It was considered an intrepid thing for Walter Besant to do when, twelve
or thirteen years ago, he invaded the great East End of London and drew
upon its unknown wealth of varied material to people that most charming
novel, "All Sorts and Conditions of Men." Until then the West End knew
little of its contiguous neighbor in the East. Dickens's kaleidoscopic
views of low life in the South of London were manifestly caricatures of
the slum specimens of human nature which he purposely sought and often
distorted to suit his bizarre humor. Mr. Besant may be fairly considered
as the pioneer of those who have since descended to the great
unchartered region of East London, about which, so far as our knowledge
of the existing conditions of human life in that community are
concerned, we remained until, as it were yesterday, almost as ignorant
as of the undiscovered territories in Central Africa. Contemporaneous
with Mr. Besant's "discovery" of East London began the eastward march of
the Salvation Army, which has since honeycombed this quarter of the
metropolis with its militant camps. Gradually the barriers were thrown
down, and the East has become accessible to literature and to
civilization as it never had been to the various Charity and Church
missionary organizations.
It was as the secretary of an old Charity Trust that Mr. Arthur Morrison
first made his acquaintance with East London, and by dint of several
years' residence and attentive study acquired his knowledge of the East
End and its myriad denizens. Right in the midst of the great square
bounded by the Thames, the Lea, the City, Kingsland, and the Hackney
open spaces lie the dreary "Mean Streets" which Mr. Morrison has
described with uncommon power and vigor, and among which the operations
of his secretaryship engaged him laboriously for years. The possibility
of presenting his observations of East London in narrative form began to
grow upon him while casting around for literary pabulum to convert into
magazine articles, and in October, 1891, appeared his first sketch,
entitled "A Street," in "Macmillan's Magazine." This, in a remodelled
form, now serves as an introductory chapter to the present collection.
The article in "Macmillan's" attracted a good deal of attention, and won
for its author the good fellowship of Mr. W. E. Henley, who encouraged
him in his idea of writing a series of short stories and studies which
should describe East End life with austerity, restraint, and frankness.
A large number of the "Tales" appeared in the "National Observer" and
several followed in the "Pall Mall Budget." The dedication to Mr. Henley
of "Tales of Mean Streets" is a grateful acknowledgment by the author of
the kindly and frank counsel of his friendly critic; whose criticism, it
may be added, has been mainly directed towards the author's
craftsmanship--his conceptions of the life he was portraying the critic
was wise enough to let alone. Mr. Morrison has also been indebted on the
side of art in fiction to Mr. Walter Besant, whom he met in the East
End.
Mr. Morrison has been fortunate in his literary experience. He is
another witness to the fact that merit makes its way from the outside,
without necessarily receiving aid or having influence brought to bear
on editors or publishers. It is curious to note that a manuscript of his
which happened to be rejected once was accepted on the day following,
and now has a place in this book. Some cycling verses contributed as a
lad to a cycling magazine began his literary career, and for some years
he continued to write on what was then a novel sport. He drifted into
broader channels and became a frequent contributor to popular papers and
magazines. During this period he was working on the Charity Commission,
and wrote only by way of relaxation. About five years ago he resigned
his office on the Trust, and, occupying chambers near the Strand, joined
the editorial staff of an old-established evening paper, where for some
months he continued to write leaderettes and miscellaneous articles and
notes until, becoming convinced that he could not do justice to such
ability for better work which he might possess amidst the grinding
routine of newspaper scribbling, he gave up his post and applied himself
to more serious writing, contributing to the "Strand," and other
magazines and reviews. About this time he began the series which is now
gathered under the common title "Tales of Mean Streets." On its recent
publication in England it was received with instant recognition as a
book of extraordinary merit, and it has met with signal success. Some
idea of the strong impression which it has made in England may be
gathered from Mr. Arthur Waugh's warm tribute to the author's
distinction in a recent letter to the "Critic." "He deals exclusively,"
writes Mr. Waugh, "with life in the East End of London, and he does so
with a fearlessness and originality which are of more value than many
sermons. I do not know whether his book is published in America; but if
so, I strongly advise every reader of this letter to secure it. Those
who do so will learn from its pages more of the degradation and misery
of a certain side of London life than they could in many weeks of
philanthropic 'slumming.' Mr. Morrison's will be a name to conjure with
in another season."
Mr. Arthur Morrison is but thirty-one, and has just stepped on to the
threshold of literary fame as a writer of decided promise and strength.
He has only broken ground as yet in the field which has brought him his
spurs, and is at present contemplating a longer story of East End life.
The number of those who have attempted to write familiarly of the seamy
side of our great cities from close observation and laborious study of
its life in a first-hand fashion is so small that it is easy to believe
that the author of "Tales of Mean Streets," possessing as he does the
prime qualities of a novelist, has a future before him in an
unprecedented form of literature.