Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-25
ROBERT STEVENSON.
A Personal Sketch of the Great Ro-
mancer by Louise Chandler Moul-
ton-His Idling Youth.
Intended for q OWL Engineer Like His
Father and GrAndfathsr-A Student
of Law-HIs IIlnets,
fOopYrighted, lsss.l


Written for the Gazette.l
l have been asked to write sketch OF
E )bert Louis Stevenson and his work
"for those who do not already know
him." 1t seems to me that my audience,
in that case, would be extremely limited /;
since-even If there be those who have
yet to make the acquaintance Of Mr.. Ste
venson's literary essays and to discover
the magic Of his poetry-"all the world
and the rest OF mankind" must surely
know something already about CDR. Je-
kyll and Mr.. HYDE" and about "Treas-
ure Island" and "The New Arabisn
Nights" and surely very large audi
ence are making acquaintance every
month with his fascinating papers in
Scribner's Magazine. But if am to in
troduce him to ever 50 small a company,
I must begin st the beginning.
He was the son of Thomas Stevenson,
an engineer Of distiction who has been
called 1.-THE hester of lighthouse lllumina-
tion," and whose unfslling lights shine
now, in every part Of the world to warn
and guide those who go down to the sea
in ships Robert Louis Stevenson was
born in Edinburg, the 18th Of November,
1850. When child he was always ill-it
is one Of the marvels of his marvellous
life that all its wealth of brilliant achieve
ment has been accomplished in spite of
prolonged struggle against Illness. In
one Ct his recent volumes-"Memcries
and Portraits"-he has given us series
of glimpses of himself. We see him as "the
pious child" full of reverence because
f1n Of ms OF q a
ful knRck at making believe which is re.
vealed in ga Child's Garden of FeIse"-
as "the idle, eager, sentimental YOUTH"
a student at the Edinburgh University;
bat student with genius for not study
ing, for playing truant, and for finally ex-
tracing his certificates "eVen st the can
mons mouth" said that he had gen.
ius for not studying; but he was no idler,
for he "lived with books" and 10 one
ever studied harder than he to acquire
that style which seems to me the love-
lest am acquainted with in the litera-
ture Of our own time.
After he left the university his father
meant to make civil engineer of him.
To this end young Stevenson surveyed
the building Of lighthouses, worked in a
carpenters shop and brass foundry, and
hung Rusingly about wood yards, but 1t
became evident at last that he was really
learning nothing Of engineering, and never
would learn it; and then his father took
8 walk with him one night, and cross.
questioned him, until the the truth came
out that he cared for nothing but litera-
ture. His father declared that literature
was no profession, but he might, if he
choose, be called to the bar. Accord
ingly, st twenty-one, he began the study
Of law; but l fancy he made little more
Roadway with that than with engineer
ing. Two years later on he msde the &C.
quaintance Of Sidney ColVin-to whom
travels with Donkey in the Cevennes"
is dedicated-and GOWN, himself sue
cessful author, took up young Stevenson
and introduced his work to the public.
His first published paper appeared in
the "Portfolio," when he was twenty
three years old, under the monogram Of
L. S. Stoneven. 1t was called "Roads.n
His second written that same winter at
Montone, whittier he had been sent for
his health-wAs entitled "0rdered
South" Stevenson says of this last
mentioned paper: sit took me nearly
three months to write 1t. Nobody ever
had such pains to learn trade as 1 had;
but l slogged at 1t, day in, day out; and
l frankly belieVe-thaDks to my dire IN
dustry-I have done more with smsller
gifts than almost any man Of letters in
the world"
"Will o. the Mill" was the first pub
lished story, and that was written In
France. The next was "a Lodging For the
Night" written at the same time with the
delightful "Study on VIllon," afterwards
republished in Familiar Studies" 1.-THE
New Arabian Nights" was begun at the
Burford Bridge Ian, where Mr.. Stevenson
had gone in order to be near George
Meredith. The Arabian Nights
stories were continued in London, Edin.
burgh, Paris, BarbaZon, and finished at
LIE Monastier-au within about five
months. Fancy successfully settling
down to write in each Of these Eve places,
all within less than half year. That
same year he had brought out his first
volume, "An Irllnd Voysge.n
"The Pavilion on the Links" was be-
gun in London, and finished by its wan
deriDg author in Monterey, Cal. "Treas-
ure Island" WAS begun st Brse msr, in the
Scotch Highlands, and finished at DSvos,
in Switzerland-the whole accomplished
in two ''bursts," Of fifteen days each
Mr.. Stevenson's quickest piece of work.
It is singular fact that he always writes
story OF length thus-in two breaks. He
likes to leave of and forget tale for 8
while, and then begin 1t again freshly,
and with revived interest.
"Kidnspped"S all written at Bourne
mouth, inside Of year, in about five
months, indeed, Of actual writing; and
one Of these months was entirely devoted
to the last chapters, which had to be
ground out almost word by word, as the
author was so utterly Frustrated by over-
work that interest and inspiration seemed
both to have failed him. Rsther to my
surprise kidnapped" is Mr.. Steyensoa's