Article #281-1 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from Father Damien: An Open Letter to the Reverend Dr. Hyde of Honolulu, by Robert Louis Stevenson

"C. M. HYDE"

To deal fitly with a letter so extraordinary, I must draw at the outset
on my private knowledge of the signatory and his sect. It may offend
others; scarcely you, who have been so busy to collect, so bold to
publish, gossip on your rivals. And this is perhaps the moment when I
may best explain to you the character of what you are to read: I conceive
you as a man quite beyond and below the reticences of civility: with what
measure you mete, with that shall it be measured you again; with you, at
last, I rejoice to feel the button off the foil and to plunge home. And
if in aught that I shall say I should offend others, your colleagues,
whom I respect and remember with affection, I can but offer them my
regret; I am not free, I am inspired by the consideration of interests
far more large; and such pain as can be inflicted by anything from me
must be indeed trifling when compared with the pain with which they read
your letter. It is not the hangman, but the criminal, that brings
dishonour on the house.

You belong, sir, to a sect--I believe my sect, and that in which my
ancestors laboured--which has enjoyed, and partly failed to utilise, an
exceptional advantage in the islands of Hawaii. The first missionaries
came; they found the land already self-purged of its old and bloody
faith; they were embraced, almost on their arrival, with enthusiasm; what
troubles they supported came far more from whites than from Hawaiians;
and to these last they stood (in a rough figure) in the shoes of God.
This is not the place to enter into the degree or causes of their
failure, such as it is. One element alone is pertinent, and must here be
plainly dealt with. In the course of their evangelical calling, they--or
too many of them--grew rich. It may be news to you that the houses of
missionaries are a cause of mocking on the streets of Honolulu. It will
at least be news to you, that when I returned your civil visit, the
driver of my cab commented on the size, the taste, and the comfort of
your home. It would have been news certainly to myself, had any one told
me that afternoon that I should live to drag such a matter into print.
But you see, sir, how you degrade better men to your own level; and it is
needful that those who are to judge betwixt you and me, betwixt Damien
and the devil's advocate, should understand your letter to have been
penned in a house which could raise, and that very justly, the envy and
the comments of the passers-by. I think (to employ a phrase of yours
which I admire) it "should be attributed" to you that you have never
visited the scene of Damien's life and death. If you had, and had
recalled it, and looked about your pleasant rooms, even your pen perhaps
would have been stayed.

Explanation

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Father Damien: An Open Letter to the Reverend Dr. Hyde of Honolulu (1890) is a scathing rebuttal to a letter by the Presbyterian minister Charles McEwen Hyde, who had publicly criticized Father Damien de Veuster, a Belgian Catholic priest renowned for his sacrificial work among lepers in Molokai, Hawaii. Stevenson’s letter is a masterclass in rhetorical fury, moral indictment, and stylistic precision. Below is a detailed breakdown of the excerpt, focusing on its language, themes, literary devices, and significance, while grounding the analysis in the text itself.

Context of the Excerpt

Stevenson, then a celebrated writer (author of Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), was living in Samoa when he encountered Hyde’s letter, which accused Damien of moral failings and questioned his sanctity. Outraged, Stevenson—though a Presbyterian by upbringing—defended Damien in this open letter, published in a Sydney newspaper. The excerpt above is the opening salvo, where Stevenson establishes his tone, dismantles Hyde’s credibility, and frames the moral stakes of the debate.

Key Themes in the Excerpt

Moral Hypocrisy vs. Genuine Sacrifice Stevenson contrasts Hyde’s material comfort with Damien’s self-denial. The passage seethes with contempt for Hyde’s privileged position as a missionary who, unlike Damien, never endured hardship among the lepers. The line "you have never visited the scene of Damien's life and death" is a devastating accusation: Hyde judges from afar, while Damien gave his life.
The Corruption of Institutional Religion Stevenson implicates Hyde’s sect (Presbyterian missionaries) in a broader failure: they arrived in Hawaii with "exceptional advantage" (a people "self-purged of its old and bloody faith") but grew rich instead of serving. The mention of missionaries’ houses being "a cause of mocking" undermines their moral authority.
Justice and Retributive Rhetoric Stevenson adopts a biblical tone ("with what measure you mete, with that shall it be measured you again") to justify his own harshness. He frames Hyde as the true criminal, not Damien, and positions himself as an avenger of truth.
Class and Colonialism The reference to the cab driver’s commentary on Hyde’s house is a deliberate class inversion: a working-class Hawaiian (implied by the context) judges the missionary’s wealth, exposing the hypocrisy of colonial "civilizing" missions. Stevenson uses this to shame Hyde for his materialism in a land where natives suffer.

