Page:Melbourne and Mars.djvu/7

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
INTRODUCTION.
5

ness that tells of purity of life. His bones are small, his skull thin, and his hands and ears thin and well formed. There is nothing flashy, heavy or coarse about his structure. He is one of nature's gentlemen.

Ideality, Sublimity, Spirituality and Hope are all large; but he has not much language to express his ideas either in speech or written forms. Such men are philosophical, thoughtful, dreamy, dutiful, harmless. Never pushing nor ostentatious, they do not come to the front in money grubbing and other pursuits of a like nature. They are frequently tossed aside, and do not gain the respect of the multitude. Many traits of his character come out in his story.

From first to last I saw no trace of insanity or monomania. He is cheerful, happy, content, and in no sense fanatical. His story will in part account for his cheerful view of life. He gave me his manuscript and all the verbal explanation necessary in the most generous manner, seeming to care more for having his experiences brought under public notice than for any possible emoluments that might result from their publication. Indeed, I had to threaten to give up all idea of making use of his strange experiences before he could be induced to take any share of financial proceeds. He would have been content to take a few copies of his book for presentation to his limited circle of friends as a sole reward for his twenty-five years of work in providing materials for the strangest story ever told by mortal man.

He has now to receive half the nett proceeds of sales so long as he requires them, as stated in the rough and ready agreement signed by the narrator and editor.

[Agreement.]

I, Adam Jacobs, do hereby agree to hand over for publication all my diaries to Joseph Fraser that he may put them into the form of a book, and call such book by any name that will convey some idea of its substance, the said book to be published and sold in any or all parts of the English-speaking world, and copyrighted wherever published. The book shall be sold at what may be deemed by writer and publisher a reasonable price for popular sale. I, on my part, will not put my diaries or any part of them into the hands of any other writer, nor give to any other any personal experiences, and on his part paying me half the nett proceeds of sales at the end of each six months from the date of publication.

(Signed)ADAM JACOBS
JOSEPH FRASER.

It is not necessary to say that the real name of the diarist is not Adam Jacobs. I am not even allowed to say whether he is a Jew or a Gentile, or