The sun., 1918-11-24


the dreadful looking figure himself,
though correct as to the properties, be-
comes nero ugly blind man wanting
some front teeth the blue jawed Bones is
an old italian eharwOmap, and Jim this
time is Lord Fauntleroy in plain and
lowly garb.
Some of Mr.. Varian's work is in cOIOrs,
some in line. He certainly cannot be
charged with lack of courage, for he
throws in portrait studies of the heads of
six principal characters. A tempting
thing TO try, but what hazardous thing
to publish! 1t is true that only one
character, Silver, is really a human ex-
ccption, the rest except Pew, who is
nightmare, and Jim, who is largely lex-
ible device to enable r. L. S. TO play with
his yarn freely, being assignable to stan
dard types. None the less, they are alive;
they are complete; in Kipling's phrase
they stand on their legs, and they are as
well known TO most of US nearly as our
parents. The looks Of each one is more
or less eompelingiy suggested. The minds
eye has something to guide it, in Silver'G
case it has much. We have all made men
tai portraits for ourselves.
Impossible Portraits.
Because l happen to see 'the neat,
bright Doctor" as An ineisive, rather Celtic
individual, with deep set, twinkling eyes,
disciplined mouth and somewhat salient
and OpimOnated nose and chin, do not
insist that an illustrator must model his
features Just so or risk my awful displeas-
ure; l do insist that ne draw a man who
eOneeivably could be David Livesey, M. D.,
end not Worried elderly beau on the
facial lines Of movie idols. ] am open
,,inded about the Captains physiOgnomy,
but not about his nature; l &on't have
Mr.. Varian's low seafaring anarchist All
l require for jim Hawkins is at least the
wears of early adolescence. A chubby lit
tie eberub could not manage Jim's adven-
t,Ires--to say nothing Of Jim's impossible
felicity as a narrator! As for the Squire,
StuIil He Is I'Dt, WIFI HIS IdCultItS
bandaged ike a Chinese wOman's foot by
the Tory traditions of his caste, but not
IF You sense the choice distinction) that
he is a fathead, which is Mr. Varian's
opinion.
For Silver / am, ike Stevenson, more
specifically exacting. Not, however, the
impossihilist all these structures might
lead you to suppose; the bland and oily
rolling eyes Appropriated my Silver in
appearance very well Mr.. Varian has
tried to draw the sea cook with his mask
off, and what he has drawn is Blackboard
with a clean shave. Silver at his transi-
tory ugliest and deadliest could hardly
look like that, while that could never re-
motely resemble the kindly, ObsequiOus
Silver who takes in the Doctor himself IN
til the apple barrel betrays him. Silver
never is fully unmasked, but always
watching the main chance shrewdly
through one mask or another.
In short, these Varian pictures will not
do. You have only to glance at them to
see it, and to say it is all the reviewing
they require. I have examined them at
length, partly because l have a passion
for Treasure Island and take pleasure in
writing about it, partly because any man
who shares that passion sufficiently to
start a set of pictures without an order is
entitled to extended consideration.
The publishers purpose seems to have
been to provide the very young idea with
a low priced, clear printed edition full of
pictures. But is the very young idea the
public for Treasure Island? R. L. S.
frankly thought to "fetch the kids; it is
generally conceded that he failed. As to
the causes of his failure recall no in
side testimony, and venture to offer a lit
tie. The kid / remember began on the
book at 10, for the excellent reason that
his parents had forbidden it, lest it have
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