Vol 3 Section 0338
September 5 Tuesday – The New York Times, p. 1 speculated:
MARK TWAIN’S FUTURE PLANS.
Humorist Will Pass Winter at Princeton, and May Settle There.
Special to The New York Times.
PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 4.—Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, has made definite arrangements to spend the Fall and Winter in this town. Arthur Bave, manager of the Princeton Inn, received a letter to-day [not extant] from Mr. Clemens, who is now in Germany [Sweden], asking that a suite of rooms at the inn be made ready for him and his family by Oct. 1.
Laurence Hutton, the author, has been chiefly instrumental in getting Mr. Clemens to pass a few months in Princeton. It is thought that Mr. Clemens will devote most of his time while here to writing a book containing the reminiscences of his tour through the Old World.
Although no definite arrangements have been made for him to lecture before the students, it is highly probable that the university authorities will try to secure his services for a series of lectures. It is intimated by friends that Mr. Clemens will locate here permanently should he be pleased with the town [Note: see Sept. 18 to Hutton for Sam’s reaction to this article].
September 6 Wednesday – In Sanna, Sweden Sam wrote to Joe Twichell.
I’ve no business here—I ought to be outside. I shall never see another sunset to begin with it this side of heaven. Venice? Land, what a poor interest that is! This is the place to be. I have seen about 60 sunsets here;
a good 40 of them were clear & away beyond anything I had ever imagined before for dainty and exquisite
marvelous beauty & infinite change & variety. America? Italy? the Tropics? They have no notion of what a sunset ought to be. And this one—this unspeakable wonder! It discounts all the rest. It brings the tears, it is so unutterably beautiful.
….
Jean is as fine as a fiddle. It is fifty-seven days since she has taken a dose of poison of any kind. By George, for 3 years she lived on it [MTP].
September 7 Thursday – In Sanna, Sweden Livy replied for Sam to Chatto & Windus (their incoming letter not extant) about the special English issue of the Uniform Edition:
He asks me to say that he shall not be able to send out the prospectus, as he could not have the face to suggest to his friends to buy his books. It may be English but it is quite un-American to advertize oneself in this way [MTP].
September 8 Friday – An anonymous article, “An American Defender of the Faith,” ran in The Jewish
Chronicle (London), p.11. Tenney: “Excerpts from ‘Concerning the Jews; editorial commentary is brief and descriptive
[Tenney: “A Reference Guide Fifth Annual Supplement,” American Literary Realism, Autumn 1981 p. 164]. From Tenney’s Bibliographic Issue #4: “‘An article by Mark Twain in the March number (1899) of Harper’s Magazine attracted many letters from readers asking what in the writer’s opinion were the causes of anti-Semitism. In the current number of the same magazine he deals with this correspondece, with special reference to the letter of a Jewish American lawyer, which states most definitely the points of the case.’ MT’s September article is summarized at some length” [MTJ Bibliographic Issue Number Four 42:1 (Spring 2004) p.7].
Cyrus L. Sulzberger’s article, “Mark Twain and the Jews,” ran in The American Hebrew p.549-50.
Tenney: “‘In a spirit of absolute fairness and clearly without prejudice, Mark Twain makes some interesting suggestions regarding the Jewish question’ in Harper’s. Sulzberger takes strong exception to specifics in MT’s article. The editor of this journal urges: ‘For an intelligent comprehension of Mr. Sulzberger’s criticism of Mark Twain, a reading of the original article is necessary, and we advise all our readers to get Harper’s Magazine for
SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.