Vol 3 Section 0383

To hark back—I notice one difference between Kellgren & the osteopaths; he declares that he can cure any epilepsy that is not hereditary; they claim to be able to cure 4 in 10, but say nothing about hereditary.

We are having a sumptuous time with the hickory-nuts, Sue, & are very thankful to you. / With lots of love, / Saml [MTP].

Note: Sam and Livy dined with Hunter, Francis Henry Skrine, Frank Frankfort Moore and others on Jan. 24, 1900 [Life of Sir William Wilson Hunter, etc. by Francis Henry Skrine (1901) p. 477]. See also Feb. 26 entry. Sir William Hunter was a British historian and statistician, an expert on India, and in 1886 served as the Vice Chancellor for the University of Calcutta. Sam quoted Hunter’s description of the Taj Mahal in FE. See Gribben 341. The “Calcutta friends” where the dinner referred to took place and Sam met Sir William, were undoubtedly Francis and Helen Skrine. Sam met them in Calcutta during his world tour.

February 9 Friday

February 10 Saturday – The New York Times, p. BR1, an anonymous squib: “Topics of the Week.”

Two volumes by Mark Twain are in active preparation at Harper & Brothers’. One is to be a collection of essays and the other a book of short stories. Most of the material has already appeared in recent numbers of various American magazines. It is said that Mr. Clemens’s dissertation on the idiosyncrasies and inconsistencies of Christian Science will in some way furnish the title for the book of essays, which as a whole will present certain problems of life with characteristic humor, but with an undercurrent of undoubted sincerity, which has of late been more conspicuous in the work of this author than ever before.

February 11 Sunday

February 12 Monday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam replied to Samuel G. Blythe (incoming letter not extant).

Objections? Indeed no. On the contrary I shall be glad.

I shall now lay for the young man who called the other day, & who seemed to know a great many things—& to lack delicacy in some little degree: for, while smoking my bad cigars & warming himself at my good fire he suddenly up & said, without any humane & softening preparations for the remark, that my Christian Science article had cost the Cosmopolitan 10,000 subscribers [MTP].

Note: Samuel George Blythe (1868-1947) was for this one year managing editor of Cosmopolitan, but for most of his life he was a newspaperman, columnist and political writer, who was friendly with US presidents from Grover Cleveland to F.D.R. He had also been managing editor of Sam’s old paper, the Buffalo Express in 1897 at the ripe old age of 25. Blythe authored at least sixteen books. He is not listed in Gribben.

Sam then sent his regards to John Brisben Walker of the Cosmopolitan [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Will M. Clemens.

I am glad, & very much obliged to you. Whatever Sam Moffett approves I am sure I should approve.

If you mean a photo which has not been printed, I am not sure that there is one—except one the control of which has gone out of my hands in America [MTP: University Archives catalog, No. 9, Item 41]. Note: Sam added that he found the one he was thinking of and it had been printed in McClure’s.

Joe Twichell wrote to Sam.

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