第2章

Thereisanindescribableairofdistinction，whichis，andisnot，oneandthesamethingwithstyle，breathingfromallhisworks。 Evenwhenheisleastinspired，hisbearingandgaitcouldneverbemistakenforanotherman’s。Allthathewritesisremovedbythewidthofthespheresfromthepossibilityofcommonplace，andheavoidsmostofthesnaresandpitfallsofgeniuswithnobleandunconsciousskill。 Ifheeverfellintooneofthese—whichmayperhapsbedoubted— itwasthroughtooimplicitaconfidenceinthepowersofstyle。 HisopenlettertotheRev。Dr。HydeinvindicationofFatherDamienisperhapshisonlyliterarymistake。Itisamatchlesspieceofscornandinvective，notinferiorinskilltoanythingheeverwrote。Butthatitwaswelldoneisnoproofthatitshouldhavebeendoneatall。’IrememberUzzahandamafraid，’saidthewiseErasmus，whenhewasurgedtoundertakethedefenceofHolyChurch；’itisnoteveryonewhoispermittedtosupporttheArkoftheCovenant。’AndtheonlydisquietudesuggestedbyStevenson’sletterisadoubtwhetherhereallyhasaclaimtobeFatherDamien’sdefender，whetherFatherDamienhadneedoftheassistanceofaliteraryfreelance。TheSaintwhowasbitteninthehandbyaserpentshookitoffintothefireandstoodunharmed。AsitwasintheMediterraneansoitwasalsointhePacific，andthereissomethingofficiousintheintrusionofaspectator，somethingirrelevantintheplentifulpronounsofthefirstpersonsingulartobefoundsprinkledoverStevenson’sletter。ThecursespokeninEden，’Uponthybellyshaltthougo，anddustshaltthoueatallthedaysofthylife，’surelycoveredbyanticipationthecaseoftheRev。Dr。Hyde。 II。ROMANCE。—Thefacultyofromance，thegreatestofthegiftsshoweredonStevenson’scradlebythefairies，willsuffernocourseofdevelopment；themostthatcanbedonewithitistopreserveitonfromchildhoodunblemishedandundiminished。ItisofapiecewithStevenson’sromanticabilitythathisownchildhoodneverended；hecouldpassbackintothatairyworldwithoutaneffort。Inhisstorieshisimaginationworkedontheoldlines，butitbecameconsciousofitsworking。Andthehighestnoteofthesestoriesisnotdrama，norcharacter，butromance。Inoneofhisessayshedefinesthehighestachievementofromancetobetheembodimentof’character，thought，oremotioninsomeactorattitudethatshallberemarkablystrikingtothemind’seye。’HisessayonVictorHugoshowshowkeenlyconscioushewasthatnarrativeromancecancatchandembodyemotionsandeffectsthatareforeveroutofthereachofthedramaproper，andoftheessayorhomily，justastheyareoutofthereachofsculptureandpainting。Now，itispreciselyintheseeffectsthatthechiefexcellenceofromanceresides；itwasthediscoveryofaworldoftheseeffects，insusceptibleoftreatmentbythedrama，neglectedentirelybythecharacter—novel，whichconstitutedtheRomanticrevivaloftheendoflastcentury。’Theartisticresultofaromance，’saysStevenson，’whatisleftuponthememorybyanypowerfulandartisticnovel，issomethingsocomplicatedandrefinedthatitisdifficulttoputanameuponit，andyetsomethingassimpleasnature……Thefactis，thatartisworkingfaraheadoflanguageaswellasofscience，realizingforus，byallmannerofsuggestionsandexaggerations，effectsforwhichasyetwehavenodirectname，forthereasonthattheseeffectsdonotenterverylargelyintothenecessitiesoflife。 Hencealoneisthatsuspicionofvaguenessthatoftenhangsaboutthepurposeofaromance；itisclearenoughtousinthought，butwearenotusedtoconsideranythingclearuntilweareabletoformulateitinwords，andanalyticallanguagehasnotbeensufficientlyshapedtothatend。’