Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-12

is that the criticism does not reply to the
original assertion even in its letter. Thack-
cray, George Eliot, Meredith and Reade
were cotemporaries OF Dickens, as Howells
was of Bret Harte. Beyond that ali these
writers are judged not by their promise, at
the inception of their literary career, but by
their full performance. In most if not all
of their cases, their reputation was of mod
crate and steady growth, with no such burst
of salutatory promise as must be awarded
to Kipling.
At the same time the writer in Hayper's
who differs so decidedly from Mr.. Howells.
must be deemed to have given rather free
rein to his enthusiasm. That Kipling has
made remarkable entry into light literature
is beyond question. The creator OF ''krishna
Mulvany" and his comrades, has within
him the promise of a Lever. Those heroes
of the India railways and Martini rifles,
fight and carouse with the same spirit as
Dumas Three Musketeers, of centuries be-
fore. But beyond that Kipling's work
does not yet rise above the level of credit
able mediocrity. His single exhibition
picture is of startling force and vitality; but
it is hardly just to say that this is greater
promise than is given by writer's who a little
further on in their career, exhibit much
wider range of conception and deeper
thought. Robert Louis Stevenson may now
be ranked among those who are to be judged
by full performance rather than promise.
Yet at an early stage of his career the wide
range between "The Suicide Club" and
Treasure Island" showed writer with a
breadth of conception of which Kipling has
as vet given no sign. Even now we prefer
to regard Mr.. Stevenson's work as promise
of still greater performances. The man who
can create such dissimilar characters as
Alan Breck Stuart, Prince Otto, the Master
OF Ballantrae, and the pirate sea-cook in
Treasure Island" and can vary his narra-
tive from the adventures of kidnapped" to
the psychological fantasies of "Dr. Jekyu
and Mr.. Hyde" should in some larger and
more sustained work which combines all the
remarkable qualities of his earlier stories
write his name high up on the list Of the
worlds great novelists.
Even in this country we have writers
whose promise, while less dazzling than
that of Kipling's shows a greater depth.
Stinson's First Harvests" ought to be the
first Of series of powerful stories of modern
life, and Harold Frederic shows a wide
scope of treatment between the story of
American life, In 1.-THE Lawlor Grip and
that of revolutionary adventure SIN the
Valley" If the promise of these, as of
many other new writers, is sustained, we
may look for works of higher and deeper
character than the striking creations Of
Kipling's humor
Rudyard Kipling may be a "fad;" but
if so, the craze is created by the rigor and
life of his work. His popularity has in it
the lesson for writers that it is due to the
freshness of his theme and the vitality of
his treatment. His success, like that of
Rider Haggard's first works, is retutation
of the prevalent theory that novelist must
tell only commonplace stories and must rep
resent life with the faithful monotony of
the Photographic process. Even Mr.. How
ellis, who has preached that theory with
some persistence, proved the contrary, by
the originality and power with which he
brought out the romance and sentiment of
modern life in "Their Wedding Journey"
and ga Chance Acquaintance. Freshness,
life and originality will win more success
in fiction than can be attained by the ham,
pering fetters of realistic theories.