Literary Devices and Stylistic Analysis

Direct Address and Aggressive Tone
- Stevenson names Hyde immediately ("C. M. HYDE") and uses second-person pronouns ("you," "sir") to create a confrontational, personal attack.
- Phrases like "plunge home" (a fencing metaphor) and "the button off the foil" (removing the blunt tip of a sword) signal unrestrained aggression. Stevenson is not debating—he is dueling.
Irony and Sarcasm
- "I conceive you as a man quite beyond and below the reticences of civility": A backhanded insult—Hyde is so uncivil that Stevenson need not be civil either.
- "your pleasant rooms": Sarcastic, contrasting Hyde’s comfort with Damien’s leper colony.
- "I admire [your phrase]": False praise before using Hyde’s own words against him.
Biblical and Classical Allusions
- "With what measure you mete...": Quotes Matthew 7:2 ("For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged"), turning Hyde’s own religious rhetoric against him.
- "the hangman, but the criminal, that brings dishonour": Evokes judicial imagery, positioning Hyde as the true source of shame.
Juxtaposition
- Hyde’s wealth vs. Damien’s poverty: The cab driver’s observation is a microcosm of the larger hypocrisy.
- Hyde’s written attacks vs. Damien’s lived sacrifice: Stevenson implies that words are cheap; only actions (like Damien’s) have moral weight.
Rhetorical Questions and Hypotheticals
- "It would have been news certainly to myself...": Stevenson feigns surprise at his own future actions (publishing this letter), making Hyde the cause of this "unthinkable" response.
- "had you [visited Molokai]... perhaps your pen would have been stayed": A hypothetical rebuke, suggesting Hyde’s ignorance fuels his cruelty.
Apologia (Defense of His Own Harshness) Stevenson preemptively defends his vitriol:
- "I am not free, I am inspired by the consideration of interests far more large": He claims a higher moral duty (defending Damien) justifies his harshness.
- "such pain as can be inflicted by anything from me must be indeed trifling...": Diminishes his own words while amplifying Hyde’s offense.

Significance of the Passage

A Defense of Selfless Heroism Stevenson elevates Damien as a Christ-like figure (a theme developed later in the letter) while demolishing Hyde’s credibility. The excerpt sets up Damien as the true Christian, not the comfortable, judgmental missionary.
Critique of Colonial Missionary Hypocrisy The passage exposes how Western missionaries often exploited the very people they claimed to save. The "houses of missionaries" becoming objects of mockery symbolizes the failure of their mission.
Stevenson’s Rhetorical Mastery This is not just a defense of Damien—it’s a display of Stevenson’s skill in persuasion, insult, and moral argument. His controlled fury makes the letter both a personal attack and a universal indictment of hypocrisy.
Historical Impact Stevenson’s letter shifted public opinion in Damien’s favor and contributed to his canonization in 2009. It also cemented Stevenson’s reputation as a moral voice, not just an adventure novelist.

Close Reading of Key Lines

"I rejoice to feel the button off the foil and to plunge home."
- Fencing metaphor: The "button" is the blunt tip of a foil; removing it means fighting to wound. Stevenson is no longer sparring—he’s attacking to draw blood.
"It is not the hangman, but the criminal, that brings dishonour on the house."
- Inversion of blame: Hyde (the "criminal") shames his entire sect, not Damien (the "hangman," a false accusation). Stevenson reverses the roles to expose Hyde’s guilt.
"they stood (in a rough figure) in the shoes of God."
- Irony: Missionaries saw themselves as divine representatives, but Stevenson implies they failed their godlike responsibility by growing rich.
"you degrade better men to your own level"
- Moral contamination: Hyde’s actions force Stevenson to stoop to his level in response, but the real degradation is Hyde’s own behavior.

Conclusion: Why This Excerpt Matters

This opening is not just an introduction—it’s a declaration of war. Stevenson:

Establishes Hyde as the villain (hypocritical, wealthy, judgmental).
Elevates Damien by contrast (self-sacrificing, silent in death but defended here).
Uses Hyde’s own tactics (gossip, personal attacks) against him, but with superior rhetorical skill.
Frames the debate as moral, not theological: It’s about human decency, not Catholic vs. Protestant.

The passage is brilliant polemic, blending moral outrage, sharp wit, and unrelenting logic to destroy Hyde’s credibility while immortalizing Damien’s legacy. Stevenson doesn’t just argue—he annihilates, and in doing so, crafts one of the greatest open letters in literary history.

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s opening sentence—"To deal fitly with a letter so extraordinary, I must draw at the outset on my private knowledge of the signatory and his sect"—primarily serves to:

A. establish Stevenson’s authority as an insider familiar with Hawaiian missionary culture, thereby lending his argument an air of objective expertise.
B. signal that the rebuttal will rely on ad hominem tactics, undermining Hyde’s character rather than engaging with the substance of his claims.
C. create a false dichotomy between "private knowledge" and public perception, implying that only Stevenson possesses the truth about Hyde.
D. preemptively justify the personal nature of the attack by framing it as a necessary response to Hyde’s own transgressions.
E. expose an inherent tension between the missionary sect’s public piety and its private failures, using Hyde as a synecdoche for systemic hypocrisy.

Question 2

When Stevenson writes, "I think (to employ a phrase of yours which I admire) it 'should be attributed' to you that you have never visited the scene of Damien's life and death," the parenthetical aside functions as:

A. a conciliatory gesture, softening the critique by acknowledging Hyde’s rhetorical skill before deploying it against him.
B. an example of praeteritio, where Stevenson pretends to withhold judgment while actually emphasizing Hyde’s moral failure.
C. a meta-commentary on the act of quotation itself, suggesting that Hyde’s words are only useful when repurposed by a superior rhetorician.
D. a layered irony, in which Stevenson’s "admiration" for the phrase underscores its inapplicability to Hyde’s own lack of direct experience.
E. a red herring, distracting from the central argument by focusing on Hyde’s linguistic habits rather than his ethical lapses.

Question 3

The cab driver’s commentary on Hyde’s house is deployed as a rhetorical device to:

A. introduce an appeal to ethos by aligning Stevenson’s perspective with that of the Hawaiian working class.
B. demonstrate the universality of moral judgment, suggesting even the "common man" recognizes Hyde’s hypocrisy.
C. undermine Hyde’s authority by revealing that his material success is resented by the very people he claims to serve.
D. create a false equivalence between economic criticism and moral condemnation, conflating wealth with corruption.
E. force the reader to confront the disjunction between Hyde’s privileged position and Damien’s ascetic sacrifice, making the contrast visceral rather than abstract.

Question 4

Stevenson’s claim that "it is not the hangman, but the criminal, that brings dishonour on the house" is most effectively read as:

A. a rejection of collective guilt, arguing that Hyde’s actions reflect only on himself, not his sect.
B. an appeal to biblical justice, invoking Old Testament principles of individual retribution.
C. a literal accusation that Hyde has committed a crime, thereby shifting the debate from ethics to legality.
D. a rhetorical inversion, wherein Stevenson reassigns the roles of perpetrator and victim, casting Hyde as the true source of shame.
E. a concession that the missionary sect’s reputation is already irreparably damaged, rendering Hyde’s letter moot.

Question 5

The passage’s overarching structural logic can best be described as:

A. inductive, building from specific examples (e.g., the cab driver’s remark) to a general condemnation of missionary hypocrisy.
B. dialectical, in that Stevenson anticipates and dismantles counterarguments (e.g., Hyde’s potential defenses) while constructing his own case.
C. circular, beginning and ending with ad hominem attacks without advancing a substantive moral argument.
D. deductive, deriving the conclusion (Hyde’s moral failure) from premised truths about missionary wealth and Damien’s sacrifice.
E. episodic, shifting between unrelated vignettes (Hyde’s house, Damien’s leper colony) without a unifying thesis.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: E

Why E is most correct: The opening sentence does more than set up Stevenson’s personal knowledge—it frames Hyde as emblematic of a broader systemic failure. By invoking "the signatory and his sect," Stevenson signals that his critique will target not just Hyde’s individual hypocrisy but the institutional corruption of the missionary enterprise. The phrase "private knowledge" contrasts with the public facade of piety, exposing the gap between appearance and reality that defines the sect’s moral bankruptcy. This is a synecdochic move: Hyde stands in for the entire mission’s failure.