New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-24
IN LAWLESS TIMES.
r. L. sTEvESsoN's NEW STORY.


wrote like one. In the case Of Mr. Stevenson one
person writes like many. II is indeed strange
that Ulysses does thousand things so WELL The
critic who cndeavors TO follow this Protcan genius
needs such skill rs was possessed by the Arabian
princesses who encountered the enchanters. and in
| duels of dexterity matched their willy opponents
at every turn with the fitting metam0rphOsis.
To the reviewer Of method. who goes by plumb
| line, tape-measure and graduated scale, the YER
satility Of this author must be not only bewlder-
! ing, but exasperating For what is TO be thought
of man who, just as you have him measured and
ready for the precisest appraisal on a sudden
changes all his proportions or adds new dimen-
sion to his sphere Of actionP In truth, there ore
| as many Stevensons books bearing that name
on the title-page, and the end of each volume
marks complete solution of continuity. How
connect the writer of Travels with Donkey"
with him of The New Arabian Nights How
carry on the Identification of the spirit revealed
in Treasure Island" to the wholly alien mani
feStation in Prince Otto" Where seek the con-
Meeting links between Virginibus PuerisqueD and
DR.. JolSyl and Mr. Hyde' By what means
establish unity Of conception between The Dyna-
| inter- and Kidnapped" |? Surely nobody was ever
so fully warranted as Mr. Stevenson
in employing the editorial plural, for
so multlplex personality has never
before dsported itself in ways to battle the utmost
ingenuity Of hypothesis attanable by the solemnest
| of all the Psychical Research Societies
"The Black Arrow" discloses a new facet of
Mr.. Stevensons many-sided literary character. 1t
is not now printed for the first time. 1t appears
to have been written for serial publication,
and to have had little vogue In that shape. In
his dedication the author says it was written in
rivalry with Mr. Alfred r. Phillips-a name little
t. l..
of old England: of England during the Wars Of the
Roses, when anarchy was the prevailing condition,
and human life held cheap, and feudalism
still 1ourished, and pretty madens were trafficked
about by their natural or legal guardians, and the
first thought of everybody who had an enemy was
TO remove" him in the most summary and con-
elusive manner, and manners were coarse and
rough and the people frowsy dirty, stupid, sodden
and cOwcd. A time when anything violent might
happen anywhere at any moment; when kings and
barons bold as liable to lose their heads, or
to be smitten under the fifth rib as their followers
were to be strung up to the handiest trees in the
event of defeat; time when everybody got who
had the power and everybody kept who could.
Mr.. Stevenson projects upon this decidedly tenn
pestuous and fecund background q generator OF
romantic possibilities in the shape of band OF
outlaws or broken men, whose symbol is black
w,
Dol is the more impressive since it usually takes
the form of a mysterious missile, plungng with
deadly accuracy through the midrif of some OBJ
noxious person.
The Black Arrows are kind of Robin Hoods,
who foregather in the greenwood, kill the Kings
venison wayIay the Kings subjects, and exercise
a simple and primitive injustice in killing every
body in any way connected with the objects of
their special animosity. We are further reminded
| of Robin Hood by Black Arrow named Lawless,
| who is evidently first-cousin, at the furthest
| remove. to Friar Tuck and who trolls out rolck-
| ing slaves about the merry, merry greenwood In
| the most orthodox fashion. The hero, Richard
Shelton is one of those healthy, natural down.
right, pluclyy young fellows, not too bright, Dir.
Stevenson is so fond of creating His young
heroes are never prgs They are not above beng
STUPID sometimes. They make mistakes In the
| natural adolescent manner. They even Drag now
and then, and lay themselves open to snubs, ana
sustain the latter, and then wholesomey recognize
their crutleness and blush and acknowledge their
faults. Richard Shelton is boy, not OF our but
Of his, period, and that means pretty rough boy,
used to hard knocks, used to the slght OF pioou'
not aualmish about spilling it upon occasion,
prompt to take life even when it crossed his PATH
and NOT at all likely to feel the least remorse for
homicide subsequently, When the Wars of the
Roses were being fought and bckered out, this
wns the dominant type of British boy, no doubt
that is among the wel-bOrn. AS TO the Others
they were of no account whatever but TO shooo
good shoot with the lOng-bOw, and TO SEND cloUh-
ward shaft three hundred yards or so and INTO
tbe internal machinery of some other poor devil
who happened to be-why, probably ne dld hoc
KNOWN opposition.
The psychology of those times is obscure Ii
NAV perhaps be questioned whether there was any
psychology then. Certainly the interpretive nov
nlist could he have antedated his proper period
and lived when York and Lancaster were, like
the lion and the unicorn fighting for the crown,
would have found it hard to analyze the souls
about him. Ends were set so far above means
that commonly the people whose ends were I'M
portant employed any and every means, and nag
gled no more at assassination than at some ntple
matter of abducting an heiress As to the latter
the Sabine mods of matrimony was scarcely less
in use than what is now considered the regular
form, and rich men bought wives about as directly
and openly as in any per,od-whch IS perhaps say
ing a good deal People in sooth were very coarse
and crude Nerves were scarcely known even
among women Hearts were exceedingly tough
and elastic. The suppressed sex was kept under
quite Systematically The life of the time was
mostly external rude, full of crueties and sharp,
decisive emergencies. Death came nearer to the
majority every day than he does now Disease
made fierce havoc. Wild beasts and wilder bandits
bcset the rural regions. Barons and kings in their
ccaseless contentious expended the common people
with reckless freedom. There was much more law
than justice. The warrior caste was dominant,
and next came the Church. fine field generally
for the practice Of lively invention, and yet q
field so difficult that few modern authors have
essayed the experiment. and fewer still have
| brought it to successful fruition.
Mr.. Stevenson has, however, made striking
series of dramatic pictures. There is little plot
in his story only enough to hang his tablcaus upon
| The action is vigorous and incessant. The law