CRUSOE IN NEW YORK,
AND OTHER TALES.
EDWARD E. HALE,
"TEN TIMES ONE IS TEN," "HOW TO DO IT,"
"HIS LEVEL BEST," ETC.
ROBERTS BROTHERS.
1880.
BY ROBERTS BROTHERS.
JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE.
PREFACE.
So far as these little stories have met the public eye, they havecalled forth criticism from two points of view. It is said, on the onehand, that the moral protrudes too obviously; that if a preacher wantsto preach, he had better preach and be done with it; that, in thenineteenth century, which is given to realism, nobody wants "inventedexample," or stories written to enforce certain theories of right. Itis said, on the other hand, that the stories have no right to be,because they have no purpose; that nobody can tell what the author isdriving at,—perhaps he cannot tell himself; and that, in thenineteenth century, nobody has any right to thrust upon an exhaustedworld stories which are not true unless they teach a lesson.
It was early settled for me by the critics, in my little experience asa story-writer, that it is wrong for an author to make his storiesprobable,—that he who does this is "a forger and a counterfeiter."There is, however, high authority for teaching by parable—and thatparable which has a very great air of probability.
My limited experience as an editor has taught me, that, whatever elsepeople will read or will not read, they do read short stories, on thewhole, more than they read anything else,—nineteenth century to thecontrary notwithstanding.
Whether these little tales have any right to be or not, they exist. Tothose who think they should have been cast in the shape of sermons, Ihave only to say that there also exist already, in that form ofinstructions, one thousand and ninety-six short essays by the sameauthor, to which number every week of his strength and health makes anaddition. These are open to the perusal or the hearing of any personwho is not "partial to stories," to use an expressive national dialect.Some few even are for sale in print by the publishers of these tales.
The little book is dedicated, with the author's thanks, to those kindreaders who have followed his earlier stories, and have been sotolerant that they were willing to ask for more.
MATUNUCK ON THE HILL, RHODE ISLAND,
July 15, 1880.
CONTENTS.