Hegoesontopointoutthatthereisanepicalvalueabouteverygreatromance，anunderlyingidea，notpresentablealwaysinabstractorcriticalterms，inthestoriesofsuchmastersofpureromanceasVictorHugoandNathanielHawthorne。 Theprogressofromanceinthepresentcenturyhasconsistedchieflyinthediscoveryofnewexercisesofimaginationandnewsubtleeffectsinstory。Fielding，asStevensonsays，didnotunderstandthatthenatureofalandscapeorthespiritofthetimescouldcountforanythinginastory；allhisactionsconsistofafewsimplepersonalelements。WithScottvagueinfluencesthatqualifyaman’spersonalitybegintomakealargeclaim；’theindividualcharactersbegintooccupyacomparativelysmallproportionofthatcanvasonwhicharmiesmanoeuvreandgreathillspilethemselvesuponeachother’sshoulders。’AndtheachievementsofthegreatmasterssinceScott—Hugo，Dumas，Hawthorne，tonameonlythoseinStevenson’sdirectlineofancestry—haveaddednewrealmstothedomainofromance。 Whataretheindescribableeffectsthatromance，castingfarbeyondproblemsofcharacterandconduct，seekstorealise？Whatisthenatureofthegreatinforming，underlyingideathatanimatesatrulygreatromance—THEBRIDEOFLAMMERMOOR，MONTECRISTO，LES MISERABLES，THESCARLETLETTER，THEMASTEROFBALLANTRAE？Thesequestionscanonlybeansweredbyde—formingtheimpressiongivenbyeachoftheseworkstopresentitinthechop—logiclanguageofphilosophy。Butanapproachtoananswermaybemadebyillustration。 InhisAMERICANNOTEBOOKSNathanielHawthorneusedtojotdownsubjectsforstoriesastheystruckhim。Hissuccessiveentriesarelikethesoulsofstoriesawaitingembodiment，whichmanyofthemneverreceived；theybringusveryneartotheworkingsofthemindofagreatmaster。Herearesomeofthem： ’Asketchtobegivenofamodernreformer，atypeoftheextremedoctrinesonthesubjectofslaves，coldwater，andthelike。Hegoesaboutthestreetsharanguingmosteloquently，andisonthepointofmakingmanyconverts，whenhislaboursaresuddenlyinterruptedbytheappearanceofthekeeperofamadhousewhencehehasescaped。Muchmaybemadeofthisidea。’ ’Thesceneofastoryorsketchtobelaidwithinthelightofastreetlantern；thetimewhenthelampisneargoingout；andthecatastrophetobesimultaneouswiththelastflickeringgleam。’ ’Apersontobewritingataleandtofinditshapesitselfagainsthisintentions；thatthecharactersactotherwisethanhethought，andacatastrophecomeswhichhestrivesinvaintoavert。Itmightshadowforthhisownfate—hehavingmadehimselfoneofthepersonages。’ ’Twopersonstobeexpectingsomeoccurrenceandwatchingforthetwoprincipalactorsinit，andtofindthattheoccurrenceiseventhenpassing，andthattheythemselvesarethetwoactors。’ ’Asatireonambitionandfamefromastatueofsnow。’ Hawthorneusedthisideainoneofhissketches。 ’Amoralphilosophertobuyaslave，orotherwisegetpossessionofahumanbeing，andtousehimforthesakeofexperimentbytryingtheoperationofacertainviceonhim。’ M。Bourget，theFrenchromancer，hasmadeuseofthisideainhisnovelcalledLEDISCIPLE。Onlyitisnotaslave，butayounggirlwhomhepretendstolove，thatisthesubjectofthemoralphilosopher’sexperiment；andanoisywarhasbeenwagedroundthebookinFrance。Hawthornewouldplainlyhaveseizedtheromanticessenceoftheideaandwouldhaveavoidedtheboneyardof’problemmorality。’ ’Astorytheprincipalpersonageofwhichshallseemalwaysonthepointofenteringonthescene，butshallneverappear。’ ThisisthedevicethatgivesfascinationtothefiguresofRichelieuinMARIONDELORME，andofCaptainFlintinTREASURE ISLAND。 ’Themajestyofdeathtobeexemplifiedinabeggar，who，afterbeingseenhumbleandcringinginthestreetsofacityformanyyears，atlengthbysomemeansorothergetsadmittanceintoarichman’smansion，andtheredies—assumingstate，andstrikingaweintothebreastsofthosewhohadlookeddownuponhim。’ Theseareallexcellentinstancesofthesortofideathatgiveslifetoaromance—ofactsorattitudesthatstampthemselvesuponthemind’seye。Someofthemappealchieflytothemind’seye，othersareofvaluechieflyassymbols。But，forthemostpart，theromantickernelofastoryisneitherpurepicturenorpureallegory，itcanneitherbepaintednormoralised。Itmakesitsmostirresistibleappealneithertotheeyethatsearchesforformandcolour，nortothereasonthatseeksforabstracttruth，buttotheblood，toallthatdiminstinctofdanger，mystery，andsympathyinthingsthatisman’soldestinheritance—tothesuperstitionsoftheheart。Romancevindicatesthesupernaturalagainstscienceandrescuesitfromthepalsiedtutelageofmorality。 Stevenson’sworkisagalleryofromanticeffectsthathauntthememory。Someofthesearedirectlypictorial：thefightintheround—houseonboardthebrigCOVENANT；theduelbetweenthetwobrothersofBallantraeintheislandoflightthrownupbythecandlesfromthatabyssofwindlessnight；theflightofthePrincessSeraphinathroughthedarkmazesofthewood，—allthese，althoughtheycarrywiththemsubtletiesbeyondthepainter’sart，yethavesomethingofpictureinthem。Butothersmakeentrancetothecorridorsofthemindbyblindandsecretways，andthereawakentheechoesofprimaevalfear。Thecryoftheparrot— ’Piecesofeight’—thetappingofthestickoftheblindpiratePewashedrawsneartheinn—parlour，andthesimilareffectsofinexplicableterrorwroughtbytheintroductionoftheblindcatechistinKIDNAPPED，andofthedisguiseofablindleperinTHE BLACKARROW，arebeyondthereachofanybuttheliteraryformofromanticart。ThelastappearanceofPew，intheplayofADMIRAL GUINEA，writtenincollaborationwithMr。W。E。Henley，isperhapsthemasterpieceofallthescenesofterror。Theblindruffian’sscreamofpanicfear，whenheputshisgropinghandintotheburningflameofthecandleintheroomwherehebelievedthathewasunseen，andsorealisesthathiseverymovementisbeingsilentlywatched，isindeed’thehorrorscomealive。’ TheanimatingprincipleorideaofStevenson’slongerstoriesisnevertobefoundintheirplot，whichisgenerallybuiltcarelesslyanddisjointedlyenougharoundthecentralromanticsituationorconception。ThemainsituationinTHEWRECKERisasplendidproductofromanticaspiration，butthestructureofthestoryisincoherentandineffective，sothatsomeofthebestpassagesinthebook—thescenesinParis，forinstance—havenobusinessthereatall。ThestoryinKIDNAPPEDandCATRIONAwandersoninasinglethread，likethepageantofadream，andthereaderfeelsandsympathiseswiththeauthor’sobviousdifficultyinleadingitbacktothesceneofthetrialandexecutionofJamesStewart。THEMASTEROFBALLANTRAEisstampedwithamagnificentunityofconception，butthestoryilluminatesthatconceptionbyaseriesofscatteredepisodes。 Thatluridembodimentoffascinatingevil，partvampire，partMephistopheles，whosegrandmannerandheroicabilitiesmighthavemadehimagreatandgoodmanbutfor’themaladyofnotwanting，’ isthelightandmeaningofthewholebook。