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Title: The Gerrard Street Mystery and Other Weird Tales
Author: John Charles Dent
Release Date: November, 2004 [EBook #6917]

[Date Last Updated: March 9, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GERRARD STREET MYSTERY ***

THE
GERRARD STREET MYSTERY
AND OTHER
WEIRD TALES.

John Charles Dent, the author of the following remarkable stories, was
born in Kendal, Westmorland, England, in 1841. His parents emigrated to
Canada shortly after that event, bringing with them, of course, the
youth who was afterwards to become the Canadian author and historian.
Mr. Dent received his primary education in Canadian schools, and
afterwards studied law, becoming in due course a member of the Upper
Canada Bar. He only practised for a few years. He found the profession
profitable enough but uncongenial--as it could not well help being, in
an obscure Canadian, village, twenty years ago--and very probably he
was already cherishing ambitious dreams of literary labors, which he
was eager to begin in the world's literary centre, London. He
accordingly relinquished his practice as soon as he felt himself in a
position to do so, and went to England. He had not miscalculated his
powers, as too many do under like circumstances. He soon found
remunerative literary work, and as he became better known, was engaged
to write for several high-class periodicals, notably, _Once a
Week_, for which he contributed a series of articles on interesting
topics. But in England Mr. Dent produced no very long or ambitious
work. Perhaps he found that the requisite time for such an undertaking
could not be spared. At this period he had a wife and family depending
on him for support, and it speaks well for his abilities, that he was
able to amply provide for them out of the profits solely derived from
his literary labours. But of course to do this he had to devote himself
to work that could be thrown off readily, and which could be as readily
sold.

After remaining in England for several years, Mr. Dent and his family
returned to America. He obtained a position in Boston, which he held
for about two years. But he finally relinquished it and came to
Toronto, having accepted a position on the editorial staff of the
_Telegram_, which was then just starting. For several years Mr.
Dent devoted himself to journalistic labours on various newspapers, but
principally the _Toronto Weekly Globe_. To that journal he
contributed a very notable series of biographical sketches on "Eminent
Canadians." Shortly after the death of the Hon. George Brown, Mr. Dent
severed his connection with the _Globe_, and immediately
thereafter commenced his first ambitious undertaking, _The Canadian
Portrait Gallery_, which ran to four large volumes. It proved to be
a most creditable and successful achievement. Of course in a brief
sketch no detailed criticism of either this or the succeeding works can
be attempted. Suffice it to say that the biographies of Canadian public
men, living and dead, were carefully prepared, and written from an
un-partisan standpoint. In this book there was no padding; every
individual admitted had achieved something of national value, and the
biographies are, therefore, of importance to the student of Canadian
history. This book deserved and attained a considerable circulation,
and brought to its author a comparatively large sum of money.

Mr. Dent's second book was "The Last Forty Years: Canada since the
Union of 1841." This work has been highly praised in all quarters, and
is in every way a credit to its author's really brilliant powers as a

The third work was a "History of the Rebellion in Upper Canada."
Although written in his best manner, with the greatest possible care,
from authentic sources of information not hitherto accessible, this
work has had the misfortune to meet with undeservedly severe criticism.
When Mr. Dent began his studies for the book he held William-Lyon
Mackenzie in high esteem, but he found it necessary afterwards to
change his opinion. He was able to throw a flood of new light on the
characters of the men who took part in the struggle, and if the facts
tended to darken the fair fame of some of them, the historian certainly
ought not to be censured for it. The tendency of the book was decidedly
in opposition to the ideas entertained to this day by the partizans of
the "Old Family Compact" on the one side, and also to the friends and
admirers of William Lyon Mackenzie on the other.

But the severe criticism the work sustained, has left it stronger than before, and it will stand undoubtedly as by far the best history of the "Rebellion" that has appeared.

In addition to these important works on which his reputation as a
writer will rest, Mr. Dent has written from time to time a great many
sketches, essays and stories, some of which are exceedingly interesting
and worthy of being preserved. All of Mr. Dent's work contains a charm
of its own. In writing, history, he was in accord with Macaulay. He
always believed that a true story should be told as agreeably as a
fictitious one; "that the incidents of real life, whether political or
domestic, admit of being so arranged as, without detriment to accuracy,
to command all the interest of an artificial series of facts; that the
chain of circumstances which constitute history may be as finely and
gracefully woven as any tale of fancy." Acting upon this theory, he has
made Canadian history very interesting reading. He is to my mind the
only historian, beside Mr. Parkman, who has been able to make Canadian
events so dry in detail, fascinating throughout.

In private life, Mr. Dent was a most estimable man. He possessed
qualities of mind and heart, having their visible outcome in a
courteous, genial manner that endeared him very closely to his friends.
With all his wealth of learning, which was very great, he was
light-hearted, witty and companionable, and his early death leaves a
gap not very easily closed.

The four stories composing the present volume were contributed by their
author at considerable intervals to different periodicals. Some time
prior to his death he contemplated publishing them in book form, and
actually selected and carefully revised them with that purpose in view.
He thought they were worthy of being rescued from obscurity, and if we
compare them with much of a similar class of work constantly issuing
from the press, we cannot think that his judgment erred. They are now
published in accordance with his wish, to take their chances in the
great world of literature.