A Plea for Gas Lamps by Robert Louis Stevenson

In this essay, Stevenson argues against the replacement of gas lamps with electric lights, defending gas lighting for its romantic charm and atmospheric quality. The piece is more about sentiment than utility, exploring how gas lamps create a mood that connects city dwellers to mystery, beauty, and a slower pace of life. There is no narrative plot, but rather a meditation on urban aesthetics and modernity. Stevenson praises imperfection and the human scale. A nostalgic defense of the poetic in the everyday.