Innocentandbenevolentlivesarethrowninhiswaythathemaymockordistortorshatterthem。Stevensonnevercamenearerthaninthischaractertothesublimeofpower。 Butaninformingprincipleofunityismorereadilytobeapprehendedintheshorterstories，anditisaunitynotsomuchofplotasofimpressionandatmosphere。Hisislands，whethersituatedinthePacificoroffthecoastofScotland，haveeachofthemaclimateofitsown，andthecharacteroftheplaceseemstoimposeitselfontheincidentsthatoccur，dictatingsubordinationorcontrast。Theeventsthathappenwithinthelimitsofoneofthesemagicislescouldineverycasebecutofffromtherestofthestoryandframedasaseparateworkofart。ThelongstarvationofDavidBalfourontheislandofEarraid，thesharksofcrimeandmonstersofblasphemythatbreakthepeaceoftheshiningtropicallagoonsinTREASUREISLANDandTHEEBBTIDE，thecaptivityontheBassRockinCATRIONA，thesupernaturalterrorsthathoverandmutterovertheislandofTHEMERRYMEN—theseimaginationsareplainlygeneratedbythesceneryagainstwhichtheyarethrown； eachisinsomesortthegeniusoftheplaceitinhabits。 Inhissearchforthetreasuresofromance，Stevensonadventuredfreelyenoughintotherealmofthesupernatural。 WhenheishandlingthesuperstitionsoftheScottishpeople，heallowshishumorousenjoymentoftheirextravagancetopeepoutfrombehindthesolemndialectinwhichtheyaredressed。ThebrieftaleofTHRAWNJANET，andBlackAndy’sstoryofTodLapraikinCATRIONA，aregrotesqueimaginationsoftheschoolofTAMO’ SHANTERratherthanoftheschoolofShakespeare，whodealsinnocomedyghosts。Theyareturnip—lanternsswayedbyalaughingurchin，proudofthefearshecanawaken。EvenTHESTRANGECASEOF DR。JEKYLLANDMR。HYDEandthestoryofTHEBOTTLEIMParemanufacturedbogeys，thatworkonthenervesandnotontheheart，whatevermaybesaidbythosewhoinsistonseeingallegoryinwhatisonlydream—fantasy。Thesupernaturalmustberooteddeeperthantheseinlifeandexperienceifitistoreachanimposingstature： thetrueghostistheshadowofaman。AndStevensonshowsasenseofthisintwoofhisveryfineststories，theexquisiteidyllofWILLO’THEMILLandthegrimhistoryofMARKHEIM。Eachofthesestoriesistheworkofapoet，bynomeansofagoblin—fancier。 ThepersonificationofDeathisasoldaspoetry；itiswroughtwithmovinggentlenessinthatlastsceneinthearbourofWill’sinn。Thewaftedscentoftheheliotropes，whichhadneverbeenplantedinthegardensinceMarjory’sdeath，thelightintheroomthathadbeenhers，preludethearrivalatthegateofthestranger’scarriage，withtheblackpinetopsstandingaboveitlikeplumes。AndWillo’theMillmakestheacquaintanceofhisphysicianandfriend，andgoesatlastuponhistravels。Intheotherstory，Markheimmeetswithhisowndoubleinthehouseofthedealerincuriosities，whomhehasmurdered。ItisnotsuchadoubleasRossettiprayedfortothegodofSleep： ’Ah！mightI，bythygoodgrace，Gropinginthewindystair（DarknessandthebreathofspaceLikeloudwaterseverywhere），MeetingmineownimagethereFacetoface，Senditfromthatplacetoher！’ butaclear—eyedcriticofthemurderer，notunfriendly，wholaysbarebeforehimhismotivesandhistory。Atthecloseofthatwonderfulconversation，oneofthemostbrilliantofitsauthor’sachievements，Markheimgiveshimselfintothehandsofthepolice。 Thesetwostories，whencomparedwiththeothers，servetoshowhowStevenson’simaginationquickenedandstrengthenedwhenitplayedfulluponlife。