The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-05-20
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
PROFESSOR ROLFE TREATS THE
FAMOUS NOVELIST.
Birth and Early Life-No Writer Since
Scott so Widely Mourned-Some of
His Leading Works

Professor Rolfe lectured at the High
school last evening on the subject of
Robert Louis Stevenson. AS most of
those present had been personally ac-
quainted with the dead author, the lee
ture took on a local and particularly
interesting aspect. Professor Rolfe
said:
"All his friends praise the spirit that
resided in this man. The doer they tell
us, was better than any of his deeds.
his art in living finer than his art IN
writing; even more remarkable, even
less easily TO be analyZed and explain
ed"
Robert Louis Stevenson was born in
Edinburgh, in the year 1850. For several
generations the Stevensons had been
distinguished light house engineers,
and he too, with his fondness for life
of action, undoubtedly would have
taken up this adventurous calling, II
i'll health had not prevented him. AS
1t was, he very early turned his
thoughts toward literature. During his
college years he neglected all other
work, but labored unremittingly to aC-
quire the art of writing.
His life during these years of early
manhood was a very unsettled one. He
was sometimes at home, sometimes liv-
ing with the art students of Paris or
Fontainbleau, and sometimes exploring
out of the way corners of Europe. He
came to America, too, during this per-
iod. Out of these Wanderings grew
most of his books of travel. The first
of these was An Inland Voyage, pub
! lished when he was twenty eight. 1t
attracted but little attention. 1t was
soon followed by the Travels with a
Donkey in the Cevennes. And within a
few months the trip to New York and
across the continent to California fur
nished material for three volumes
more. The Amateur Emigrant, Across
the Plains, and The Silverado squat
ters.
Along with these books of travel the
/ critical reviews that were collected lat
er under the title Familiar Studies of
] Men and Books, were being produced
and some of the charming essays con-
/ tanned in Virginibus Puerisque and
/ Memoirs and Portraits, and also GER
! tain short stories of remarkable eXceil-
ence. Such writing could not fail to win
the admiration of all real lovers of lit
| erature. but something Of a sturdier
| strain was required to attract the at
| tention of the general public. In 1885,
/ Gn his thirty third year, this some
thing appeared. in the form of Treas
ure Island. Though ostensibly only a
| boys book, Treasure Island is in real
| ity interesting to persons of every age
/ If they care at all for romantic fiction
and consequently it was a brilliant sue
cess from the outset. After its publ
| cation everything that Stevenson chose
to write was welcomed.
During the remaining twelve years OF
his life eight other rOmances were pro-
/ duced, together with another series OF
short tales, some further essays, three
volumes of exquisite verse, and certain
/ less important works. And all this I'm
der circumstances that would utterly
have daunted most men, for his health
was feeble and he was frequently face
| to face with death. In 1888 it seemed as
If he must finally sucCumb. The resorts
| of the Alps and of the Mediterranean
and the air of the Adirondacks ant
of California, all had failed to help him
and he was in despair. AS a last re-
source he determined to try the Islands
of the South Seas. Here he found com
parative freedom from suffering. So
he made his home there in Samoa. H,
soon became the islanders warn
friend, and was able to render then
many important services. He liveC
among them for about five years, ant
then died there, suddenly, in Decembe
of 1894, in his forty-fifth year. 1t i
doubtful if any writer since Scott ha
been more widely mourned.