_Charles Dickens was a stanch friend not only of the child but of all
humanity. No writer, perhaps, has succeeded in portraying so
strikingly the humorous and pathetic in human character. Much of
Dickens's reputation for ability in this direction is due to his
success with the particular story given herewith. The man or woman
who does not know Scrooge, the Ghost that scared him half to death,
and what this story stands for, has still something to learn, both of
literature and of life._