Forhisbestromanticeffects，likeallgreatromance，areilluminativeoflife，andnomereidlegames。 III。MORALITY。—Hisgenius，likethegeniusofNathanielHawthorne，wasdoublyrichinthespiritofromanceandinawiseandbeautifulmorality。Buttheirresponsiblecapricesofhisnarrativefancypreventedhistalesfrombeingtheappropriatevehiclesofhismorality。Hehasleftnowork—unlessthetwoshortstoriesmentionedaboveberegardedasexceptions—inwhichromanceandmoralityareweldedintoasingleperfectwhole，nothingthatcanbeputbesideTHESCARLETLETTERorTHEMARBLE FAUNfordeepinsightandmagicfancyjoinedinone。Hencehisessays，containingastheydothegistofhisreflectivewisdom，arerankedbysomecriticsabovehisstories。 Anovelcannot，ofcourse，bemoralasanactionismoral；thereisnoquestioninartofpoliceregulationsorconformitytoestablishedcodes，butratherofinsightbothdeepandwide。 Polygamyandmonogamy，suttee，thuggism，andcannibalism，areallacceptabletotheromancer，whosebusinessiswiththeheartofamaninalltimesandplaces。Heisnotboundtodisplayallegiancetoparticularmorallawsofthekindthatcanbebroken；heisboundtoshowhisconsciousnessofthatwidermoralorderwhichcannomorebebrokenbycrimethanthelawofgravitationcanbebrokenbythefallofchina—themoralitywithoutwhichlifewouldbeimpossible；therelations，namely，ofhumanbeingstoeachother，thefeelings，habits，andthoughtsthatarethewebofsociety。Fortheappreciationofmoralityinthiswidersensehighgiftsofimaginationarenecessary。ShakespearecouldneverhavedrawnMacbeth，andtherebymadeapparenttheawfulnessofmurder，withoutsomesympathyforthemurderer—thesympathyofintelligence。ThesegiftsofimaginationandsympathybelongtoStevensoninaveryhighdegree；inallhisromancestherearegleamsfromtimetotimeofwiseandsubtlereflectionuponlife，fromtheeternalsideofthings，whichshinethemoreluminouslythattheyspringfromtheeventsandsituationswithnosuspicionofhomily。InTHEBLACKARROW，DickSheltonbegsfromtheDukeofGloucesterthelifeoftheoldshipmasterArblaster，whoseshiphehadtakenandaccidentallywreckedearlierinthestory。TheDukeofGloucester，who，inhisownwords，’lovesnotmercynormercy— mongers，’yieldsthefavourreluctantly。ThenDickturnstoArblaster。 ’\"Come，\"saidDick，\"alifeisalife，oldshrew，anditismorethanshipsorliquor。Sayyouforgiveme，forifyourlifeisworthnothingtoyou，ithathcostmethebeginningsofmyfortune。 Come，Ihavepaidforitdearly，benotsochurlish。\" ’\"AnIhadmyship，\"saidArblaster，\"Iwould’a’beenforthandsafeonthehighseas—IandmymanTom。Butyetookmyship，gossip，andI’mabeggar；andformymanTom，aknavefellowinrussetshothimdown，’Murrain，’quothhe，andspakeneveragain。 ’Murrain’wasthelastofhiswords，andthepoorspiritofhimpassed。’Awillneversailnomore，willmyTom。\" ’Dickwasseizedwithunavailingpenitenceandpity；hesoughttotaketheskipper’shand，butArblasteravoidedhistouch。 ’\"Nay，\"saidhe，\"letbe。Y’haveplayedthedevilwithme，andletthatcontentyou。\" ’ThewordsdiedinRichard’sthroat。Hesaw，throughtears，thepooroldman，bemusedwithliquorandsorrow，goshamblingaway，withbowedhead，acrossthesnow，andtheunnoticeddogwhimperingathisheels；andforthefirsttimebegantounderstandthedesperategamethatweplayinlife，andhowathingoncedoneisnottobechangedorremediedbyanypenitence。’ AsimilarwisdomthatgoestotheheartofthingsisfoundonthelipsofthespiritualvisitantinMarkheim。 ’\"Murderistomenospecialcategory，\"repliedtheother。\"Allsinsaremurder，evenasalllifeiswar。Ibeholdyourrace，likestarvingmarinersonaraft，pluckingcrustsoutofthehandsoffamine，andfeedingoneachother’slives。Ifollowsinsbeyondthemomentoftheiracting；Ifindinallthatthelastconsequenceisdeath；andtomyeyestheprettymaid，whothwartshermotherwithsuchtakinggracesonaquestionofaball，dripsnolessvisiblywithhumangorethansuchamurdererasyourself。\"’ ThewideoutlookonhumanitythatexpressesitselfinpassagesliketheseiscombinedinStevensonwithavividinterestin，andquickappreciationof，character。Thevarietyofthecharactersthathehasessayedtodrawisenormous，andhissuccesses，forthepurposesofhisstories，aremany。Yetwithallthis，thenumberoflifelikeportraits，truetoahair，thataretobefoundinhisworksisverysmallindeed。Inthegoldenglowofromance，characterisalwayssubjecttobeidealised；itistheeffectofcharacterseenatparticularanglesandinspeciallights，naturalorartificial，thatStevensonpaints；hedoesnotattempttoanalysethecomplexityofitselements，butboldlyprojectsintoitcertainprinciples，andworksfromthose。IthasoftenbeensaidofScottthathecouldnotdrawaladywhowasyoungandbeautiful； theglamourofchivalryblindedhim，heloweredhiseyesanddescribedhisemotionsandaspirations。SomethingofthesamedisabilityafflictedStevensoninthepresenceofaruffian。Helovedheroicviceonlylessthanhelovedheroicvirtue，andwasalwaysreadytoidealisehisvillains，tomakeofthemmenwho，liketheMasterofBallantrae，’livedforanidea。’EventhelowandlesservillainyofIsraelHands，inthegreatscenewhereheclimbsthemasttomurdertheheroofTREASUREISLAND，breathesoutitssoulinacreed： ’\"Forthirtyyears，\"hesaid，\"I’vesailedtheseas，andseengoodandbad，betterandworse，provisionsrunningout，knivesgoing，andwhatnot。Well，nowItellyou，Ineverseengoodcomeo’ goodnessyet。Himasstrikesfirstismyfancy；deadmendon’tbite；them’smyviews—Amen，sobeit。\"’ JohnSilver，thatmemorablepirate，withafacelikeahamandaneyelikeafragmentofglassstuckintoit，leadsacareerofwholeheartedcrimethatcanonlybedescribedassparkling。Hisunalloyedmaleficenceisadornedwithathousandgracesofmanner。 Intothedarkandfetidmarshthatisanevilheart，wherelowformsofsentiencyarehardlydistinguishablefromtheall— pervadingmud，Stevensonneverpeered，unlessitwereinthestudyofHuishinTHEEBBTIDE。 Ofhiswomen，letwomenspeak。Theyaretraditionallyaccreditedwithanintuitionofoneanother’shearts，althoughwhy，ifwomanwascreatedforman，astheScripturesassureus，theimpressionthatshemakesonhimshouldnotcountforasmuchastheimpressionshemakesonsomeotherwoman，isaquestionthatcriesforsolution。Perhapstheansweristhatdisinterestedcuriosity，whichisonemeansofapproachtotheknowledgeofcharacter，althoughonlyone，isarareattitudeformantoassumetowardstheothersex。Stevenson’scuriositywaslateinawaking；theheroineofTHEBLACKARROWisdressedinboy’sclothesthroughoutthecourseofthestory，andthenovelistthussavedthetroubleofdescribingthedemeanourofagirl。Mrs。Henry，inTHEMASTEROF BALLANTRAE，isacharmingveiledfigure，drawnintheshadow；MissBarbaraGrantandCatrionainthecontinuationofKIDNAPPEDarerealenoughtohavemademanysuitorsfortheirrespectivehandsamongmalereadersofthebook；—butthatisnothing，replythecriticsoftheotherparty：awalkingdollwillfindsuitors。