New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-25


fp xxx, 49, Arson D. F. Randolph co.
One Of the most significant features of this
book is the view which the author takes OF De
foes essays on apparitons and on supernatural
things in general His notions are eXemphhed
in his remtks the famous tale OF Mrs veal
This was - ghost story which was prefXed to
the fourth edition Of an excessively sombre, bui
in its time popular work, "Dreiincourt on
Death" Almost the only point in Drelincourt
treatise worth remembering Is the caution which
he enjoined to antcipations respecting the
future life: and this. as any one may see. is the
last thing the unregulated Imagination concedeS
The tradition is that Defoe wrote his story at
the request of the publisher of "Drelincourt on
Death" in order to ease the sale Of a book which
had proved drug on the market This mas
been disposed of by one of Defoe's previous
biographers who pointed out that the book
which was said to be difficult Of sale had gone
through three editions in reasonable time, ana
that the subsequent editions were not made ex-
ceptionally attractive by the addition OF the
preface borrowed from Defoe. They ala not sell
any better because the ghost of Mrs. Veal had
come back from the dead in secured silk to give
them a puff On the contrary. as was said by an
imitator Of Defoe in the next generation a1'er
that to which he belonged. Mrs. NeaTs credit
was much depressed by her enforced association
with Drencourt He adds-and his words nave
a certain critical value in the light OF MI
wrirbts theory on Defoe's essay-that 1.-The
bookseller, to promote the sale of his DOCK
printed it with such ar account of the story as
he had picked up. which is not only very
wretchedly confused and imperfect. but falls in
most particulars. and this makes the thing
itself in a great measure trading story l"
the opinion of this author (whOse ugly Nttle book
10 harder TO get than hundreds of volumes when
are more yaluabe). the fact he alludes 10 - one
(Which has much contributed 10 sink the credlt
of the story with many who have known IL
otherwise" The inference from his statement Is
that the tale not an invention. ana what Is
more that il was known to certain people by
tradition aside from the form which II had taken
in print. He may have neither known nor cared
that Defoe published the tale first in one OF those
pamphlets which he turned out with all the
facility and with more than the skill of the
average modern leader writer. That pamphlet
first saw the light in July. 1906 and he made
public his imitation of Defoe's History OF APP
partitions" seventy years later. An equal lapse OF
limo has sufficed 10 convert into folklore
Southevs nonsense about the three bears. and
hence he may have been deluded just as Mrs
Valentine seems to have been fooled within re-
cent memory. DrelincOurts Treatise OF the
Christians Defence Against the Fears OF Death
is not an uncommon sight in bookstal's ana sec
ond-hand stores at the present day; but us con-
tents are probably as foreign to the knowledge
of mos, people as the selections of Stobaeus or
the once renowned Chaldaean oracles
It is not the spirits OF the dead when return 10
US said Defoe and his irnitator echoed the sent-
nent They are either too happy or too mSer-
able TO care for the affairs OF that mortantN
which they have quilted forever But there are
shirts which have never taken on covering OF
flesh. and these are allowed by a supernatural
mower to assume 10 themselves the shape All
dress Of departed friend Thus Mrs. veal ana
her fits and her requests and her secured SIN
dove-colored riding-gown got into print M'S.
Vears ghost had been properly laid. but some
wandering sprite had taken stock of her haoiii-
ments and her family history and her personal
defects and had benignly made Mrs. BargraVe
the victim of false pretences. Mrs Bargrave and
Mrs Veal--the latter "a disappointed sp!nster in
sni,e Of her title-though friends in youth had
long been separated. The former was the wife
of a barrister who had pleasant habit Of turn
ing her out into the garden when he came home
al night Luckily foi her she did not meet the
late Mrs Veal on these occasions II was JUST
midday when Mrs. Neal's only post-mortem au-
venture that is of record took place. In lie she
never went about alone because OF the nus
already mentioned. and she could not nave
known where Mrs. Bargrave lived because the
latter was continually dragged about from one
house to another by her brute Of a husband.
Mrs Bargrave was properly astonished. there
fore to see her old friend at the door BIT Of
genuine folklore has crept in here by some
means 1t is forbidden 10 cat the food OF ghosts
or even To touch them. on penalty Of becoming
such as they are; and go Mrs. Veal refuses the
kiss proffered by her hostess. But she COM
forted her and worked in a delicate reading
notice Of Drelincourt which Defoes copyist. not
withstanding his aspersions on the publisher OF
that book. had not the consistency to withdraw.
The whole narrative reminds one Of the strata
gem of the German student VINO was tod to
describe a dromedary. and knew nothing Of the
creature beyond the fact that il resembled a
camel So he wrote that the dromedary was Ike
a camel and then proceeded to give the natural
history Of the camel. with all the detail neces-
sary to fill up an examination paper One might
imagine the more or less genial Daniel Defoe
conversing lover a bottle Of wine'-the quota
ton marks are inserted advisedly-with the pub
Usher Of Drelincourt. md saying to him: i
can't write an essay your book. That Is not
nv way of doing things. But can tell you
story and will-for a consideration And the
publisher when he couldn't have the dromedary,
took the camel and judging by his subsequent
conduct in appropriatng the story. was well
satisfied with the exchange.
Not at all saws Mr.. Wright The alluson TO
the Drelincourt book. which seems to a ground
ling ike the gist of the whole affair, has nothing
10 do with the case. The fact was that Defoe
got his story from person who believed it to
be true. and he accepted 1t and wrote 1t with
thorough conviction that Mrs. Veal and Mrs
Rargrave were in their time real personages,
that Mrs Bargrave really had an edifying con-
yersation with the spiritual double Of Mrs. Veal
on the subject of the life after death-that. in