New-York tribune., 1903-04-08
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
s S-fr5'ensoniana-.S0me HeaTy Foot
iao-Dr. Johnson's Prayers.

traits and habits they were exhibited in
the later years of his life Though it contains
nothing that is important. the lover of Steven
will be glad TO CLEAN from its pages slender
Sut :ndubitably authentic souvenirs Of his hero
Ie may not be thrilled when he is told of the
4 bootbIack who called out after the author
the street, MIR Louis Stevenson. I've read
I your work: but it will amuse him to read
that taste for trash, If il was bad enough
be funny which scandalized booksellers S
Jerk IN that far of island. With much So
Iicitude he offered Stevenson "ali the best au-
thors-Meredith. Barrie. Anstey." but fed In
disnsay when he looked at the titles OF the
books chosen by his patron The Sin of
Countess" Miriam. the Avenger" and The
Lady Detective
Talking Of Millet and his devotion to high
ideal IN art 'fn spite OF starvation and large
family" Mrs Strong said: And yet. il were
one OF the large family might not think 1t so
fine A painter might sacrifice his family TO
his art: would you? Would you go on writing
things like VIII o. the Mill if were all starv-
ing and Miriam. the Avenger would save us!
Stevenson gave in" and replied. You know
we'll enough I would my family If IT car
ried me TO the gallows foot" There is an in
teresting picture Of him here so absorbed In
his characters as he dictated TO his arnanuensis
that he unconsciously acted the parts Of the
people in the story. When he too I'll TO
speak he used the deaf and dumb alphabet
Here is an illustration Of the kind Of talk that
went On in his house when he was in the mood:
This afternoon we all congregated in Lloyd's
study: there are not many chairs, some OF
lay at full length on the bearskins. Louis
paced UP and down the room. and Paleme drew
up his six feet two against the wall The talk
was introspective. Everybody described him
self and the workings Of his own inner con-
sciousness- Louis said: 7 can behave pretty
well on the average, though 1 come TO grief on
occasions. I love fighting. but bitterly dislike
people 10 be angry with me-the uncomfortable
effect of lighting He said he was forgivfng.
but Aolele denied il and said Louis thinks he
forgives but he only lays the bundle on the
shelf and long after takes II down and quar-
rels with it" No protested Louis. 'it is on
-he shelf. admit, and 1 would let it stay there
But If any else pulled il down 1 would
tear il with fury. In fact he went on, ct am
made up of contradictory elements. and have
p clearing house inside of me where dishonor
checks Of bitterness
Palema said of himself that he stoicaI
epicurean-
t. cried Louis "am a cynical epicurean-"
The book contains some verses written by
Stevenson and il is illustrated with generous
number of reproductions of photographs.
The dainty booklet entitled Some Letters by
Robert Louis Stevenson 0ngalls KimbalD. with
an Introduction ny Horace Townsend is an
affair Of a few pages conmemorating the in
terest which the novelist was good enough to
take in Mr.. Trevor HaddoR fashionable
portrait painter but an unknown student at
the time these letters were written. They show
his sympathy for the young and in Of the
letters the advice he offers is worth reading.
but, on the whole. the value Of this sheaf is
triiing. We quote fragments of the advice
aforesaid: Beware of realism: it IS the devil;
of the of art. and they
make It the end Keep an intelligent eye
upon all the others. It is only by doing so that
you come TO see what Art is. In your
own art bow your head over technique Think
Of technique when you rise and when you go to
he'd Forget purposes in the mean while: get to
love technical processes. TO glory in technical
successes: get TO see the world entirely through
technical spectaces. 20 see 1t entirely in terms
of what you can do. Then when you have any
thing say. the language will be apt and copi-
GUS Cling TO your youth. It is an ar
tistic stock in trade. Don't give in that you are
aging and you won't a. ge'' One Of the five let
1ers is given in facsimile. and for frontispiece
there is reproduction. in photogravure. of the
portrait by Sir w B. Richmond.
When Mr. Crosland published his book on
The Unspeakable Scot every that
reply" was inevitable. We have it in THE
Egregious English &C. P. Putnam's Sons) by
Angus Mcneil who may or may not be Mr..
Crosand himself. 1t has been suggested that
he may have amused himself by thus writing
against his book. One thing is certain: no
matter who wrote this volume it is not in the
least amusing. There good points
made in The Unspeakahle Scot" and here and
there it funny; at any rate. it was fresh
There are points worth mentioning made in
the present volume. it is nowhere funny and as
4 piece Of fooling il seems only heavy. but
stale. The author RACES at the English sports
man and man of business the journalist, the
soldier, the politician, and on but writer in
a rage who is not witty is only bore
Turning from a Scotchman stodgily discours-
ing on the English hope to find entertain
ment in a book written by q Frenchman about
Americans, but Business and Love- Oodd
Mead & Coz. by NJ Hugues lie Roux. which is
such a book is almost wearisome as Angus
McNeilI's labored production. NJ. lie Roux, who
came this country 10 lecture time ago.
was anxious that his first impression should be
typical. so he promptly dined in Fifth-ave. Eat
the house Of stock broker who is a man well
known and highly esteemed by every one in
New-York" There was something novel he
thought. about the welcome awaiting him. His
hostess received him with a mixture of cordi-
alfty and chliness. "One would have thought
that We had known each other long time but
that acquaintance had been purely formal
without the slightest intimacy" He got over
the shock Other guests received in the
same way. so he concluded that it was the
style" He looked in vain for his host. The
latter's wife smiled mysteriously." and ex-
plained: He is working for you he is
making cocktails" He could not distinguish
The rnaidens from the matrons There was
neither more nor less innocence or decision on
Of their faces than on another. Since then
h-ve oft In r-od