Thequestionmuststandoveruntilsomedefiniteprinciplesofcriticismhavebeendiscoveredtoguideusamongtheseperilouspasses。 OnecharactermustneverbepassedoverinanestimateofStevenson’swork。TheheroofhislongestworkisnotDavidBalfour，inwhomthepawkyLowlandlad，proudandprecise，but’averyprettygentleman，’istransfiguredattimesbytraitsthathecatches，asnarratorofthestory，fromitsauthorhimself。ButAlanBreekStewartisagreatercreation，andafineinstanceofthatwidermoralitythatcanseizebysympathythesoulofawildHighlandclansman。’Impetuous，insolent，unquenchable，’acondonerofmurder（for’themthathavenaedippedtheirhandsinanylittledifficultyshouldbeverymindfulofthecaseofthemthathave’），aconfirmedgambler，asquarrel—someasaturkey—cock，andasvainandsensitiveasachild，AlanBreekisoneofthemostlovablecharactersinallliterature；andhispenetration—agreatpartofwhichhelearned，totakehisownaccountofit，bydrivingcattle’throughathronglowlandcountrywiththeblacksoldiersathistail’—blossomsintothemostdelightfulreflectionsuponmenandthings。 Thehighestambitionsofanovelistarenoteasilyattainable。Tocombineincident，character，andromanceinauniformwhole，toalternatetellingdramaticsituationwitheffectsofpoetryandsuggestion，tobreatheintotheentireconceptionaprofoundwisdom，constructitwithabsoluteunity，andexpressitinperfectstyle，—thisthinghasneveryetbeendone。AgreatpartofStevenson’ssubtlewisdomoflifefindsitsreadiestoutletinhisessays。Inthese，whatevertheiroccasion，heshowshimselftheclearest—eyedcriticofhumanlife，neverthedupeofthephrasesandpretences，thetheoriesandconventions，thatdistortthevisionofmostwritersandthinkers。Hehasanunerringinstinctforrealities，andbrushesasideallelsewithrapidgrace。InhislatelypublishedAMATEUREMIGRANThedescribesoneofhisfellow— passengerstoAmerica： ’Intruthitwasnotwhiskythathadruinedhim；hewasruinedlongbeforeforallgoodhumanpurposesbutconversation。Hiseyesweresealedbyacheapschool—bookmaterialism。Hecouldseenothingintheworldbutmoneyandsteamengines。Hedidnotknowwhatyoumeantbythewordhappiness。Hehadforgottenthesimpleemotionsofchildhood，andperhapsneverencounteredthedelightsofyouth。 Hebelievedinproduction，thatusefulfigmentofeconomy，asifithadbeenreal，likelaughter；andproduction，withoutprejudicetoliquor，washisgodandguide。’ Thissenseoftherealitiesoftheworld，—laughter，happiness，thesimpleemotionsofchildhood，andothers，—makesStevensonanadmirablecriticofthosesocialpretencesthatapethenativequalitiesoftheheart。ThecriticismonorganisedphilanthropycontainedintheessayonBEGGARSisnotexhaustive，itisexpressedparadoxically，butisituntrue？ ’Weshouldwipetwowordsfromourvocabulary：gratitudeandcharity。Inreallife，helpisgivenoutoffriendship，oritisnotvalued；itisreceivedfromthehandoffriendship，oritisresented。Wearealltooproudtotakeanakedgift；wemustseemtopayit，ifinnothingelse，thenwiththedelightsofoursociety。Here，then，isthepitifulfixoftherichman；hereisthatneedle’seyeinwhichhestuckalreadyinthedaysofChrist，andstillsticksto—day，firmer，ifpossible，thanever；thathehasthemoney，andlacksthelovewhichshouldmakehismoneyacceptable。Hereandnow，justasofoldinPalestine，hehastherichtodinner，itiswiththerichthathetakeshispleasure：andwhenhisturncomestobecharitable，helooksinvainforarecipient。