Vol 3 Section 0511
Sam’s notebook: “City Club, after dinner 19 W. 34th —after dinner in time to hear Bishop Potter” [NB 43 TS 4].
January 5 Saturday – At 1410 W. 10th in N.Y.C., Sam wrote a postcard to Augustus T. Gurlitz. “Yes, I can testify for Kipling after Jan. 18. I leave on the 14th for Boston to visit Thos Bailey Aldrich…& return Jan. 17” [MTP]. Note: at this point Sam’s trip to Washington D.C. on Jan. 19 had not been foreseen.
Frank E. Bliss wrote to Sam asking if it was all right to give Doubleday some copy from “Adam’s Diary” as they were “going to publish it in some sort of a book.” He had conferred with H.H. Rogers about “the proposed scheme for selling all those books,” but Rogers didn’t think it was fair to Sam. After the typed note, Bliss added in hand at the bottom: “How soon must you have that money? We have quite a bunch coming in on Jan 16th I expect & I’d like to have you wait till then if you can” [MTP]. Note: Bliss owed royalties to Sam; the publishing business often found itself in cash-flow squeezes & did not always pay on time.
January 6 Sunday
January 7 Monday – Sam’s notebook lists readings Sam gave for the H.H. Rogers family: “Watermelon / Dead Man (window-sash) / Mexican Plug / Old Ram / Intermish of 10 or 12 m. Ornithorhyncus & poem / Xning Story German Lesson / Began 8:45; ended 10.10 / 1 hr 25 m / Pieces not used: Interviewer / Duel / Golden Arm / Whistling” [NB 44 TS 2]. Note: no doubt certain guests were also there.
A.B. Hervey, “a stranger in Bath Maine” wrote his approval of Sam’s recent speech at the “Civil Club” (City Club on Jan. 4) which appeared in the Brooklyn Eagle on Saturday, Jan. 5, and the reply of the editor. He mentioned that Senator Hoar had said “very much the same thing” about the Philippines, “but for you to say it means that all the world will hear it” [MTP]. Note: George Frisbie Hoar (1826-1904), Senator from Mass. (1877-1904). After the war with Spain, Hoar became the most outspoken critic in Congress against the policies of the administration. Hoar was the grandson of Roger Sherman, founder of Rhode Island.
Ferdinand P. Kaiser, publisher in St. Louis, wrote to Sam. “We have your favor suggesting the possibility that we may have on hand uncopyrighted articles from your pen. We need not say that such articles are extremely rare—but we have succeeded in collecting your ‘remarks on New England Weather’ made at a New Engd Socty Banquet & we are also on the track of your contributions to the Virg City Enterprise Signed ‘Mark Twain’ in 1862.” He asked permission to republish the Hawaii letters to the Sacramento Union that were in RI, and would appreciate his suggestion on anything he contributed to the Buffalo Express that they might republish [MTP]. Note: no recent letter from Clemens to Kaiser is
extant.
The New York Times, p. 6 under “Topics of the Times” ran an unsigned editorial—more fallout from
Sam’s City Club speech:
—Imitation can be the severest condemnation, as well as the sincerest flattery, and it was doubtless with the intention of expressing in characteristic way his disgust, natural to all patriotic Americans, at the imprudence of the anti-imperialists that Mr. Clemens, at the City Club dinner, professed “a strong aversion to sending our bright boys out to the Philippines to fight with a disgraced musket under a polluted flag.” The professional humorist must vary his effects, under penalty, if he does not, of becoming wearisome at last, and it is an entirely legitimate device for him occasionally to put on a solemn face and with all the accustomed signals of sincerity to exploit with seeming earnestness the views held by foolish or wicked or deluded persons on some great question. The late “Petroleum V. Nasby” did this with brilliant success, and it is no wonder that “Mark Twain” aspires to win a triumph of the same sort. But the plan, though good when skillfully carried out, has its incidental dangers. Mr. Locke avoided them, possibly because he had never justified any suspicion of a desire on his part to preach directly, instead of indirectly. Mr. Clemens, unfortunately, has suggested several times of late that his inclination lies that way, that fame as a humorist does not content him, and that he
SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.