The Irish standard., 1911-06-03
FAMOUS LETTER
Mrs. Stevenson Writes Preface to Her
Husbands Defence of FIR. Damien.

| Robert Louis Stevenson's famous
open letter to Rev. Dr. Hyde of Homo
lulu, in defense of Father Damien, has
been again published in neat book
, form by the Ave Maria Press of Notre
Dame with statement from Mrs.
Stevenson that her husband never eX-
pressed any regret over the publica-
ton of this now famous letter and
on the dead mans memory brought a
flash of anger into his face and fire
to his eye that were unmistakabe."
writes r. C. Glesner in the Catholic
Columbian.
| Mrs. Stevenson has in the late biog-
ra phical edition of her husbands
works a very interesting preface deal
| ing with Stevenson's attitude towards
the victims of leprosy, in which she
| relates a few good anecdotes. On one
| occasion he offers a cigarette, Git was
in the Marquesas Islands) to a strang-
er, who takes it with the manned
hand OF u leper' and after a puff or
two hands it back to the giver, who
smokes it out. He afterward remark
ed to his wife: Il could not mortlfy
leper island, he refused to wear gloves
while playing croquet, lest it might re-
mind the young girls of their condi-
ton. Stevenson loved Father Damien
and often called him that saint and
martyr" hence was aroused when he
read in a newspaper of Sydney the
letter OF Rev. DR.. Hyde, a missionary
of Honolulu, Directing to monument
to Father Damien on the plea that he
was "a coarse, dirty man, who had
contracted leprosy through his immor-
al habits" Mrs. Stevenson says:
II shall never forget my husbands
ferocity of indignation, his leaping
stride as he paced the room holding
| the offending paper at arms length
before his eyes. In a minute he dis
/ L
could hear him, in his own room, pull
ing his chair to the table and the
sound of his inkstand being dragged
: toward him."
Later in the day, he called his wife
and her son and daughter. and told
them he had something quite serious
I'm, Il i,,on .tn, -
Mrs Stevenson records:
And then we three had the ircom-
parable experience of hearing it's au-
thor read aloud the defense of FIR. Da-
mien while it was still red-hot from
his indignant soul"
After he finished the reading, he in.
Dictated that the letter might be libel.
lous and to publish 1t might cause him
serious financial loss-but Mrs Stew.
enson adds there was no dissenting
voice-how could there be?"
A distinguished lawyer. however
was consulted and he decided 1t wa.
IA serious affair" but suggested: INC
one will publish it," This proved t.
be true, but Stevenson hired a printer
by the day and the little pamphlet
was hurriedly gotten out and thu
whole family turned In and helped
mail 1t far and wide around the glob.
and thus, Mrs. Stevenson remarks:
Father Damien was vindicated b,
a stranger man of another countr,
and another religion from his own"
The pamphlet was first published IL
March, 1890, and he always refused t.
take any payment though many edi
tons We're subsequently, issued. H,
once wrote to a publisher in London
"The letter to DR.. Hyde is yours o.
any mans. l will never touch a penn,
of remuneration. I do not stick a
murder; I draw the line at cannibal
ism. I could not eat a penny roll tina
piece Of bludgconing brought me-
HnN m DTNnO