Show 4 1 s1 H ft 1 i I m Ii IiI I 1 I i ft t F j 4 5 q tip 5 Y i j jI I iU s 1 c vA vAi vAA I I i A cm MARK TWAIN MARK TWAIN HUMOROUS HUM ORbUS IN PUBLIC SERIOUS IN PRIVATE hAT eminent and ond hu humorist Samuel THAT T Clemens otherwise and bet better bettor tot ter known knowlI as ne Mark Manic Twain Is II really onto ono of ot tho he most moat of ot mono men In fact tact tIm the only real grievance ho lie has bas against tho the public Is la lathat that hat t It will not take lake him seriously It I persists In ascribing to all his hla remarks and all nil his writings a n levity leIt not to say nay ny I frivolity which ho Ito docs does not by any I menus means wish VI h to convey I It Is II owing to t a this misconception of ot the man Mark Twain tho lie real nina man honest and serious tho the writer who loses no occasion to Jam In III a n moral morn I whenever it can cnn bo be done gracefully that tha t his recent appearance In tho lie rolo role ot of reformer Is ls HO lift Ii grievously nile mis misapprehended I apprehended With n a reputation for tor or poking fun tun at everything under the theun sun un and making light of subjects gen generally orally treated from n a serious point of at view It Is rather hard to look hook upon him himas hImas as ever In earnest or possessed of strong convictions Yet that lint ho he line has convictions and has hal most consistently lived Jived l up to them no one who has read reat lila works from his first great groat success Innocents Innocent Abroad to his latter work Following the Equator can cnn honestly deny He Ue himself expressed his own awn sentiment In an nn alleged encounter with will willa u a stranger stronger Ha lie n was Willi looking In nt at a IL where whort there thero happened to be ho n IL port nit ot of himself The stranger stronger not having gained a n good glimpse of Marks Marka face noe said anid In an offhand way wa Say what do you think of ot that tint old fellows work York anyway 7 I 1 think said saM Mark Manic solemnly with without without without out turning hits his hl ead that he Is tho the greatest impostor Impasto tho the American people ever i of used to take seriously ly now How so loT asked the lie stranger stronger Well ell because he realty really Is serious antI and because believe him Ho lie passes for tor being humorous Now Mark Twain line has always taken an interest In social problems not only as ns related to municipal affairs but In Inthe Inthe the larger hanger and worldwide sense This I Interest Is particularly manifest In such auci I book beaks as hU lila Prince nail Pauper an I A Yankee at the lie Court of King Icing Ar thur In fact tRet throughout nil alt ot of his I work stork run the serious purpose nn I the denire d INI to point a moral without too evidently preaching at nt his lila public It H was just about a n year ago that ho hi I appeared In tho the role of ot complainant against t a n cabman who had overcharged Overcharge one ono of ot Twains servants and haled hal d him lila I before a IL city court Some curiosity be lag ing manifested by the Judge JudIe why Vh one am on of his bill abilities and I take Interest In BO tie trivial i matter Mark Merk drawled out My Iy dear sir alt It Is P I Inot not Mt n a matter of ot sentiment It Is l intro inert nl business bulno s You cannot lao Ine that I am am making mon motier monay r wasting an nn hour or ur two of at my time to a IL case In which I have hove no personal In Interest tenant terest whatever I am am doing this Just Justas justan ju Jt as QI tiny any citizen worthy of ot tim tho name should do tic Ho lo line has no choice Ho lIe has hils hasa hilsa a n distinct duty dut Ho lb Is a R policeman anti and It Is iii I lila hla duty to assist th lie police and tho the magistracy In every way he wn n and give glo his hla line It If necessary earl sary to ta the tho law This Is not the tho criminal hero at lit all Tho rho ho criminal Is the citizen of ot New York und tind the tho absence of ot patriotism m I am amnot not itt here horo to 10 avenge myself on him the cabman 1 have no quarrel with him I My quarrel Is with tho the citizens at ot this city that bavo aso ao encouraged I In this way lay There Theio Is in l only on one aide to a 11 amoral amoral I moral question A legal question Is a 11 amoral amoral moral one oneAs oneAll As Au usual Mark Marl got right at the crux of the lie matter without wasting words In argument nr or boating about the bush hush It required courage to do tills this for tor In or order der dor to drive drle homo home his hla argument and ancl secures secure tho the conviction of at the cabman he was obliged o to make several enemies It required an nn honesty of ot purpose also and that Mark Twain Is honest Is ls proved by his recent liquidation of all nil debts of ot tho the defunct firm ot of which