Show Voula Writers Twain to be s sA A General Letter to Those Thoe Vho Who Aspre to Gain Fame Iame and It in ja i i Literature I I o n before ISIS me Mask Mark II k Twain then L I the editor tel at C a small 11 ae L irot rot rote the following II reply to 10 many I of ot al III kit contributors To ro of the present day It Il way nta IHm odd that I so seemingly t pro pre prevailed vr sailed M se many many ye years f r ago ngo says any the Kansas City Il Star and ami nd Twain may mr wa In Inon inon on of ut hl his bill chuckling lUll smite smile to 10 think that tbt the world ha has h not changed lvery f rr man who b becomes comM editor of ot i newspaper p r or magazine straightway be bf begins begins gins to receive manuscripts from Crom liter literary arT ary AI aspirants together with re that he lit will 11 deliver deUer judgment upon the tame same and after ner complying in eight or orten orten r ten t n Instance he hf finally takes lake refuge in a iI general rmon on the subject which he Inserts In hi his publication and alway al afterward refers uch such corre correspondents to 10 that sermon for Cur answer I J have at AI last latt reached thin this station lu lumy Jr it my 10 literary career rafter antI and proceed pr to lo eon t my public cermon Af Al A alt all l lettera of ot the sort Ort 1 I am speak p pIn In leg Ina of ot contain the lb very err same matter differently worded I offer as a fair average specimen the la laM lut t one osme I 1 have hA received fd Mark Twain K R q Dear Den SirI am ani a youth Just juit out nut of ot school and aDd ready to start In life lire I t have hue looked around but dont see te anything that suits ox e netly IB JI a u literary life lire N tsy and pro Iro profitable or er In Is It the hard times limN ll It II la generally put pul up for It must be bt easi er r than Ihan a good many If It not most mOlt of ot the tite occupations and I f ftc eel cl 1 drawn tu to out on It make or break sink In Inor or swim sunhe or j Perish erlih Now 0 what are f the th conditIons condition of ot In litera itera literature ture You need n 1 not lw be b afraid drall to pain the thing just Juit ax as It Il I Is I cant do any worse than fall fail Everything else Me of ot offers fare fers the tho same me hen I thought of the law M and five nv or lx other professions proC I found toun the same amt thing thin was is U the theca ca case clie aver v ry time viz 11 all oil full tull o errun every ever profession so o crammed that sue suc success cess ress esa I t Iii rendered too many man manham hands hand and not enough work But i mutt must try Iry tr something and no so 0 I turn lurn at lit lut to 10 literature telU tells me In that IhM that thal Is II tho the true trUo bent of tit my genius if It I have hae all any I J 11 wine some of fit my 01 pieces Will you read rull them Ih rn over oer and give five 10 m me your our candid opinion of ot them And nd jio now I J hate hale to 10 trouble you ou but you 01 have ae been a young oung man inert your yourself our self and what I 1 want If is I for tor you ou to tn get jt me rne a newspaper job of ot writing to do You know knol many man nen newspaper pap r and andI I J am m entirely unknown And n will you ou make mak tim Iho best belt b lt terms term you OU can for tor m me though I do not expect whit what mIght be called high wages wage nt at first of ot course Will you ou candidly nay sa a what such mch arti Arll articles art cles 18 ai Sd these thue 1 J lactose tire ore worth I I have he lent of ot them If It you rou OU should cell pell HI these thue and let leI me know I can rent nil ou mire as an good and noo maybe better thAn these I An n erly reply etc Yours etc elc elcI tc I 1 will 11 answer you In good faith Whether hether my in remarks remark have any anT great Ireat value alue or not or my m suggestions j be worth follow t following Inc are arc problem which I 1 take lake great at pleasure In leaving entirely to you OU for To b bepin ln There I are arr severn Huml question questions