Vol 3 Section 0339

September containing “Concerning the Jews,” by Mark Twain. His article is thoughtful, suggestive and witty”’

[MTJ Bibliographic Issue Number Four 42:1 (Spring 2004) p.7].

September 9 Saturday – The New York Times, p.BR 600, ran an article about Twain and Kipling.

MARK TWAIN ON RUDYARD KIPLING

A letter from Mark Twain addressed to a correspondent in Oklahoma is published in one of the Kansas City papers. It relates to Rudyard Kipling and was called out in an interesting manner. It seems that the students of Stillwater College, in Oklahoma, recently declared that Kipling was entitled to be regarded as the greatest living writer of English. Dr. Henry Walker of Oklahoma City disagreed with this verdict in a letter which he wrote to a paper published in Oklahoma City, and gave that proud eminence to Mark Twain instead. He sent Mr. Clemens a copy of his letter [not extant] and has received the following reply:

“Dear Doctor Walker: I thank you ever so much for the impulse which moved you to write the article— and for the article, also, which is mighty good reading. And I am glad you praised Kipling—he deserves it; he deserves all the praise that is lavished upon him, and more. It is marvelous—the work which that boy has done: the more you read the ‘Jungle Books’ the more wonderful they grow. But Kipling himself does not appreciate them as he ought; he read ‘Tom Sawyer’ a couple of times when he was coming up out of his illness and said he would rather be author of that book than any that has been published during its lifetime. Now, I could have chosen better, I should have chosen ‘Jungle Books.’ But I prize his compliment just the same, of course. I thank you again and heartily. I haven’t the language to say it strongly enough” [Note: the above written on June 24 to Dr. Henry Walker; see entry for a slightly different version]

Academy (London) ran a brief comment on the forthcoming Author’s Edition of Mark Twain’s works and on his “Concerning the Jews” [Tenney 30].

September 10 Sunday

September 11 Monday

September 12 Tuesday – Laurence Hutton wrote from Princeton, NJ to Sam.

Dear Marcus / Here we are again. This is what the Sun says about us. If you don’t mind it, I don’t. But, I wouldn’t accept your death, Mark, as a gift.

I hope your part of the statement is true. Tell us.

I wrote you a few days ago from Paris. We expect to be settled here—at the Inn—in a couple of weeks.

And to be “At Home” in the New House by Thanksgiving time. Come. / Love …. [MTP].

September 13 Wednesday

September 14 Thursday – Henry M. Alden for Harper & Brothers wrote to Sam to suggest they would publish two additional volumes: a book of stories, with “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg” as its “splendid pièce de résistance,” and a book of articles [MTHHR 414n3].

September 15 Friday – In Sanna, Sweden Sam began a letter to Major H.F. Gordon Forbes, author, living at this time in Boulogne. (Sam added a PS on Sept. 23.) Forbes’ letter had taken over three months to reach Sam, but from postmarks where the delay was Sam could not tell. He informed Forbes he would be in Sanna until Sept. 27 and at the Queen Anne Mansions for the winter starting Sept. 30.

Now as to Valentine Baker: I am as glad as any one can be, to hear the other side of that case. I’d like to talk it out with you when I see you—& I hope I may have this pleasure. To my mind there is one thing rather sure: that to continue his exclusion from the British army all these years would have been over-punishment

SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.