The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1884-11-19
Dickens. TroIlope and Reade.


mole temperate and reserved. had Z
finer instinct for selection and sup
preston than Rcadc Here again,
as IN his apparent unconsciousne-
that fact done iuto fiction may easily
or may ever become disgusting and
insufferabIc. he reminds us OF the
too conscientious and too assiduous
author Of "\ana.' What has been
so absurdly-not to say. so impu-
dently-attempted in the cases OF
Samuel Richardson and Walter
Scott would he less an outrage than
i service to the genius and the mem
ory OF Charles Reade. Their master
pieces may be DESTROYED by eviscer-
alton: they cannot be condensed by
compression. More than one or
two Of Readcs :. If taken duly in hand
by some less incapable restorer than
the nuiiIators OF Guy Mannering'
and "Clarl>sa Harlowe." could only
gai" ~ The sweeping removal Of
much und;scs,cd rubbish. The au-
saar's own pr.uc;p'c, Of selection
may not have been as capriclous as
it appears; bat when he struck out OF
his longest novel that admirable
'autoh'olrd2i1y ot a t!liet," whicH
i one OF his finest and most thought
ful pieces o. work, it IS difficult 10
understand why he should retain so
much else which smacks alternately
Of sensational play bills and nause
ating police reports. This little
record is nothing less than a master
piece Of tragicomcdy; the fellows
style is perhaps the very finest evil
dcnCe of his creators dramatic fac
ulty winch could be adduced from
the whole collection of Charles
Readc's romances. That faculty,
however, brilliant and versatile as it
is, IS never so thoroughly OF so strik-
ingly displayed in the full completion
or consumm alton Of the work under
taken as in the vivid energy of single
scenes, the vivid relief of single
characters. The same, we must
I =. IL |.
temporarIes-even OF the great
masters who gave MS ''Esmond" and
''David Coopergeld. Mr.. Troll
/ ope, in his s,ngularly candid and
! interesting, as we'll as amusing, esti-
mate of his own and other men 5
! work. does not pretend to anticipate
J. survival OF Remembrance tor more
than two or three among the well
nigh innumcrable figures Of his in.
dustrlous and pertlnaclous invention.
Dshould be disposed to assign fully
others of their kindred. gut when he
foretell> oblivion or neglect for MIR
Reade on the ground that he ha
lett no such living and enduring
figureS-not "a character that vii
remain in any part of his work
the Judgment seems to me as rasI
and foolish as his remarks on tht
rashncss and foolishness OF MIR
Reade'S own bearing and behayio
on various matters OF controversy ar
sensible and sound. Re2de's TN
happy and ludicrous habit of spu'
terlng at any objection taken to an
part OF feature of his work. or vellin
and foanln9 at any reflection ca:
on anyone who had the fortune {
!: misfortune of his friendship or ac
/ quaintance, was les: injurious to h
fame than wha. his friendly rival h.
Justly >t,gn.atized as his amazlr
!, miscory~,,,tlon of the duty-nav. Il
yer, nature and essencc-of lIteral
: honesty Il must be allowed that
Mas rich enough to have dispense
with borrowed or stolen goods, tn
,, the aSsallant who should attribu
;. his pilferincs TO the necessity Of CO
I >ciou> Incompetence. 10 the COZ
Duis.or OF intellectual penury. wot:
!, stand selt-confl,ted and self-conNict
Of stupidity as perver>e as NJ
Reade'> OVID .ancv that he cou