The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-28
The story Of the Bottle Imp.

.
Bottle Imp" We say "SrEyENsoN's
Bottle Imp" with somewhat Of reser-
walton: this rema rkable narrative might
itself he made the subject of n story
involving the canons Of artistic con-
science. the ethics Of appropriation and
adaptation, and the equities Of owner.
ship In the case Of literary property
heavily mortgaged when recorded to
the credit of the nominal author.
Certain II IL that II to STEvENsoN's
imagination were due the original con-
cepton and the secondary inventions
which give vitality and interest to the
tale. and the moral as distinguished
from the merely geographical and rhe-
torical scenery with which II Is set
forth. his version Of THE BOTTLE Imp"
would rank among the greatest short
stories ever written. The truth is, his
share was that of an uncommonly skill
full adapter Even the title he lifted
TO use as II II were his own.
In the collected editions Of STEVEN
SONS writings "The Bottle Imp" Is pre-
coded by vague and apparently not
quite ingenious Note:
ANY student Of that very unliterary
product, the English drama OF the early
part OF the century, will here recognize
the name and the root idea Of a piece once
rendered popular by the redoubtable r..
| SMITH. The root idea Is there and identi-
| cal. and vet believe 7 have made II a
/ new thing And the fact that the tale
has been designed and written for Poly
nesian audience may lend It some extra
neous interest nearer homer, l.. s.
This slender admission has all the
/ earmarks Of an afterthought prompted
either by twinges Of conscience or by
IA perception of the need OF defensive
mei s,lres against the charge Of crude
| plagiarism which was made possible IL
not probable by wider and more per-
manent publicity than was originally
contemplated for the tale. The fact Is
! that before its publication by the ScRIR-
NERs in April, 1893. in the volume en-
titled Island Nights Entertainments"
"The Bottle Imp appeared both In
Hawaiian and In English without any
predatory indication Of previous ex-
| istence in any form. In SIDNEY Col
WIS Notes to STEvENsoN's letters IL
the following account Of the time and
circumstances of THE Bottle Imp's'
genesis 80 far as X. L. :. was con-
cerned:
"He started accordingly for Honolulu
| in June, 1889. on a trading schooner, the
/ Equator. bound to the Gilberts. one of the
! least visited and most prmitively man
nered Of all the island groups Of the west
ern Pacific: and emerged toward Christ
mas OF the same year into semi-civilixa-
ton again at Samoa. where he wrote his
| first Polynesan story. The Bottle Imp"
In Mr.. GRAHAM BALFoUR's Life OF
Robert Louis Stevenson" 1t IL recorded
that The Bottle Imp" written at the
| beginning of 1890. was translated by
| one Of the members of the London Mis-
sion into Samoan for the mission maya
zine almost as soon as 1t was written !;
and has the unique distinction of having
been published in Samoan before II APP
peared in English" In one of the
"vailima Letters" dated March. 1891,
STEVENSON says: 81 spent the rest OF
the evening going over the Samoan
translation OF my Bottle Imp with
CLAYTON the missionary; and this Is
added in footnote to the same letter:
THE first serial tale. says Mr.. CLARKE,
ever read by Samoans In their own Ian
guage was the story OF The Bottle Imp
which found its way into print at Samoa
and was read with wonder and delight in
many matched Samoan hut before IT
won the admiration of readers at home.
In the English form the story was pub
lished first In Black and white, and after
ward in the volume called Island Nights
Entertainments
This note Is Mr.. SIDNEY CoLvIN's.
In the official photography in Mr.. GSA-
HAM BAIFoUR's life" 1t Is also stated
that the first English publication Of
1.-THE Bottle Imp" was In Black and
White, on March 2S and April 4, 1891.
Neither statement Is accurate. The
story In English was sold, perhaps by
a syndicatlng agency. to the New York
Herald before its publication In Black
and white. 1t appeared In five sue
cesslve Sunday editions Of the Herald
between February 8 and March 1, 1891 !;
and neither by prologue nor by footnote
was there then the slightest acknowl-
edgment of obligation on STEyENsoN's
part for the root idea" or any other
idea. to any other source than his own
imagination.
Indeed. we see by various references
in the Letters" how much the borrowed
Bottle Imp counted in the eyes of STE
VERSIONS literary vanity. 1t was the
main foundntio Of his claim to the
cherished name OF Tusitala, or Teller
of Tales. which the natives were taught
to apply to him. And we find him. In
August. 1893 writing in characteristic
IL rather affected fashion to CONAN
DOYLE:
Nay. and more, who write to YOU
have had the indiscretion to perpetuate a
trlnlng piece of fiction entitled The Bottle
Imp Parties who come up to visit my
unpretentious mansion, after having ad-