INTRODUCTION BY PADRAIC COLUM
BONI AND LIVERIGHT, INC.
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
Printed in theUnited States of America
1912, BYSMALL, MAYNARD AND COMPANY(INCORPORATED)
TO
BETHEL SOLOMONS, M.B.
If any of James Stephens' books might be thought to have need of anIntroduction it would be the delightful story that is called "Mary,Mary" on one side of the Atlantic Ocean and "The Charwoman's Daughter"on the other. It was written in 1910, when the author was known as thepoet of "Insurrections" and the writer of a few of the mordant studiesthat belong to a later book, "Here Are Ladies."
In 1911 four people came together to establish "The Irish Review."They were David Houston, Thomas MacDonagh, James Stephens and thepresent writer. James Stephens mentioned that he could hand over somestuff for publication. The "stuff" was the book in hand. It came outas a serial in the second number with the title "Mary, A Story," ranfor a twelvemonth and did much to make the fortune (if a review thatperished after a career of four years ever had its fortune made) of"The Irish Review."
From the publication of its first chapters the appeal of "Mary"was felt in two or three countries. Mary Makebelieve was not justa fictional heroine—she was Cinderella and Snow-white and allthe maidens of tradition for whom the name of heroine is big andburthensome. With the first words of the story James Stephens put usinto the attitude of listeners to the household tale of folk-lore."Mary, Mary" is the simplest of stories: a girl sees this and that,meets a Great Creature who makes advances to her, is humiliated,finds a young champion and comes into her fortune—that is all thereis to it as a story. But is it not enough to go with Mary to Stephens'[Pg x]Green and watch the young ducks "pick up nothing with the greatesteagerness and swallow it with the greatest delight," and after thatto notice that the ring priced One Hundred Pounds has been takenfrom the Jewellers' window, and then stand outside the theatre withher and her mother and make up with them the story of the plays fromthe pictures on the posters?—plays of mystery and imagination theymust have surely been.
Then, of course, there is always Mary's mother; and Mrs. Makebelieve,with her beaked nose, and her eyes like pools of ink, and hereagle-flights of speech would give a backbone to any story. Mrs.Makebelieve has and holds all the privileges of the poor and thelonely. Moreover, she is the eternal Charwoman. "She could not remainfor any length of time in peoples' employment without being troubledby the fact that these folk had houses of their own and were actuallyemploying her in a menial capacity." Mrs. Makebelieve is, I think, atypical figure. She is the incarnation of the pride and liveliness andimaginative exuberance that permit the poor to live.
How poor are Mary and Mrs. Makebelieve? We know their lack by themeasure of their desire. Mrs. Makebelieve, always generous, would havepaid her servants Ten Shillings per Week each, and their Board. And weknow that she had often observed desolate people dragging themselvesthrough the streets, standing to glare through the windows of bakeriesand confectioners' shops, with little children in some of their arms,and that thinking of such things every morsel she ate would havechoked her were it not for her own hunger. By our being brought todesire what Mary and her mother