lie bo vlis n a silent partner after ho had practically compromised with the creditors at 50 SO cents on the dollar At an age nse when most must men mag ine lIke to nIce their ease ealo anti and enjoy the fruits of ot n a lifetime of ot la in labor tier bor he lie made his lila famous lecture tour of at atthe tint the world came camo back to tho the United States not only with money for tor his creditors but with the lie nucleus for tor a 0 pretty good fortune as well No more forceful argument was Vas ever presented In favor 01 of at a II bill than hU hits tho the house of ot lords lord anent ual copyright cop Even Kven that fossilized body hall had u a notion nation that lint Mark Manic 1 rl Twain could be bo nothing If It not humorous mind and laughed at every point he lie suede nude hoth or witty or not nOl But Dut he drove home hU lila argument as IS to civic and national In Just the tho name samo as ho Ito did when wIlen before the court In New York Aa As s to tho the value salue to tho the nation of terminable copyright he lie sold said when the state Biota sets the tho ot of disregarding n IL com come commonly manly moral law In the tho mate mILle material ninth rial Interests ts of at the lie public It should make sure cur that hint tho the commercial advant advantage advantage tage taco accruing to the people would be ba great enough to outweigh tile the lie Injury done to tho the nations sense ense of at honor and ant Justice As All this thin was exactly what It had hind not done Mark made a IL a point pol lit In n his lila remarks hint even oven the tat fat at wilted willed lords could not but perceive nail and applaud That he lie could be bo serious ho showed In Inthe Inthe the lie following remarks The Tue man who purchased a CL landed handed estate hind had to earn the money by hy the superiority of his In Intellect tolled at nt the lie bar In trade In manufacture manufacture ture or the like Ills His III land was what a n book Jook was the result of his brainwork of ot combination and the lie exploiting ef ot Ideas There was no difference between the two All property of ot whatever kind stood for tor or the same mans successful Bu e tul exercise of ot his Intel Inlet the this law haw allowed him to hold It and to transmit It to his pos posterity forever Crystallized common sense like that lint appealed to tho the noble lords as n It ap op peals peal to tho the common anti and his hits shaft Ahart at nt himself also olIO went home ns as In tented tended uh when n he said lahl he had found that according to the English law everything WM Yu Va taxable except pt copyright In books He Ito looked to s see o what his literature was taxed under and found fount it ft was tax taxed taxed taxed ed as gasworks 0 It t was so literally true he Ito added that It hurt his feelings Marl Mark Twain hal has as alone one of lila his critics erttie truly say MI certain primordial quail ties tle which will give to his hie works tin un dying d fame fome overt oven should the tho humorous features of ot Ma lila writings provo to bo ho transitory and perishable Among these sturdy qualities are honesty indig In lr j neat nant resentment of himself or o r to any other oilier member ot of tho thio human t of family f and the tho tare rare faculty of ot bunt being I a ble to touch the tho of mirth I In III i n any In man muon be 1111 ha lie American Gorman Austrian or Ills His remark remarkable able ubI a ble globe gholie circling lecture tour proved provell prove I 1 this bile and rind the facility with which his hla hiI i a humor h lute has taken after Inoculation t shows hows s his lila kinship with his lila follow fellow men Inca Murk Mark Twain Is III not only a n but iut l a n philosopher Ho lie does duos not hot heal hesi hesitate tate ale t to take tako a whack at nt his own coun countrymen countrymen t as ai for example when whon he Ito said How lIow unselfishly England his has wrought t for tor f or thin the open alien door for all tilli And how hay r piously America line lias wrought for tOl that thu t open OIJen e door In all nil oases whore it was wa a not h ot her hor own I As the tha humorist has lies advanced In ii l years the thu motive mauve of or Ida his hii humor has bo be Jo beLI come came moro obvious titan than formerly and an LI his desire to render real service cervice to hu hiu humanity manity more strong hence hell co his unsparing ing Ilig l ag efforts in behalf ot of civic purification i ri and his sacrifice of ot personal por comfort t for tor the lie uplifting of his life fellow citizens I Hut ho Is tho ho same old Mark Twain ns aM a C Cof of yore only a n little more pronounced d don on tho Ito earnest serious side than hiatt for tor formerly merly and still sticks to tu his lila famous a I aphorism When In doubt tell toll the th e 0 I truth L I ELTON ElrON |