[Illustration: 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. I never allow them to interfere with either my business or social life. In composing, in a mysterious way, I comprehend the companionship of my imaginary friends as vividly as I do the material associates of life. To me imagination is the counterpart or result of inspiration, while inspiration is light thrown upon the unrevealed. The image may be the result of known or unknown cause, but the mystery does not blot out the actual existence of the image. The material image we call sight, the retained memory, and the unknown revelation, but all are comprehensive images. I see a bird, its form created a picture on my eye, the image of which mysteriously remained after the object had disappeared. Now what or who cognizes the primitive object, the formed picture or the retained image? The materialist assumes he has solved the mystery when he says; The appearance of the object formed an impression on your brain; omitting the important part of who comprehends the impression. These material and spiritual views are not the two extremes, there is no midway, one is right and the other is wrong. Either man is a spiritual, responsible being or he is just temporary mud. Therefore imagination, to me is incomprehensible realization, while materialism is the symbol of passing events. This explains how my imaginary friends become so dear to me. The ideas presented in my story of Mary Magdalene I gained through descriptions conveyed to me by Jona while traveling across the Syrian desert. He always began in the middle of his story and worked out both ways, which made it difficult to take notes, besides at the best it was but a legend, dim and indistinct.