The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-04-12
DANIEL DEFOE .


II SA01t Resume o. Ms NlaTdGltT ana VI FIl4lsS'
This ho,k. he latest issued Of the cap
ital series OF - English Men Of Letters
contains. more information which will he
new to general readers III this country
than any of It's predecessors. widely as
: Robinson CrllSac is read among us,
and that at time of life when the reading
makes the strongest impression, very little
is known about its author by the large
majority of readers. There have been
published, indeed, three elaborate biogra-
phies OF Defoe, the last, by William Lee,
as recently as 1869. But neither OF these
have been reprinted i'll the United States.
volume before US, l.asjaken Lee $ work
IL his chronological guide and awaited
himself of the latter's laborious research.
Some of those who have pored with de-
light over the pages of ''CruSoe'' will per-
haps be Il little shocked at Mr.. Minton's
account OF the author OF that famous
story, for he is painted in this life in pref
tv dark colorS. lie was" says Nh
Minton, "a great, a truly great liar: per-
haps the greatest liar that ever lived. His
dishonesty went to deep too he called stt-
perficial The facts narrated may he
said to warrant this conclusion. although
the dishonesty OF Detoe' character seems
to have come upon him gradually, and he
appears to have been originally a truth
full and conscientious man. The name
which he Inherited from his father. a
butcher in London. WAS ID. Foe. Accus-
was about 70 when he first changed his
/ into the surname Of De Foe. though Lee
his patient h;orrapher. has found several
| instances Of his having. at even a later
age. subscribed himself D. Foe. ID. F., and
! De Foe. III Attenuation with Daniel De
/ Foe and Daniel De. Fec. which has since
| become his accepted name.
Starting in business il London Us 4
/ hosicr. when about q Years old, he be
| came bankrupt some seven years after.
| Thereupon he took to writing political
| pamphlets. as the result OF which he OBJ
| tanned government employment, which,
/ however. ended with the death OF King
/ William. i!02. From that date for many
years. he was pamphleteer. and Journal
list at a time when the press had bat i'm
! perfect liberty, and when his occupation
constantly subjected him to risk of fine
and imprisonment This made it necessa-
ry for him to resort to incessant subter-
fuGes, until finally deceit became habitual
with him. and it was more agreeable to
him to lie than tell the truth. ass pam
phletecr and author he was most industri
GUS some 25o books and pamphlets hay
ing been traced to him. AS Il Journalist
journal. called the R9r,c,r, first published
weekly and subsequently hi-weekly, Ii,
anticipated some OF the principal features
of modern journalism. 1t is to Defoe is
due the prototype of the leading article
a = Letter Introductory, as it became the
fashion to be called. written en- seine sub
commencement of each number Anoth
er feature of journalism which Defoe
greatly helped to develop, if he did not
invent, was the journal of society. He
went some way towards anticipating the
work of the modern special correspondent
and interviewed distinguished criminal:
in Newgatc and extracted from them thi
story of their lives. lie was ali adept il
the art of putting his own productions
whether book; or journals, an art i'll whcl
Mr.. Minton appears to suppose American
editors excel. For he adds: 1t m%y l.,
doubted Niotises any .in.crican editor
every mastered this art more thorough,
than Dcfoe,' lie was nearly sixty whcl
he gave tho world " Robinson Crusoe,
a work of which the fine invention anG
admirable style We're the result of the way
in which Detoe had exercised his acute
intellect for many years. His closing
days were painful and dreary, and Mr.
MintoE gives an account of them " hiCl
is almost pathetic. Defoe was truly
man OF brilliant talents. and the reade1
will riSe frQn i pciu>,l ci lhiS HE OF hin
with a deep regret, that circumstance
had SO unfavorable an effect on his char
acterr