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The Higher Pragmatism
- GenresShort Stories
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About the author
O. Henry
2,913 books1,871 followersSuch volumes as
Cabbages and Kings
(1904) and
The Four Million
(1906) collect short stories, noted for their often surprising endings, of American writer William Sydney Porter, who used the pen name O. Henry.
His biography shows where he found inspiration for his characters. His era produced their voices and his language.
Mother of three-year-old Porter died from tuberculosis. He left school at fifteen years of age and worked for five years in drugstore of his uncle and then for two years at a Texas sheep ranch.
In 1884, he went to Austin, where he worked in a real estate office and a church choir and spent four years as a draftsman in the general land office. His wife and firstborn died, but daughter Margaret survived him.
He failed to establish a small humorous weekly and afterward worked in poorly-run bank. When its accounts balanced not, people blamed and fired him.
In Houston, he worked for a few years until, ordered to stand trial for embezzlement, he fled to New Orleans and thence Honduras.
Two years later, he returned on account of illness of his wife. Apprehended, Porter served a few months more than three years in a penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. During his incarceration, he composed ten short stories, including A Blackjack Bargainer , The Enchanted Kiss , and The Duplicity of Hargraves .
In 1899, McClure's published Whistling Dick's Christmas Story and Georgia's Ruling .
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he sent manuscripts to New York editors. In the spring of 1902, Ainslee's Magazine offered him a regular income if he moved to New York.
In less than eight years, he became a bestselling author of collections of short stories. Cabbages and Kings came first in 1904 The Four Million, and The Trimmed Lamp and Heart of the West followed in 1907, and The Voice of the City in 1908, Roads of Destiny and Options in 1909, Strictly Business and Whirligigs in 1910 followed.
Posthumously published collections include The Gentle Grafter about the swindler, Jeff Peters; Rolling Stones , Waifs and Strays , and in 1936, unsigned stories, followed.
People rewarded other persons financially more. A Retrieved Reformation about the safe-cracker Jimmy Valentine got $250; six years later, $500 for dramatic rights, which gave over $100,000 royalties for playwright Paul Armstrong. Many stories have been made into films.
His biography shows where he found inspiration for his characters. His era produced their voices and his language.
Mother of three-year-old Porter died from tuberculosis. He left school at fifteen years of age and worked for five years in drugstore of his uncle and then for two years at a Texas sheep ranch.
In 1884, he went to Austin, where he worked in a real estate office and a church choir and spent four years as a draftsman in the general land office. His wife and firstborn died, but daughter Margaret survived him.
He failed to establish a small humorous weekly and afterward worked in poorly-run bank. When its accounts balanced not, people blamed and fired him.
In Houston, he worked for a few years until, ordered to stand trial for embezzlement, he fled to New Orleans and thence Honduras.
Two years later, he returned on account of illness of his wife. Apprehended, Porter served a few months more than three years in a penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. During his incarceration, he composed ten short stories, including A Blackjack Bargainer , The Enchanted Kiss , and The Duplicity of Hargraves .
In 1899, McClure's published Whistling Dick's Christmas Story and Georgia's Ruling .
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he sent manuscripts to New York editors. In the spring of 1902, Ainslee's Magazine offered him a regular income if he moved to New York.
In less than eight years, he became a bestselling author of collections of short stories. Cabbages and Kings came first in 1904 The Four Million, and The Trimmed Lamp and Heart of the West followed in 1907, and The Voice of the City in 1908, Roads of Destiny and Options in 1909, Strictly Business and Whirligigs in 1910 followed.
Posthumously published collections include The Gentle Grafter about the swindler, Jeff Peters; Rolling Stones , Waifs and Strays , and in 1936, unsigned stories, followed.
People rewarded other persons financially more. A Retrieved Reformation about the safe-cracker Jimmy Valentine got $250; six years later, $500 for dramatic rights, which gave over $100,000 royalties for playwright Paul Armstrong. Many stories have been made into films.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 1, 2024
One of O. Henry's more insightful stories. Here, a young man runs across a homeless man at the park. The young lad is interested in hearing the older man's story but winds up sharing as much information about himself-- and learning something about himself in the process. Also, there's a heavy theme of things happening for a reason.
August 16, 2024
O. Henry's "The Higher Pragmatism" is a short story about paralyzing fear that prevents the ability to achieve a goal.
Story in short- A bum gives a reporter a lesson in the art of being afraid and accepting it. But can the young man give up his love?
