Father Damien - An Open Letter to the Reverend Dr. Hyde of Honolulu - Robert Louis Stevenson

Father Damien was a Belgian, Roman Catholic Missionary who devoted his life to helping at a leper sanctuary in Hawaii. Eventually Father Damien would die of the illness more than twenty years after arriving at the sanctuary. This letter by Stevenson is in fact a response to the Reverend of Hawaii, who following Damien’s death began attacking his character, something Stevenson took huge problem with. This letter is a beautiful example of the kind of soul Stevenson was, in this letter he refutes the reverend’s gross statements point by point. Stevenson targets the hypocrisy of the reverend, his lack of moral character and his failure in his spiritual duties. This letter is a potent moral statement stemming from a desire to be good and to do better.