Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Master's Theses Theses and Dissertations 1948 Stevenson and the Catholic Church; A Background for the Damien Letter Earl August Weis Loyola University Chicago Recommended Citation Weis, Earl August, "Stevenson and the Catholic Church; A Background for the Damien Letter" (1948). Master's Theses. Paper 814. http://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/814 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 1948 Earl August Weis STEVENSON AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH A BACKGROUND FOR THE DA~IITEN LETTER BY EARL A. WEIS, S.J. A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIP L FUI,FIlMENr OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR TEE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS AT LOYOLA UNIVERSITY FEBRUARY 1948 A.M.D.G. B.V.M.H. Vita Auctoris Earl A. Weis was born at Toledo, Ohio, May 5, 1923. He graduated from St. James Parochial School, Toledo, in 1937 and entered St. Joseph's Academy, Collegeville, Indiana in the same year. Upon graduation in 1941 he entered the Jesuit Novitiate at Milford, Ohio and was enrolled in the College of Arts of xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio. In September of 1945 he transferred, to West Baden College of Loyola University, from which he received the Bachelor of Arts degree in the following June. He immediately entered the Graduate School of the same University to pursue his studies for the degree of Master of Arts. "Not all roads lead to Rome - only that you have begun to travel." - R.L.S., Aphorism TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPrER PAGE I. A GEm."'RAL INTRODUCTION TO THE DAMIEN LETTER • • • • • 1 The occasion---The writing---Publication--­ stevenson's risk---Contents of the letter--­ Method of refuting Hyde---"Honor of the inert" ---Vehemence of t he letter---The letter as a human document---Its literary merit---Raleigh's praise---Steuart's criticism---"Unreasoned" ve­ hemence?---Lack of urbanity?---Inaccuracy?--­ Damien's innocence of the charges---Importance of the letter---Need of further light on Steven­ son's mental background--~o fundamental questions---Spirit of his first works--- Spirit of later works---Summary. II. EARLY RELEVANT BACKGROUND • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 17 Importance of Stevenson's childhood religion as a formative influence---Religion of his parents ---"Cummy"---Fears resulting from Calvinistio preoccupation with Hell---Difficulties of pre­ destination---Hermits of Marco Sadeler---Pres­ byterian view of CathoIrc Church---Stevenson's attitude towards Presbyterianism---His revolt ---Its consequences---The atheist---Fleeming Jenkin---His influenoe on Stevenson---8imi- larities between Stevenson and Jenkin---Jenkin's attitude towards religion. III. FRENCH DAYS • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • 32 Pertinacity of prejudice---Occasions of his ex­ cursions to France---Significance of works of French period---Story and essay about Francois Villon---Sire de Maletroit's Door---An Inland Voyage---wnat it reveais---Stevenson-rn Noyon Cathedral---Stevenson on Catholic devotions--­ "pass-bookreligiontt---His confession of preju­ dice---Travels with ~ Donkey---Incomplete sym­ pathy---ttOur Lady of the Snows"---Its text--­ Stevenson's view of the practical aspects of cenobitical life---Two points of disagreement with philosophy of the monks---Poem: "Our Lady of the Snows"---Effect of the visit on further writings---Summary. IV. IN THE SOUTH SEAS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 55 --Biographicar-tacts---Stevenson's attitude changed still more by contacts with missionaries---In the South Seas---Objections to changes introduced by missionaries---Consistency of his attitude---Lay brother's school---Nuns' sChool---Poverty of Catho­ lic clergy---Objectivity of Stevenson---Brother Michel---Bishop Dordillon---Unmarried missionaries ---Pere Simeon---Father Orens---Stevenson and the B.V.M.---An example of the process by which his prejudice lessened. V. STEVENSON ON MOLOKAI • • • • • • • • • • • ••••• 75 His reelings as ne landed on the island---The two nuns---His isolation---The sisters working on Molokai---Stevenson's attitude towards their motives---poem to the sisters of Molokai--- Brother Dutton---Brother Dutton's account of Stevenson's visit---Stevenson's sympathy with Brother Dutton's motives---Stevenson's plans to live on Molokai---Stevenson's knowledge of Father Damien---Letter to Colvin---Frank words of Stevenson compared to those of Dutton--- Summary. EPILOGlJE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 95 Events subsequent to letter---stevenson's "fortress"---Vailima prayers---Bishop Lamaze's statement---Would Stevenson have become a Catho­ lic?