New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-07
RUDYARD KIPLING.
A NEW EDITION or HIS WORKS.

A NEW UNIFORM EDITION OF THE PROSE
TALES OF RuDYARD KIPLlMG. In SIX SIX VOL
umes l2mo. New-York: Macmillan q CO.
MANY INVENTIONS. BY Rudyard KIpng. l2mo.
New-York: u. Appleton q Co.
THE JUNGLE BOOK. BY Rudysrd Kpling. Illus
pany.
BY Rudyard Kpling l2mo. New-York Mac
milan & Co.
In one Of Mr. Kipling's stories entitled "A Con-
ference Of the Powers" man Of much literary
accomplishment but small experience in the world
Is brought face to face in familiar discourse with
some toughened young subalterns To one Of them
he listens until the narrative Of adventure grows
too picturesque for belief and then he exclams:
That's art! Flat. fragrant mechanism! Don't
tell me that happened on the spot" Tho retort is
crushing. The pupils of The Infants eyes con
tracted TO two pinpoints i beg Your pardon,
he said. slowly and stiniy. but ! am telling this
thing as It happened" IT is a reply which Mr..
Kipling himself might safely make to any inter
locutor who wondered at his tales and wondered
TO the point Of doubt. On fair survey Of these
nine volumes II is impossible TO doubt. No
calls in question the veracity Of Scott. of Dumas
Of Cooper Of any Of the great romancers, because
nobody doubts the facts Of true romance, and Mr.
Kipling IL Of this valiant company. In speaking
thus confidently Of the reader assume. Of
course that he belongs TO that wholesome remnant
Of the human which still believes In romance.
in Illusion In the divine illusion, as has been said
OF the poetic spell. Mr. Kpng's spell is in many
Of it, elements poetic. lie handles facts. which
realsts do also and he handles them with a III
rectness and force which not any II them have
eaualled but the fact in Mr.. Kpng's hands is
nothing more nor less than a factor in the move
ment Of his tale, an episode in the dramatic who'll"
| which he has in view first and last, whether IL bw,
| poetry or prose that he employs. The backbone Of
| his story is-the story one proof Of this, and 1T
is the proof which comes most cOnspcuOusly to the
| surface on a rereadng Of the mass OF work indi-
Gated by the titles given above, is the human i'm
preston left by that work. You remember as you
! lay down the books that such and such men and
women lived and died under such and such condi-
tons and that while you shared their work and
play in the world your heart beat faster. Details
come back to the memory later just as the trivial
matters Of actual experience come back, after a
crisis has been passed and the primitive emotions
lately stirred have begun in their reaction to wake
the minor senses to their critical. contemplative
| Offices 1t is only the masters CT fiction whom 1t
| is permissible to credit with such an illusion as
! this, the illusion OF flesh and blood set hot and
painting in the printed page Mr. Kipng creates
this illusion. There il further excuse needed
| for the appear snCe of the bulk Of his tales in a
collected edition nor for d return to them and L
! those other productions which for one reason OF
another have been omitted from the set Of si>
well-made volumes. Mr.. Klpling has arrived anC
| can be appraised as a master.
over what has this author that mastery b,
| virtue OF which he has arrived? Some say it is
literary art. and certainly without his writing
power he would be an incomplete genius, a httini
| parallel to the teller Of stories in Orienta