In your ur letter which hI a mans life lire experience o can an n eventually I answer for tor him not I IT er tr those m mUE nf words ord I J will wi simply I 1 Literature like hike the li ministry mH meI meIne me iHne leftie ne and an law la and all alt other UI I then It Is I crimped and ad hindered for wan of uC moo men mH to d do di the work not nt want t f I work wok to tl do When hen people tell loll iU tu tho the reverse they noW the speak pak pk that which U is nt n t true lr If I you rou ou desire to ten this tiui l tj J ne nl need d only oaly 01 hunt up Ul a Crt first t clu des pitr foreman vt 1 ufa reporter l u ln M manager a 1 shop hop mechanic or os o artist In m am an ar branch of ot Industry and try to hir him hm You ou will ill fled find en that he It is I already He lIe I U is I softer sober r Industrious capable an ant I reliable arid and Is I always II In demand I He II cannot get gel a uyi UTI say I t f oy of ot hl hI his employer or o of th I the hI general central great Mt t public Hut if II you 01 nel nei idlers Idler Idl shirkers and comfort editors editor re reporter la doctors and mechanics porter Jer ceton l ics I apply anywhere There The are I millions mi nt Handkerchief r 1 them to t W be t bad b at a t th We the of o a J X f n I 1 must mul not n l and ard will II not yen en lure lurl any in opinion whatever he r a to 1 liter lier literary my ary t mirt mul of t f your our I ur j The I public I 1 It the only critic whose i Is II worth Gb anything at t all aiL Do D not Mt uke my poor pr word mord on for tor this Ihla Ihl but i elect a moment and nd take III tak your own on For In III instance stance tar It If Cobb or T I 8 5 Ar Arthur A Arthur thur sail bad ba submitted their maiden manu manuscript script 1111 to you OU you oU would have bi said ad M with Uh tear lean tf la lit II yours our eye ayes 11 Now 0 dont donl write rie any an more mort But you CU u see I yourself how bo popular th Ih they y are ars a And If It It 1 had bed been left to you IU you would have hate lut said 11 the te Marble Faun un w was tire tiresome tr tiresome some amt and nd that even Paradise Paral Lost Loot Lt lacked lek cheerfulness but you ou know how they Ml sell II Many wiser wirer and better bler pie poo P pie Pi than you OU Shakespeare tt even a al it late at as I two IWO centuries ago o but bUI still tl that IhA old na party baa hse h outlived ae those tho people No o I will U not nOI sit alt 1 In Judgment upon up your our literature If I 1 J holty and nd conscientiously praised It I might thus help to inflict indict Idt t a lingering In and pitiless r her bor bre upon th public If Lf I honen hot and nd lou condemned It I 1 might aught thus thu rub rob the Ibe world of a Dickens DI kt or n a Shakespeare 1 3 J I shrink from hunting up literary labor for you OU to 10 do anti and receive II pay P for tor your yur literary productions have ha proved for fO that they Ih have hl a real 1 value lue you ou will wW W never have to 10 co go o around hunting for Cor literary work ork to 10 do You ou wilt will require ral more m hands hand hn l than you Ju have nor and ld more mO brains than Iban you rIl ever eter will viii J hay have to do even nen halt half ot of the work ork that tbt will 1 b b ha offered you ou Noa 0 Jer Ir to arrive rl at t the proof of ot value alu hereinbefore toN spoken of ot one ae need M only oh to t adopt A very ery r simple and nd certainly ver very er sure urt process Jr and that Is I to It write without pay pr pa until somebody offers pay ler If nobody offers offer pay par within three p I ot 1 years the candidate may ml look lok upon this cir circumstance with wih the most mot implicit con cn that sawing wing wood 0 Is J whit what he tin heU was wu U Intended for If I he lt has Mai 1 any n wis 11 dow dom at It all tb then n he will retire with dig 1 le lenity alty and a assume his d vocation o lon lonIn In the above remarks remark I f have hae hat only of ot fer R a 1 court course ll of ot action 1 lon which Mr Ir Dickens