MERRICK RICHARDSON AT THE AGE OF SEVENTY-FIVE.
LOOKING BACK
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
By
Merrick Abner Richardson
AUTHOR OF
"JIM HALL AND THE RICHARDSONS", "EIGHT DAYS OUT", "MINA FAUST",
"ROSE LIND", "PERSONALITY OF THE SOUL", "CHICAGO'S
BLACK SHEEP", "TWILIGHT REFLECTIONS."
Privately Printed
CHICAGO: MCMXVII
Copyright 1917
By
Merrick Abner Richardson
PREFACE
My spare time, only, is occupied in literary efforts. Inever allow them to interfere with either my business orsocial life.
In composing, in a mysterious way, I comprehend thecompanionship of my imaginary friends as vividly as Ido the material associates of life. To me imagination isthe counterpart or result of inspiration, while inspirationis light thrown upon the unrevealed. The image may bethe result of known or unknown cause, but the mysterydoes not blot out the actual existence of the image. Thematerial image we call sight, the retained memory, andthe unknown revelation, but all are comprehensive images.
I see a bird, its form created a picture on my eye, theimage of which mysteriously remained after the objecthad disappeared. Now what or who cognizes the primitiveobject, the formed picture or the retained image?
The materialist assumes he has solved the mysterywhen he says; The appearance of the object formed animpression on your brain; omitting the important partof who comprehends the impression.
These material and spiritual views are not the twoextremes, there is no midway, one is right and the otheris wrong. Either man is a spiritual, responsible being orhe is just temporary mud.
Therefore imagination, to me is incomprehensiblerealization, while materialism is the symbol of passing[ii]events. This explains how my imaginary friends becomeso dear to me.
The ideas presented in my story of Mary MagdaleneI gained through descriptions conveyed to me by Jonawhile traveling across the Syrian desert. He always beganin the middle of his story and worked out both ways,which made it difficult to take notes, besides at the best itwas but a legend, dim and indistinct.
In this work I have carefully avoided Oriental style,language or customs for two reasons: First, there is notan Oriental scholar now, who could do them justice,Second, one is perfectly safe in bringing any people ofany age right down to our times. For, the culture ofone tribe or race does not influence incoming souls forthe next generation. The human family enter life onabout the same plane. A child from the low tribes of thejungles or from the desert wild, if brought up by a Chicagomother, might become as great as one of the royalfamily. The feelings, aspirations, sorrows and love ofMary Magdalene and Peter were similar to what ourswould have been under the same conditions. ThereforeI bring the story of Magdalene right down to yesterday.
I first constructed the story of Magdalene while inJerusalem, then I revi