you

what he thought about people who pirated his works

you howled him down.

Now, I don't think he was right not to finish his performance.

And I don't think he was right to say what he did to Sam Walker.

But that's not the point.

Mr. Dickens is in jail right now not because he's guilty

and not because he can't afford to pay,

but because he's a bull-headed man who'll fight the world

if he thinks that somebody is rustling his rights.

Just as every one of you would.

But one thing he's not

is a sniveling coyote who would take his spite out

on somebody else's property.

And when that sniveling hooligan

who did wreck the Enterprise office is caught...

...and he will be...

...I look forward to seeing every one of you hang your head in shame.

Pa, you want me to take Mr. Dickens' stuff into jail to him in the morning.

Yeah, might as well.

My American Notes, by Charles Dickens.

Hey, Pa. Hmm.

Come here a minute.

Look at that.

"Dear Dickens, I'm ready to come to terms.

Let's talk it over in my office this evening.

S. Walker."

That's funny that Sam wouldn't have mentioned this note.

Probably because he didn't write it. Then who did?

Well, I got a pretty good idea.

I think I know how to handle this.

This here's a little petition that a bunch of us are getting together

to get Mr. Dickens out of jail.

That's on account of him being such a famous man and all.

We figured you being a countryman of his, you'd sure wanna sign it.

Well, he, uh-- He ain't been very nice to me, you know.

Still seeing as how he's been found guilty, I suppose I can be

as merciful as anybody else.

There you are.

Adam.

What's going on?

Just making sure there's no mistake.

You wrote this. No, I never. I never wrote nothing.

Look at it. That's your handwriting. Well?

Oh, so what? That don't prove nothing.

I think you'd better have a little talk with the sheriff.

I ain't going to jail for the likes of Dickens.

Throw out your guns. Come on. Come on.

I'll shoot, I tell you.

I'm not joking.

Sheriff.

Yeah, what is it this time?

I shall need more writing paper, at least a ream.

And more pencils.

Jeb, what's this?

Stan counting up the collections, sheriff.

And if that ain't enough, we'll get more.

Enough for what? For Mr. Dickens.

For the damage to the Enterprise

and that $10 fine the judge hung on him.

Hmm.

All right, Dickens, you're free. Not now, not now.

Did you say I was free? That's what I said.

I wondered how long it would take you people to come to your senses.

I shall send for my things.

Why are all these people here?

We just paid up your reckoning, Mr. Dickens.

Why?

Well, we don't know whether you done like they say,

but we do like the way you stuck by your guns.

Yes, sir, Mr. Dickens. Takes a real man not to weaken

when it's all gone against him.

And another thing.

That there Oliver Twist you was playing out for us

in the social hall,

We sure had a lot of fun listening, even though you didn't finish.

And some of us figured it ain't right you being in jail.

Not when you give so much pleasure to people.

So we sprung you.

My dear fellow, do you know what these fine people have done?

They've paid my reckoning.

I'm free.

Sheriff, I think you'd best give these good people back their money.

What?

Danny.

All right, I'm the man you want.

Come on, Stoker. Take your hands off me.

Mr. Dickens, being as it's all straightened out,

maybe you would consider, uh, finishing

where you left off on little Oliver, please.

I should be delighted.

"Mr. Brownlow adopted Oliver as his son,

removing with him and the old housekeeper

to within a mile of a parsonage house

where his dear friends resided.

He gratified the only remaining wish of Oliver's warm

and earnest head,

and thus linked together a little society

who's condition approached as nearly to one of perfect happiness

as can ever be known in this changing world."

More!

Thank you.

Dear, dear friends, thank you.

Like my hero, Oliver Twist, you have asked for more.

Unlike the gentleman in the white waistcoat,

I am very grateful.

The more so since you have reminded me of

a certain piece of magnificent writing not my own

which I had almost forgotten.

It was written upon another occasion

when an Englishman and some Americans...

...misunderstood each other.

I would like to recite it to you.

When in the course of human events

it becomes necessary for one people

to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another

and to assume among the powers of the Earth

the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature

and of nature's god entitle them,

a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires

that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident

that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their creator

with certain inalienable rights,

that among these are life, liberty

and the pursuit of happiness.

Words.

Even words as eloquent as these can often be distant and cold.

It was not until I reached this unimportant mining hamlet

That I realized that men do actually live

by the spirit of justice contained in these words.

As Mr. Bumble the beadle might say:

"May your worships be happy and healthy and flourish everlasting."

And as for myself,

I shall never forget what I have learned here in America,

nor will I cease to be grateful for the uncommon generosity

you have shown

to a poor misguided Englishman.

Bravo!

This has been a color presentation

of the NBC Television Network.