her；　while　at　the　same　time　　it；　by　its　very　presence；　ministers　improvement；　exactly　as　the　　sunlight　disperses　mist　and　all　unhealthy　vapours；　germs；　and　　microbes。
  The　problem　dramatist；　in　place　of　broad　effect　and　truth　to　　nature；　must　find　it　in　stress　of　invention　and　resource　of　that　　kind。　　Thus　care　and　concentration　must　be　all　in　all　with　him　…　he　　must　never　let　himself　go；　or　get　so　interested　and　taken　with　his　　characters　that　THEY；　in　a　sense；　control　or　direct　him。　　He　is　all　　too　conscious　a　〃maker〃　and　must　pay　for　his　originality　by　what　in　　the　end　is　really　painful　and　overweighted　work。　　This；　I　take　it；　　is　the　reason　why　so　many　of　the　modern　dramatists　find　their　work　　so　hard；　and　are；　comparatively；　so　slow　in　the　production　of　it；　　while　they　would　fain；　by　many　devices；　secure　the　general　　impression　or　appeal　made　to　all　classes　alike　by　the　natural　or　　what　we　may　call　spontaneous　drama；　they　are　yet；　by　the　necessity　　of　subject　matter　and　methods　of　dealing　with　it；　limited　to　the　　real　interest　of　a　special　class　…　to　whom　is　finally　given　up　what　　was　meant　for　mankind　…　and　the　troublesome　and　trying　task　laid　on　　them；　to　try　as　best　they　may　to　reconcile　two　really　conflicting　　tendencies　which　cannot　even　by　art　be　reconciled　but　really　point　　different　ways　and　tend　to　different　ends。　　As　the　impressionist　　and　the　pre…Raphaelite；　in　the　sister…art　of　painting　cannot　be　　combined　and　reconciled　in　one　painter　…　so　it　is　here；　by　　conception　and　methods　they　go　different　ways；　and　if　they　SEEK　the　　same　end；　it　is　by　opposing　processes　…　the　original　conception　　alike　of　nature　and　of　art　dictating　the　process。
  As　for　Stevenson；　it　was　no　lack　of　care　or　concentration　in　　anything　that　he　touched；　these　two　were　never　lacking；　but　because　　his　subtlety；　mystical　bias　and　dreaminess；　and　theorising　on　human　　nature　made　this　to　him　impossible。　　He　might　have　concentrated　as　　much　as　he　pleased；　concentrated　as　much　as　even　Mr　Pinero　desires；　　but　he　would　not　have　made　a　successful　drama；　because　he　was　　Robert　Louis　Stevenson；　and　not　Mr　Pinero；　and　too　long；　as　he　　himself　confessed；　had　a　tendency　to　think　bad…heartedness　was　　strength；　while　the　only　true　and　enduring　joy　attainable　in　this　　world　…　whether　by　deduction　from　life　itself；　or　from　IMPRESSIONS　　of　art　or　of　the　drama；　is　simply　the　steady；　unassailable；　and　　triumphant　consciousness　that　it　is　not　so；　but　the　reverse；　that　　goodness　and　self…sacrifice　and　self…surrender　are　the　only　　strength　in　the　universe。　　Just　as　Byron　had　it　with　patriotism：…
  〃Freedom's　battle　once　begun；　Bequeathed　from　bleeding　sire　to　son；　Tho'　baffled　oft　is　ever　won。〃
