Vol 3 Section 1117
R. Coe and William F. Benjamin (H.H. Rogers’ son-in-laws), Sam used mostly maxims from FE, “Puddn’head Wilson’s New Calendar” (in Clara’s set, nineteen of 23 aphorisms were from FE) [MTP].
Sam also inscribed a copy of IA to Katy Leary: “To / Katy Leary / who has been a member of my household a quarter of a century & was present at the birth of nearly all these books— / With the affectionate / regards of / The Author. / November 27, 1904” [MTP]. Note: Sam’s reference to “nearly all these books” suggests he also inscribed a full Hillcrest set to Katy, the other volumes not extant.
November 28 Monday
November 29 Tuesday – On or about this day Sam moved into his new home at 21 Fifth Avenue in N.Y.C. and daughter Jean arrived as well.
November 30 Wednesday – Sam’s 69th Birthday.
C. Brereton Sharpe wrote from International Plasmon Co., London to Sam, asking him to act as their proxy for the planned American Plasmon Co. shareholders meeting of Dec. 22 [MTP].
Isabel Lyon’s diary: “Tonight at dinner Mr. Clemens was talking of Moncure D. Conway. He is reading Conway’s autobiography just published, and it made him hark back to the days in London 24 years ago”
[Gribben 157: 1903-1906 Journal, TS 28, MTP].
December – Sam’s essay, “Saint Joan of Arc” first appeared in Harper’s Monthly (p. 3-12). It was collected in The $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories (1906) [Budd, Collected 2: 1009].
Sam wrote a slightly edited version of the 1893 “Extract from Adam’s Diary”; it was edited to make it a companion piece to “Eve’s Diary,” and would be collected in The $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories
(1906) [Camfield’s bibliog.].
December 1 Thursday – Isabel Lyon’s diary: “This afternoon Mr. Clemens was restless and after he talked business with me, and after he played through The last rose of summer and Wagner’s Wedding March on the orchestrelle, we sat down to play 500 again. We played until tea time, and then after tea time we played until 6:45….We played 500 until eleven o’clock. Mr. Clemens won 14 games [Hill 98; TS 29, MTP]. Note: “Wedding March” from Wagner’s Lohengrin.
December 2 Friday – The National Institute of Arts and Letters, founded in 1898, cast ballots and elected seven members to the first American Academy of Arts and Letters. These were, representing literature: Samuel L. Clemens, William Dean Howells, Edmund Clarence Stedman, and John Hay; representing art: Augustus Saint-Gaudens and John La Farge; representing music, Edward MacDowell. The secretary of the Institute was none other than Robert Underwood Johnson. The Academy was inspired by the famed French Academy and was to be comprised of 50 chosen from the Institute’s membership, creating a two-tier system. The original seven were to select eight more, who then would choose five, etc., until the full 50 were elected. See Sam’s Dec. 10 thank you to Johnson.
Mrs. H.H. Rogers gave Sam a birthday dinner. Sam saw few people this winter, save for Rogers, Andrew Carnegie, and a few old friends. He spent a good part of each day playing cards with Isabel Lyon and listening to her play the Orchestrelle he had purchased, and writing [MTHHR 574].
December 3 Saturday – At 21 Fifth Ave. in N.Y.C. Sam wrote to Frederick A. Duneka.
SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.