New-York tribune., 1900-09-02

NURB Enc s3Ut 6D @ Soge stgn5 Rg Bsnann e6 Swift
1t is said that the late Stephen Crane had
particularly soft spot in his heart for the brief
'TWhilomville Stories now brought together in
a volume. His partiality is easy 10 comprehend
These pages may well have made him feel that
he drawing nearer than ever to the goal of
his ambition, to the point where his mode of
writing would shake off the crudities which dis
figure the bulk of his work and achieve at once
truth and the effect of art. Traces Of his i'm
maturity survive. When he means to describe
a small boy in the very extremity of distress
and says that ''he was suppedaueous of the full
est power Of childish pain" We know that he is
not consulting the literary muse, but the die
tionary. On the other hand, there is not enough
Of this straining after effect to spoil the down
right merit OF the stories. They are character
lied to considerable extent by the very quail
ity most conspicuous by its absence in the
authors other publications, the quality of
humOr; and, best Of all, they are written with
the spontaniety and spirit for which hitherto
one has looked in vain among his books All
along he sought to win success by dint Of treat
ing commonplace facts with candor. Usually he
fell short Of his object, through the dead weight
of inexperience and an undeveloped imagination
But when he wrote the ''WhilomviIle Stories
the gods were kind. He wound himself thor
oughly into his subject before he began to treat
it His touch is sure where it was wont to be
tentative or fatty presUmptuous, and the relish
with which he followed the adventures Of his
boys and girls is reflected happily in his work
The little minds are open to him and he reports
what he finds therein without pedantry or pat
rcnage. Altogether this posthumous volume IS
capital It should not be put down without
word for the Illustrations. The maker Of these
ing, has entered perfectly into the spirit Of his
task His droI drawings put the finishing touch
to a volume which we believe win remain the
best memorial to the talent of Stephen Crane
There is an old man in Benjamin Swift's new
novel whose reading in German philosophy and
in similar disilusiouizing paths Of literature has
caused him to entertain views "Of course he
says, the soul is nude at any time for the eye
that sees it. And there's painting the human
soul unless it's nude" We indulge in 10 unfair
Identification of the authors opinions with those
Of his puppet when We turn the force of his Dr.
Hcrnecks principle upon his own character as
a novelist. The heading to his first chapter
warns the reader Of the true nature Of this
book the heading TO the second again warns
the reader to expect no romantic nonsense here.
but a most ira gic business and chapter third
IS ushered in with still another warning against
expecting any Of what the author describes
IS exquisite driveI TO Wit, romance. Well there
IS romance and there is romance. Nude Souls
il is true. contains little Of il in the common
acceptation Of the term. But there is kind OF
romance which wears the title reasonably
enough, the kind that deals with the mishaps
II unfortunate lovers, that makes capital out Of
crime-the more mysterious the better-and
keeps the reader in suspense as to how justice
IS TO be meted out, if at all to the actors in
volved in the drama. Nude Souls is full of
this kind Of drama.
Benjamin Swift thinks no doubt, that il is
all subsidiary to the profound study Of charac-
ter at which he has aimed. But the soul Of his
hook is as nude the souls Of he various
rersonages whose innermost qualities he seeks
to Law hare are not and it is the soul OF romantic
r7eIodrama It is, We fear, only for the treat
ncent Of such material that this author is quail
fed If he really understood the human soul
he would see that the surest way in which to
obscure its truths is TO paint il almost solely
in abnormal If not hideous colors. The people
and incidents of this book merely revolving
and therefore incredible. The story is interest
ing because il is ingenious and has the elements
OF q tragic complication. But as a book OF
psychological analysis it is hopelessly out Of
focus and untrue.