El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-08-04
Wins Fame Despite Illness
Robert Louis Stevenson Perseveres
Through II Years Of Illness
and Does Not Complain.
4 TrFa-w
= BY Madison G. Peter

=
has been no man more popular in
- England, and none more so in
America. than Robert Louis Stevenson.
Stevenson was porn in Edinburgh in
1850, with a delicate constitution He
was precOciOus in a literary way, at
six years debating to his mother
History Of Moses for prize offered
III health made his attendance at
school irregular and he was allowed
his own way. He spent most Of his
time Scr1Obllng childish stories on
scraps Of paper. In 1857 he was sent
to Edinburgh university, but he was
more distinguished for his truancy
than scholarship He left without a
degree, studied law, became a barris-
ter. but literature called him and his
first real effort was The Pentland
Rising" describing the rising Of the
Scots in Pentland Hills. against the
inhUman law of the English An IN
land Voyage" was his next effort, a
charming account of q canoe journey
along some of the canals and rivers OF
northern France and Belgium, pub
Hshed in 1878, Travel With a DOnk-
ey," followed, detailing a trip among
the mountains Of Southern France
Then came .Nirginibus PuerisQue and
other PAPERS" New Arabian Nights"
and Treasure Island" "A Childss Gar
den Of Verse" proved how thoroughly
the writer could enter into and express
a child's thoughts and feelings
His Best known Work.
The Strange Case of Dr. JekyI and
Mr. Hyde" became probably the best
known Of Stevenson-s writings. It was
dramatized ana Richard Mansfield
played it to crowded house kid
naped." which Stevenson himself liked
best, followed David BalfOur," and
The Master OF Ballentras" are other
great novels The Heir of Hermis-
ton" his last work was left unfin-
ished- Many other works came from
his facile pen. Never was finer work
done under conditions so disastrous.
Reporter in San Francisco
Stevenson came to America in 1873
For a few months he was a reporter
on the san Francisco Chronicle per
haps the most miserable period of his
life. Physically he was in a distress
ing condition and financially on the
dismal edge Of despair. He was a
touching sight, his face was CHASTITY in I
its pallOr. his clothes just hung upon
him Men were seen to jump at his
cough and rub their eyes at the sight
Of him san Francisco failed Steven 4:
son in his direst strait, but in after
petuate his memory. There is a mOnu- (;
ment to him now in that city to show
that she was proud because he had
trOdden her streets.
Despite his sickness and poverty,
Stevenson married in San Francisco a
Mrs Osborn. whose acquaintance he
had made in Paris 1t was a happy
union. the two were suited to each
cadia OF love and similar tastes.
Like a Graveyard GhOst.7
With MS wife and her son. Lloyd .
Osborn, Stevenson returned to England, .
visiting Scotland and France and other
places on the continent, always work
ing and always suffering
He was described as q grave
yard ghost, as a grim spectre from
some dim past making its way through
the ranks OF men His face was white
as sheeted tombstone and the pallOr
accumulated by the long black hair
which fell to his shoulders He had
long, aquiline nose, with dark eyes
set very wide apart The hacking
cough was ever present, an affection
made worse by his inysterate cigarette
smoking
Returns to America.
He returned to America in 1881 and
spent a year in the Adirondacks. Then
a cruise was planned for the South
ern Seas, and so began that wandering
life among the islands Of Pacific
Hawaii Australia and other sunny
lands could not bring the roses to his
cheeks, nor give the blood Of health
to his veins. He remained to the end
the same weak, nervous delicate, high
strung creature, of lofty ideals, SEN
s1tive soul and with noble principles
His pen was interchangeable, his brain
was never at rest
Fourteen Years OF Illness.
In a letter to George Meredith q
little while before his death Stevenson
thus describes his own caSe--"FOr
Il years I have not had a days real
health; have Weakened sick and gone
to bed weary and I have done my day
unflinchingly, I have written In bed
and written out OF it; written in hem
orrhages, written in sickness. written
torn by coughing written when my
head swan from weakness; and for
so long it seems to me I have won my
wager and recovered my glove. I was
made for a contest and the Powers
have so wiIled that my battlefield
should be this dingy fnglOriOus one OF
the bed and the physic bottle"
And all the years when his physical
life hung by a thread Stevenson in
sisted on the fullest mental life He
took a month to write two OF his
chapters on the south Seas p days
for p pages Of the "Ebb Tide" four
days for his, brief preface to An
Inland voyage" Prince Otto" he
wrote seven times, and because his
wife had discovered a flaw in the first
draft Of "Dr- JekyIl and Mr.. Hyde"
and fearing to keep the manuscript
lest he should be tempted to fan back
on II, he destroyed it. When his night
hand was disabled he learned to write
with his left, and when forbidden to
speak he dictated whole chapters by
means OF a deaf and dumb alphabet.
He made no complaint Of life, asked
for no pusillanimOus concessions.
faced difficulties with sublime cOUr-
age and declared he had a good time.