New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-09
Stevenson S Honesty
Charge That He Stole The Bottle
Imp" Resented and Disproved

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: In the May number of "Munsey' s
Magazine" there is an anonymous attack upon
the literary honesty of Robert Louis Steven
son so openly hostile in tone and so malicious
in treatment that beg to be allowed to an
swer it i'll your paper.
/ If any one printed a story accusing Lincoln
of stealing a penny from blind man it
would not be more far-fetched and prepos-
ferrous than this insulting article in "Mun-
sey's."
The "Munsey" article charges Stevenson
with deliberately purloining the story Of THE
Bottle Imp" and fosting it upon an unsus-
pecting public as entirely his own. 1t de-
clares that the story was published in "The
Herald" in 1890 without any explanatory
note, and uses this fact as the sole proof OF
the argument. One does not judge man Of
Mr. Steyenson's known character by stray
newspaper publication. but by the author
lied editions of his books. In every one of
the many that have appeared in England and
America the following note is invariably
printed in connection with the story Of "The
Bottle Imp"
/ Note-Any student OF that very unliterary prod
uct the English drama Of the carly part Of the
century, will here recognize the name and root
/ idea OF piece once rendered popular by the re-
doubtable r. Smith. The root idea is there. and
identical and yet I believe have made it a new
thing. And the fact that the tale has been dc-
signed and written for a Poynesian audience may
! lend it extraneous interest nearer home.
II. L. S.
! In the Biographical Edition Of Stevenson's
Works" there is more detailed account of
I the origin Of the story, written by my mother,
/ the late Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson. She
explained again that the root idea was taken
1 from an old English drama founded on a
German legend. AS the play was unsigned
except by the lyric writer, Fitzbel, Mr.. Stew
cnson gave his thanks to the actor, Smith
who played in the original cast early in 1900
/ With some difficulty and after much time
I found the original play in the New York
Public Library. | read it very carefully. There
/ is no resemblance whatever between the pom
pous, dull old melodrama and Mr.. Stevenson s
enchanting story 1t is as different as the
! fairy tale we all know and Sir James Barrie
charming version OF it in "a Kiss for Cinde-
rella.' Both Barrie and Stevenson founded
/ their stories upon old legends, in both cases
| the authors acknowledging their debt in their
titles; only Mr. Stevenson went further and
added an explanatory note.
/ | have read numerous articles about Mr.
Stevenson, most of them eulogistic, but as
/ his great name is a target for many literary
popguns some Of them were derogatory. He
I has been held up to the public as senti-
mentalist, as a ragged Bohemian, as silly
egoist, as a pompous preacher. Had Mr.
Stevenson read any of these descriptions he
would have laughed and cared not one bit
But he was sensitive on questions of honor
and this slur upon his integrity would have
cut him to the heart. He would have cleared
himself in paragraph. Is there no one to
defend him now as he himself defended
Father Damien? lSOBEL FIELD.
New York, May 6, 1917.