Dicken and most mOt other successful III ut lt raM Tt men have he had Id to 10 follow but It I Is Ii Isa I Iia a coure CUff which will n find no sympathy with my a clients P The Tb young literary aspirant is I a very sery ry v ver Very ry creature lit lie knows that It If he be b wished to 10 become a tinner the t th master mUle smith would require him to prove pro the t ht posses Mon Ion vf of f u a L ff gol d character and arid would fe re to require N quire him to promise to stay May l In itt th U the shop hol three Ihre mike make malE Mm him sweep tr out and an bring water ater and ond build tire Ores Iri all al the tho th year rear er and let Itt him learn Irani Iral to t black stoves lon in 1 the Inter Intervals vals I antI ami for or the good go honest services would wold p pay nay him two to suits luls of ot cheap chup clothes and ad hi hl his board the Ih nm nut am ear tar he would t to 10 receive re on his hip hI trade t l and s a a 4 week would be W added to 10 h hm i an ant l I St 2 would be added Idd d the third year lr ani I three the tle fourth h end and I nd then hen I If It he hf had h become bom u I i fr t rate rat rai tinner he would get tet shoW ahou abut au l or ll no 20 or fr maybe I I a week k i with lb never a possibility of ot ITS 13 i I w a bile be he b lived Ind tf If I he wanted to t become a mechanic of an any ny other kind he hr would i ha hal have tu tl it undergo n lo thIs thin same tedious Ill iii I paid If It I lie hI f to tl a become a lawyer lewer 11 r or a I doctor he would have hate h 1 30 tt times ants Of for tor he would woul gsa goi nothing nt itt ft all 11 during durin his hIl long lon Ip r and Ind In II ii addition a would uld have n to 10 tol l pay ay a large sum ur for fir tuition and nd hat hove himself the privilege of ot hoarding boarding and nd clothing The Te literary aspirant knows all n this and yet et he has baa the hardihood to t present plat plath himself h Into the for fOe reception tl literary Itra guild lUnd and anti ask I to share Its It high honors honore bOlo nd od emoluments emolument without a stogie It U I months norths apprenticeship to show nez ui for fat his hi presumption He would GUld pleasantly If he were f asked Ike in to mike even H so 0 a thing thin as 1 a 10 to eta tin tn dipper without previous In In the th art rt but all iii 1 green rn n Ignorant wordy 10 pompously asser assertive lr live tive dis distorted dl with wih a vagUe vatne 1 Sorted knowledge of n men mn and the world d In II a bock back bk country village 1 he iv 1 li serenely take ISkO III up III so I dangerous a weapon n a Hp A 1 pen In and attack the ti most mOl subject that Ihal finance corn com commerce m merce t war wa or politics eon can r furnish him aim withal It would wold be b laughable If I It U were not so go 1 la sad ad and n pitiable The Th Tb poor pr fellow t lo would not Intrude upon ap the tin ti shop hu without 1 an apprenticeship but bUllA I is willing to peise and an with unpractised tle hand hn an sn a Instrument nt which bleb is ii I able be to 10 overthrow dynasties change nl tell reli religions NUlin glens gions lin and decree the west weal M or woe wo of or orn nations n Uon If It my correspondent will 1 write s free tr of or charge tot for the Of ot his Mm hi neigh neighborhood n neighborhood h it U will wl be Hone on of ot the strangest things that ever ter happened If IC he Iti l dot does dO not get t all the employ meat he can et ett at attend tend t to on 01 those terms term And A as soon sent soona 11 a ever pr hU lb hi writings art are t worth or money plenty of ot people will wUI hasten to offer oger It It tad And At by J way wr of o serious el and a well 1 meant encouragement I 1 wish to t urge V upon Mm him one once o more mure the ti truth that ac acceptable e writers for the tb press pasie p an ago a so a II that book bk and periodical pub publishers limbers lishers Imf are uro I ee seeking them and with a I vigiLance hut tat never Ip 11 heedless h I foi fot a moment MARK TWAIN |