STERLING
STOCKER
(1906). He died of a painless cancer, and
retained to the last (when the compiler
visited him) his complete disbelief in all
forms of religion. D. Feb. 22, 1904.
STERLING, John, writer. B. July 20, 1806. Ed. privately and Cambridge (Trinity College and Trinity Hall). After leaving the university Sterling became associate editor of the AthencBUm and secretary of a political association. For a time he then managed a sugar plantation in the West Indies. In 1833 he went to study in Germany, and on his return he was ordained a deacon of the Church of England. He was curate to J. C. Hare for a year ; but liberal German theology was modifying his beliefs, and he resigned on the ostensible ground of poor health. He took to literature, writing verse, stories, and essays in the magazines. Consump tion set in, however, and his later work was done in a struggle for life. His tragedy Strafford (1843) was dedicated to Emer son. Julius Hare edited his works (Essays and Tales of John Sterling, 2 vols.) in 1848, but he would now be almost entirely forgotten if it were not for the fine biography of him by Carlyle (1851). To Carlyle he wrote just before his death : "I tread the common road into the great darkness, without any thought of fear and with very much of hope. Certainty, indeed, I have none." He did not believe in a personal God. D. Sep. 18, 1844.
" STERNE, Carus." See KBAUSE, E.
STEVENSON, Robert Louis, novelist. B. Nov. 13, 1850. Ed. Edinburgh Aca demy, private schools, and Edinburgh University. His father was an engineer, and Robert Louis was intended for the same profession, but he was too delicate, and he took up the study of law. He was called to the Bar in 1875. He never practised, however, as his health was still poor, and he was much attracted to litera ture. He settled in London, where his contributions to the magazines commended
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him to many of the leading writers. His
first book, An Inland Voyage, was published
in 1878. Treasure Island and The Black
Arrow followed in 1883 ; and four years
later his Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde and Kidnapped won general
recognition of his high qualities. He was
chiefly occupied in writing short stories, and
in futile wanderings in search of health.
In 1888 he visited the South Sea Islands,
and, finding there a suitable climate, he
settled at Samoa, where for several years
he continued to produce brilliant and abun
dant work. His collected works (1894-96)
fill twenty-seven volumes. Stevenson had
discarded his Christian faith, if not all
religion, at Edinburgh ; but this led to
a grave quarrel with his father, and he
returned to a phase of outward acquiescence.
He disliked aggressive Rationalists, went to
church occasionally, and at Samoa had
daily prayers in his house (though the
presence of his pious mother may have
influenced this). The two best-informed
writers on the matter, Mr. A. Johnston
(R. L. Stevenson in the Pacific) and Mr. F.
Watt (R. L. S., 1913), show that he was
almost Agnostic to the end. Mr. Johnston
quotes him saying, at Samoa : " I am
religious in my own way, but I am hardly
brave enough to interpose a theory of my
own between life and death. Here both
our creeds and our philosophies seem to
me to fail." Mr. Watt concludes that " he
was destitute of fixed creed or belief, and
that he is properly described as an
Agnostic " (p. 273). D. Dec. 3, 1894.
STEWART, Sir James. See DENHAM, SIR J. S.
"STIRNER, Max." See SCHMIDT, KASPAR.
STOCKER, Helene, Ph.D., German writer. B. Nov. 13, 1869. Ed. Viktoria Lyceum at the Berlin University, and Glasgow University. After graduating in philosophy, Fraulein Stocker travelled ex tensively over Europe to complete her 764
