Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-30
OUTLAWS OF TUNs FALL FOREST.
graceful Tribute to the Author of tbs New
Novel
Philadelphia Press.

Novel
Philadelphia Press.
Watcniul readers saw twelve years ago
in essays signed "R. L. S." in Black
woods and other English magazines that
a new light had risen in English letters,
unknown snd unheralded. Style, such
style IS in English is to be found in the
fewest writers, living or dead, was the
peculiar, the trsnscendent merit of these
early essays, first collected in
volume entitled "Pueris Viz
ginibusque and o her Essays" and sibce
republisned with later additions. Three
books of open air wandering published at
intervals in the last ten years, "An In
land Voyage" q "Tour with a Donkey
on the Cevennes" and the "Silverado
Squatters," were full of the ssme subtle
quality as his essays, cut treated more
broadly aud put to more vivid and popu-
lar use in dealing with nature instead of
with men aud books. But these three
books, with all theirincomparable charm,
their unique combination Of the style
which is OF all time with the preceptive
admiration Of scenery peculiar 10 our
own day, were not popular with the gen.
era.
While other short essays, more critical
and less happy, they would have been
enough TO place Mr. Stevenson in that
SEAL group of essayists whose works
mske up for a narrow audience by 8
permanent fame. They did not show him
to be a great move list, although they
abundantly proved that he could write
interesting stories. His first proof OF his
power in pure romance came in ga
Treasure Island" originally published,
in magazine little known, as a boys
story. This small volume and its recent
successor, Kidnapped" we SPEAK
with moderation, are the best
romances of the generation.
They are among the best written this
century, q century which has produced
Line tenths of the best and grestest ro-
mances in al literature. To novel readers
weary and worn with the stitch, stitch,
stitch of the modern novel writer, with
his inspection and introspection, with his
motives and moralities, these tales have,
come like q breath of the morning and q
blast from the sea. Rejected Of the
magazines, they have been accepted Of
readers. A man might as we'll neglect
Scott and Dumas and still think he knew
what it was to drink delight Of reading
on the windy plains of romance as neg
lect "A Treasure Island" and "Kid-
raped"
Three groups of short stories, yet how
pale term Is this for these products OF
pure fancy, have been published IN the
last FIVE and written in the last fifteen
years by Mr.. Stevenson-"NeW Arabian
Nights" "More New Arabian Nights
the Dynamiteur," and "Tne Merry Men"
In them Mr.. Stevenson has put his style
and story telling power to the suggestive
study OF the moral puzzles of life. He
does not solve these riddles, but he pre-
sents them in solution. "The
Suicide Grub" in the "New Ara
bian Nights" does this for the IN
conscious and underlying pessimism Of
modern life. 1t leaves the question where
it found it; but 1t does not le,ye its Tes-
der ere. CDR. Jakyil and Mr.. Hyde"
was Mr.. S!evenson's GROWING triumph
in this path. Too well known to need
more than mere reference, this work
| has settled Mr. S.enenson's place in The
public of readers as completely as his
earlier and more subtle work had his
plsce in the republic of readers. II we
place side by side with this study Of the
human heart the prattle Of "Child'i
Garden OF Verses" the best verse for and
of children since William Blake, we shall
gain some comprehension Of the tremen-
dous reach of this long armed and subtle
fingered Scotchman.
"The Outlaws of Tunstall Forest'
b-eaks ground in fell whose value for
romance Sir Walter Scott first SEW and
made his own. Mr.. Stevenson's success
in it will for the next thirteen weeks be
the most interesting and attractive OF lit
ersry problems, IS it will be the most
wholesome of literary food. For of al
the great debts English speaking men owe
to Robert Lewis Stevenson the greatest
of them and, we may hope, the sweetest
to him is that he will leave the fiction Of
his race sounder and healthier than he
found it, awake to the open air and walk
Ing again under the pure sky which benz
over ballad and romance in the past.
The second installment Of 1.-THE Out
laws of Tunstall Forest" will appear, IL
THE GAZETTE next Sunday, April ls ~
-