---Relations with the Catholic missionaries on Samoa---His agreement with their methods--­ Stevenson's final judgment of the Damien letter ---His justification. BIBL!OG~ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 104 ~------------------------------------~r- CHAPTER I 1 A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE DAlIITEN LETTER Towards the end of I~y in the year 1889, Robert Louis Steven­ son visited the leper settlement of Father Darnien at Molokai. His stay lasted about a week, "eight days and seven nights," he expli- 2 citly tells us later. During the time he spent there, Stevenson formed from careful observation a definite estimate both of the leper priest and his work. Father Damien had died only the pre- vious April. When Stevenson completed his visit he continued his cruise in the South Seas among the islands of Oceania and the fol- lowing February was in Sydney, Australia. It was there one evening over the dinner table that someone spoke of Molokai. Another asked if Stevenson had seen published in the Sydney Presbyterian a letter written by the Reverend Doctor Hyde, a Presbyterian minister whom Stevenson had met in Honolulu. The letter attacked the moral character of Father Damien and be- littled his work for the lepers. Now Stevenson had conceived a 1 Stevenson's letter to Hyde received at publication the title of Father Damien, An Open Letter to the Reverend Dr. Hyde of Hono­ lulu. The short title is Father Damien. However, it is useful here to refer to the work as "the Damien letter," thus avoiding possible confusion of the letter with the person of Father Damien. The text used is that published by Chas. Scribner's Sons, N.Y., 1916. 2 The Damien letter, 22 2 burning adrrliration for the Belgian missionary, and his reaction 3 on being shown the letter was to jump to his feet in hot rage. He was furious with the man who had written it. Mrs. stevenson re- counts that he beat his head and locked himself in a room where he 4 muttered aloud as he wrote his immortal reply. The completed piece was dispatched to London and New York for printing in the dailies, the Argus and other papers. The London papers, fearing libel suits, seem not to have printed it, but the Scots Observer, less reticent, printed the whole thing in two installments, May 3, 5 and May 10, 1890. Immediately afterward it was published as a booklet by Messrs. Chatto and Windus. stevenson gave the profits to the publishers, saying, The letter to Dr. Hyde is yours, or any man's. I will never touch a penny of remuneration. I do not stick at murder; I draw the line at cannibalism. I could not eat a penny roll 6 that piece of bludgeoning had gained for me. Andrew Chatto, the publisher, sent the author's share of the pro­ fits to the leper settlement at Molokai. This was said to have 3 John A. steuart, Robert Louis Stevenson, A Critical Biography, Little, Brown and Co., Boston, 1924, 11,188 4 John Farrow, Damien the Leper, Sheed and Ward, N.Y., 1937, 206 5 steuart II, 189; Charles J. Dutton, The Samaritans of Molokai, Dodd, Mead and Co., N.Y., 1932, 113.--rThis writer IS not to be identified with Damien's coworker, Joseph Dutton.) 6 Dutton, 113 ~~ .--------------------------------------------------------------------~.3 given Stevenson much pleasure.7 It was in this way that steven- son's ever-to-be-remembered defence of Father Damien was given to the world. The author of Treasure Island held the theory that "A man is 8 of no use until he has dared everything," and it is notable that he supported this prinoiple with practiue on at least two occa­ sions=- the first was in risking parental displeasure by marrying the woman he loved; the second was in the case of his letter to Hyde, when, angry though he was, he yet coldly considered all the possible consequences and risked the financial security he had long labored to attain in order to come to the rescue of Damients reputation. He believed that there would indubitably be a libel suit if he replied to Hyde in the way that his indignation demand­ ed. He tells us: I knew I was writing a libel; I thought he would bring an action; I made sure I should be ruined; I asked leave. of my gallant family, and the sense that I was signing away all I possessed kept me up to high-water mark, and made me feel every insult heroic.9 7 Steuart II, 189 8 Steuart I, 277 9 Graham Balfour, Life of Robert Louis Stevenson, Chas. Scribner's Sons, N.Y., 1923~8;-also Steuart II, 188. In the light of this statement, the remark of the otherwise very reliable Dut­ ton that "Stevenson was so angry that he forgot all about the danger of libel suits" does not seem quite exact. (Dutton, ~ Samaritans of Molokai, 112) 4 It is not necessary to give Stevenson's reply to Doctor Hyde here. Indeed, it can be found not only among the works of stevenson himself, but is quotedwholly or partially in many 10 biographies of Damien. After a short introduction recalling his previous acquaintance with Hyde, Stevenson gives Hyde's letter in full •.