Hisfriendsarenotpoor，theydonotwant；thepoorarenothisfriends，theywillnottake。Towhomishetogive？ Wheretofind—notethisphrase—theDeservingPoor？Charityis（whattheycall）centralised；officesarehired；societiesfounded，withsecretariespaidorunpaid：thehuntoftheDeservingPoorgoesmerrilyforward。Ithinkitwilltakeamorethanmerelyhumansecretarytodisinterthatcharacter。What！aclassthatistobeinwantfromnofaultofitsown，andyetgreedilyeagertoreceivefromstrangers；andtobequiterespectable，andatthesametimequitedevoidofself—respect；andplaythemostdelicatepartoffriendship，andyetneverbeseen；andweartheformofman，andyetflyinthefaceofallthelawsofhumannature：—andallthis，inthehopeofgettingabelly—godburgessthroughaneedle’seye！Oh，lethimstick，byallmeans；andlethispolitytumbleinthedust；andlethisepitaphandallhisliterature（ofwhichmyownworksbegintoformnoinconsiderablepart）beabolishedevenfromthehistoryofman！Forafoolofthismonstrosityofdulnesstherecanbenosalvation；andthefoolwholookedfortheelixiroflifewasanangelofreasontothefoolwholooksfortheDeservingPoor。’ AnequalsenseoftherealitiesoflifeanddeathgivestheforceofanaturallawtothepathosofOLDMORTALITY，thatessayinwhichStevensonpayspassionatetributetothememoryofhisearlyfriend，who’hadgonetoruinwithakinglyabandon，likeonewhocondescended；butonceruined，withthelightsallout，hefoughtasforakingdom。’Thewholedescription，downtothemarvellousquotationfromBunyanthatclosesit，isoneofthesovereignpassagesofmodernliterature；thepathosofitispureandelemental，liketherushofacleansingwind，ortheonsetofthelegionscommandedby’ThemightyMahmud，Allah—breathingLord，ThatallthemisbelievingandblackHordeOfFearsandSorrowsthatinfesttheSoulScattersbeforehimwithhiswhirlwindSword。’ Lastly，tobringtoanendthisimperfectreviewoftheworksofawriterwhohasleftnonegreaterbehindhim，Stevensonexcelsatwhatisperhapsthemostdelicateofliterarytasksandtheutmosttest，whereitissuccessfullyencountered，ofnobility，—thepractice，namely，ofself—revelationandself—delineation。Totalkmuchaboutoneselfwithdetail，composure，andease，withnoshadowofhypocrisyandnowhiffortaintofindecentfamiliarity，nopulingandnoposing，—theshoresoftheseaofliteraturearestrewnwiththewrecksandforlornpropertiesofthosewhohaveadventuredonthisdangerousattempt。ButacriticismofStevensonishappyinthis，thatfromthewriteritcanpasswithperfecttrustandperfectfluencytotheman。HeshareswithGoldsmithandMontaigne，hisownfavourite，thehappyprivilegeofmakingloversamonghisreaders。’TobethemostbelovedofEnglishwriters— whatatitlethatisforaman！’saysThackerayofGoldsmith。Insuchmatters，adisputeforpre—eminenceinthecaptivationofheartswouldbeunseemly；itisenoughtosaythatStevensontoohashisloversamongthosewhohaveaccompaniedhimonhisINLAND VOYAGE，orthroughthefastnessesoftheCevennesinthewakeofModestine。Heislovedbythosethatneversawhisface；andonewhohassealedthatdizzyheightofambitionmaywellbecontent，withouttheimpertinentassurancethat，whentheJapanesehavetakenLondonandrevisedthecontentsoftheBritishMuseum，theyellowscribeswhomtheyshallsettoproduceaneweditionoftheBIOGRAPHIEUNIVERSELLEwillincludeintheirentriesthefollowingitem：—’STEVENSON，R。L。APROLIFICWRITEROFSTORIESAMONGTHE ABORIGINES。FLOURISHEDBEFORETHECOMINGOFTHEJAPANESE。HIS WORKSARELOST。’