The title refers to a verse from Ecclesiastes, which is quoted on the title page: "Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions." (Ecclesiastes 7:29)
The stories
The fourteen stories are preceded by a poem, "To the True Romance", and followed by another poem, "Anchor Song".
The Disturber of Traffic (First published in The Atlantic Monthly, September 1891)
A Conference of the Powers (First published in The Pioneer, May 1890)