  To　go　consciously　either　in　fiction　or　in　the　drama　for　bad…　heartedness　as　strength；　is　to　court　failure　…　the　broad；　healthy；　　human　heart；　thank　Heaven；　is　so　made　as　to　resent　the　doctrine；　　and　if　a　fiction　or　a　play　based　on　this　idea　for　the　moment　　succeeds；　it　can　only　be　because　of　strength　in　other　elements；　or　　because　of　partial　blindness　and　partially　paralysed　moral　sense　in　　the　case　of　those　who　accept　it　and　joy　in　it。　　If　Mr　Pinero　　directly　disputes　this；　then　he　and　I　have　no　common　standing…　ground；　and　I　need　not　follow　the　matter　any　further。　　Of　course；　　the　dramatist　may；　under　mistaken　sympathy　and　in　the　midst　of　　complex　and　bewildering　concatenations；　give　wrong　readings　to　his　　audience；　but　he　must　not　be　always　doing　even　that；　or　doing　it　on　　principle　or　system；　else　his　work；　however　careful　and　　concentrated；　will　before　long　share　the　fate　of　the　Stevenson…　Henley　dramas　confessedly　wrought　when　the　authors　all　too　　definitely　held　bad…heartedness　was　strength。
  CHAPTER　XV　…　THEORY　OF　GOOD　AND　EVIL
  WE　have　not　hitherto　concerned　ourselves；　in　any　express　sense；　　with　the　ethical　elements　involved　in　the　tendency　now　dwelt　on；　　though　they　are；　of　necessity；　of　a　very　vital　character。　　We　have　　shown　only　as　yet　the　effect　of　this　mood　of　mind　on　dramatic　　intention　and　effort。　　The　position　is　simply　that　there　is；　　broadly　speaking；　the　endeavour　to　eliminate　an　element　which　is　　essential　to　successful　dramatic　presentation。　　That　element　is　the　　eternal　distinction；　speaking　broadly；　between　good　and　evil　…　　between　right　and　wrong　…　between　the　secret　consciousness　of　　having　done　right；　and　the　consciousness　of　mere　strength　and　force　　in　certain　other　ways。
  Nothing　else　will　make　up　for　vagueness　and　cloudiness　here　…　no　　technical　skill；　no　apt　dialogue　nor　concentration；　any　more　than　　〃fine　speeches；〃　as　Mr　Pinero　calls　them。　　Now　the　dramatic　demand　　and　the　ethical　demand　here　meet　and　take　each　other's　hands；　and　　will　not　be　separated。　　This　is　why　Mr　Stevenson　and　Mr　Henley　…　　young　men　of　great　talent；　failed　…　utterly　failed　…　they　thought　　they　could　make　a　hero　out　of　a　shady　and　dare…devil　yet　really　　cowardly　villain　generally　…　and　failed。
  The　spirit　of　this　is　of　the　clever　youth　type　…　all　too　ready　to　　forego　the　moral　for　the　sake　of　the　fun　any　day　of　the　week；　and　　the　unthinking　selfishness　and　self…enjoyment　of　youth　…　whose　　tender　mercies　are　often　cruel；　are　transcendent　in　it。　　As　　Stevenson　himself　said；　they　were　young　men　then　and　fancied　bad…　heartedness　was　strength。　　Perhaps　it　was　a　sense　of　this　that　made　　R。　L。　Stevenson　speak　as　he　did　of　the　EBB…TIDE　with　Huish　the　　cockney　in　it；　after　he　was　powerless　to　recall　it；　which　made　him　　say；　as　we　have　seen；　that　the　closing　chapters　of　THE　MASTER　OF　　BALLANTRAE　〃SHAME；　AND　PERHAPS　DEGRADE；　THE　BEGINNING。〃　　He　himself　　came　to　see　then　the　great　error；　but；　alas！　it　was　too　late　to　　remedy　it　…　he　could　but　go　forward　to　essay　new　tales；　not　　backward　to　put　right　errors　in　what　was　done。
  Did　Mr　William　Archer　have　anything　of　this　in　his　mind　and　the　　far…reaching　effects　on　this　side；　when　he　wrote　the　following：
  〃Let　me　add　that　the　omission　with　which；　in　1885；　I　mildly　　reproached　him　…　the　omission　to　tell　what　he　knew　to　be　an　　essential　part　of　the　truth　about　life　…　was　abundantly　made　good　　in　his　later　writings。　　It　is　true　that　even　in　his　final　　philosophy　he　still　seems　to　me　to　underrate；　or　rather　to　shirk；　　the　significance　of　that　most　compendious　parable　which　he　thus　　relates　in　a　letter　to　Mr　Henry　James：…　'Do　you　know　the　story　of　　the　man　who　found　a　button　in　his　hash；　and　called　the　waiter？　　　〃What　do　you　call　that？〃　says　he。　　〃Well；〃　said　the　waiter；　〃what　　d'you　expect？　　Expect　to　find　a　gold　watch　and　chain？〃　　Heavenly　　apologue；　is　it　not？'　　Heavenly；　by　all　means；　but　I　think　　Stevenson　relished　the　humour　of　it　so　much　that　he　'smiling　passed　　the　moral　by。'　　In　his　enjoyment　of　the　waiter's　effrontery；　he　　forgot　to　sympathise　with　the　man　（even　though　it　was　himself）　who　　had　broken　his　teeth　upon　the　harmful；　unnecessary　button。　　He　　forgot　that　all　the　apologetics　in　the　world　are　based　upon　just　　this　audacious　paralogism。〃
  Many　writers　have　done　the　same　…　and　not　a　few　critics　have　hinted　　at　this：　　I　do　not　think　any　writer　has　got　at　the　radical　truth　of　　it　more　directly；　decisively；　and　clearly　than　〃J。　F。　M。；〃　in　a　　monthly　magazine；　about　the　time　of　Stevenson's　death；　and　the　　whole　is　so　good　and　clear　that　I　must　quote　it　…　the　writer　was　　not　thinking　of　the　drama　specially；　only　of　prose　fiction；　and　　this　but　makes　the　passage　the　more　effective　and　apt　to　my　point。
  〃In　the　outburst　of　regret　which　followed　the　death　of　Robert　Louis　　Stevenson；　one　leading　journal　dwelt　on　his　too　early　removal　in　　middle　life　'with　only　half　his　message　delivered。'　　Such　a　phrase　　may　have　been　used　in　the　mere　cant　of　modern　journalism。　　Still　it　　set　one　questioning　what　was　Stevenson's　message；　or　at　least　that　　part　of　it　which　we　had　time　given　us　to　hear。
  〃Wonderful　as　was　the　popularity　of　the　dead　author；　we　are　　inclined　to　doubt　whether　the　right　appreciation　of　him　was　half　as　　wide。　　To　a　certain　section　of　the　public　he　seemed　a　successful　　writer　of　boys'　books；　which　yet　held　captive　older　people。　　Now；　　undoubtedly　there　was　an　element　（not　the　highest）　in　his　work　　which　fascinated　boys。　　It　gratified　their　yearning　for　adventure。　　　To　too　large　a　number　of　his　readers；　we　suspect；　this　remains　　Stevenson's　chief　charm；　though　even　of　those　there　were　many　able　　to　recognise　and　be　thankful　for　the　literary　power　and　grace　which　　could　serve　up　their　sanguinary　diet　so　daintily。
  〃Most　of　Stevenson's　titles；　too；　like　TREASURE　ISLAND；　KIDNAPPED；　　and　THE　MASTER　OF　BALLANTRAE；　tended　to　foster　delusion　in　this　　direction。　　The　books　were　largely　bought　for　gifts　by　maiden　　aunts；　and　bestowed　as　school　prizes；　when　it　might　not　have　been　　so　had　their　titles　given　more　indication　of　their　real　scope　and　　tendency。
  〃All　this；　it　seems　to　us；　has　somewhat　obscured　Stevenson's　true　　power；　which　is　surely　that　of　an　arch…delineator　of　'human　nature'　　and　of　the　devious　ways　of　men。　　As　we　read　him　we　feel　that　we　　have　our　finger　on　the　pulse　of　the　cruel　politics　of　the　world。　　　He　has　the　Shakespearean　gift　which　makes　us　recognise　that　his　　pirates　and　his　statesmen；　with　their　violence　and　their　murders　　and　their　perversions　of　justice；　are　swayed　by　t