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 21207
To sit in classes, to delve into the encyclopedia or the past-performances page, will not make us wise. As the poet says, “Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.” Wisdom is dew, which, while we know it not, soaks into us, refreshes us, and makes us grow. Knowledge is a strong stream of water turned on us through a hose. It disturbs our roots.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 21212
Once upon a time I found a ten-cent magazine lying on a bench in a little city park. Anyhow, that was the amount he asked me for when I sat on the bench next to him. He was a musty, dingy, and tattered magazine, with some queer stories bound in him, I was sure. He turned out to be a scrap-book. “I am a newspaper reporter,” I said to him, to try him. “I have been detailed to write up some of the experiences of the unfortunate ones who spend their evenings in this
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 21216
park. May I ask you to what you attribute your downfall in—” I was interrupted by a laugh from my purchase — a laugh so rusty and unpractised that I was sure it had been his first for many a day. “Oh, no, no,” said he. “You ain’t a reporter. Reporters don’t talk that way. They pretend to be one of us, and say they’ve just got in on the blind baggage from St. Louis. I can tell a reporter on sight. Us park bums get to be fine judges of human nature. We sit here all day and watch the people go by. I can size up
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 21220
anybody who walks past my bench in a way that would surprise you.” “Well,” I said, “go on and tell me. How do you size me up?” “I should say,” said the student of human nature with unpardonable hesitation, “that you was, say, in the contracting business — or maybe worked in a store — or was a sign-painter. You stopped in the park to finish your cigar, and thought you’d get a little free monologue out of me. Still, you might be a plasterer or a lawyer — it’s getting kind of dark,
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 21224
you see. And your wife won’t let you smoke at home.” I frowned gloomily. “But, judging again,” went on the reader of men, “I’d say you ain’t got a wife.” “No,” said I, rising restlessly. “No, no, no, I ain’t. But I will have, by the arrows of Cupid! That is, if—” My voice must have trailed away and muffled itself in uncertainty and despair. “I see you have a story yourself,” said the dusty vagrant — impudently, it seemed to me. “Suppose
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 21229
you take your dime back and spin your yarn for me. I’m interested myself in the ups and downs of unfortunate ones who spend their evenings in the park.”
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
A reporter looks to find a story from a bum on the park bench but instead he hears a story about a boxer that was very good, able to punch out a heavy weight champion on the street not knowing his identity but when he finds out he faints. He tells the reporter who had told the fighter about his inability to talk to the girl he loves and the parable is told by the bum which the reporter disagrees but soon finds out that thankfully the bum was right. He telephones the girl and she says she will marry him but when he starts to go over to her home, he starts to get weak in the knees. The younger sister opens the door and he sees her as an angel, he had not recognized before, she told him she had thought he loved her older sister. They are happy and he sees the fighter was right but he is happy it worked out that way.
Story in short- A bum gives a reporter a lesson in the art of being afraid and accepting it. But can the young man give up his love?
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 21207
To sit in classes, to delve into the encyclopedia or the past-performances page, will not make us wise. As the poet says, “Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.” Wisdom is dew, which, while we know it not, soaks into us, refreshes us, and makes us grow. Knowledge is a strong stream of water turned on us through a hose. It disturbs our roots.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 21212
Once upon a time I found a ten-cent magazine lying on a bench in a little city park. Anyhow, that was the amount he asked me for when I sat on the bench next to him. He was a musty, dingy, and tattered magazine, with some queer stories bound in him, I was sure. He turned out to be a scrap-book. “I am a newspaper reporter,” I said to him, to try him. “I have been detailed to write up some of the experiences of the unfortunate ones who spend their evenings in this
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 21216
park. May I ask you to what you attribute your downfall in—” I was interrupted by a laugh from my purchase — a laugh so rusty and unpractised that I was sure it had been his first for many a day. “Oh, no, no,” said he. “You ain’t a reporter. Reporters don’t talk that way. They pretend to be one of us, and say they’ve just got in on the blind baggage from St. Louis. I can tell a reporter on sight. Us park bums get to be fine judges of human nature. We sit here all day and watch the people go by. I can size up
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 21220
anybody who walks past my bench in a way that would surprise you.” “Well,” I said, “go on and tell me. How do you size me up?” “I should say,” said the student of human nature with unpardonable hesitation, “that you was, say, in the contracting business — or maybe worked in a store — or was a sign-painter. You stopped in the park to finish your cigar, and thought you’d get a little free monologue out of me. Still, you might be a plasterer or a lawyer — it’s getting kind of dark,
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 21224
you see. And your wife won’t let you smoke at home.” I frowned gloomily. “But, judging again,” went on the reader of men, “I’d say you ain’t got a wife.” “No,” said I, rising restlessly. “No, no, no, I ain’t. But I will have, by the arrows of Cupid! That is, if—” My voice must have trailed away and muffled itself in uncertainty and despair. “I see you have a story yourself,” said the dusty vagrant — impudently, it seemed to me. “Suppose
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 21229
you take your dime back and spin your yarn for me. I’m interested myself in the ups and downs of unfortunate ones who spend their evenings in the park.”
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
A reporter looks to find a story from a bum on the park bench but instead he hears a story about a boxer that was very good, able to punch out a heavy weight champion on the street not knowing his identity but when he finds out he faints. He tells the reporter who had told the fighter about his inability to talk to the girl he loves and the parable is told by the bum which the reporter disagrees but soon finds out that thankfully the bum was right. He telephones the girl and she says she will marry him but when he starts to go over to her home, he starts to get weak in the knees. The younger sister opens the door and he sees her as an angel, he had not recognized before, she told him she had thought he loved her older sister. They are happy and he sees the fighter was right but he is happy it worked out that way.
January 13, 2026
I've often been told disbelief in ones incompetence is liberating. I've always been pragmatic and skeptical; weight costs w benefits in all cases. Many times my brothers (as children) would ask me if I wanted to bet on my certainty; I always chose no; and that cost me nothing (as I could continue to believe and act as being correct anyway). 🤣
November 9, 2025
one of Henry's best
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews