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In bed with a chest cold and other companyWednesday。
DEAR GILDER；I can't。 If I were a well man I could explain with
this pencil； but in the cir…ces I will leave it all to your
imagination。
Was it Grady who killed himself trying to do all the dining and
speeching？
No； old man； no； no！ Ever yours； MARK。
He became again the guest of honor at the Lotos Club； which had dined him
so lavishly seven years before； just previous to his financial collapse。
That former dinner had been a distinguished occasion； but never before
had the Lotos Club been so brimming with eager hospitality as on the
second great occasion。 In closing his introductory speech President
Frank Lawrence said； 〃We hail him as one who has borne great burdens with
manliness and courage； who has emerged from great struggles victorious；〃
and the assembled diners roared out their applause。 Clemens in his reply
said：
Your president has referred to certain burdens which I was weighted
with。 I am glad he did； as it gives me an opportunity which I
wantedto speak of those debts。 You all knew what he meant when he
referred to it； & of the poor bankrupt firm of C。 L。 Webster & Co。
No one has said a word about those creditors。 There were ninety…six
creditors in all； & not by a finger's weight did ninety…five out of
the ninety…six add to the burden of that time。 They treated me
well； they treated me handsomely。 I never knew I owed them
anything； not a sign came from them。
It was like him to make that public acknowledgment。 He could not let an
unfair impression remain that any man or any set of men had laid an
unnecessary burden upon him…his sense of justice would not consent to it。
He also spoke on that occasion of certain national changes。
How many things have happened in the seven years I have been away
from home！ We have fought a righteous war； and a righteous war is a
rare thing in history。 We have turned aside from our own comfort
and seen to it that freedom should exist； not only within our own
gates； but in our own neighborhood。 We have set Cuba free and
placed her among the galaxy of free nations of the world。 We
started out to set those poor Filipinos free； but why that righteous
plan miscarried perhaps I shall never know。 We have also been
making a creditable showing in China； and that is more than all the
other powers can say。 The 〃Yellow Terror〃 is threatening the world；
but no matter what happens the United States says that it has had no
part in it。
Since I have been away we have been nursing free silver。 We have
watched by its cradle； we have done our best to raise that child；
but every time it seemed to be getting along nicely along came some
pestiferous Republican and gave it the measles or something。 I fear
we will never raise that child。
We've done more than that。 We elected a President four years ago。
We've found fault and criticized him； and here a day or two ago we
go and elect him for another four years； with votes enough to spare
to do it over again。
One club followed another in honoring Mark Twainthe Aldine； the St。
Nicholas； the Press clubs； and other associations and societies。 His old
friends were at these dinnersHowells； Aldrich； Depew； Rogers；
ex…Speaker Reedand they praised him and gibed him to his and their
hearts' content。
It was a political year； and he generally had something to say on matters
municipal； national； or international； and he spoke out more and more
freely； as with each opportunity he warmed more righteously to his
subject。
At the dinner given to him by the St。 Nicholas Club he said； with deep
irony：
Gentlemen； you have here the best municipal government in the world；
and the most fragrant and the purest。 The very angels of heaven
envy you and wish they had a government like it up there。 You got
it by your noble fidelity to civic duty； by the stern and ever
watchful exercise of the great powers lodged in you as lovers and
guardians of your city； by your manly refusal to sit inert when base
men would have invaded her high places and possessed them； by your
instant retaliation when any insult was offered you in her person；
or any assault was made upon her fair fame。 It is you who have made
this government what it is； it is you who have made it the envy and
despair of the other capitals of the worldand God bless you for
it； gentlemen； God bless you！ And when you get to heaven at last
they'll say with joy； 〃Oh； there they come； the representatives of
the perfectest citizenship in the universe show them the archangel's
box and turn on the limelight！〃
Those hearers who in former years had been indifferent to Mark Twain's
more serious purpose began to realize that； whatever he may have been
formerly； he was by no means now a mere fun…maker； but a man of deep and
grave convictions； able to give them the fullest and most forcible
expression。 He still might make them laugh； but he also made them think；
and he stirred them to a truer gospel of patriotism。 He did not preach a
patriotism that meant a boisterous cheering of the Stars and Stripes
right or wrong； but a patriotism that proposed to keep the Stars and
Stripes clean and worth shouting for。 In an article； perhaps it was a
speech； begun at this time he wrote：
We teach the boys to atrophy their independence。 We teach them to
take their patriotism at second…hand； to shout with the largest
crowd without examining into the right or wrong of the matter
exactly as boys under monarchies are taught and have always been
taught。 We teach them to regard as traitors； and hold in aversion
and contempt； such as do not shout with the crowd； & so here in our
democracy we are cheering a thing which of all things is most
foreign to it & out of placethe delivery of our political
conscience into somebody else's keeping。 This is patriotism on the
Russian plan。
Howells tells of discussing these vital matters with him in 〃an upper
room；〃 looking south over a quiet； open space o？back yards where；〃 he
says； 〃we fought our battles in behalf of the Filipinos and Boers； and he
carried on his campaign against the missionaries in China。〃
Howells at the time expressed an amused fear that Mark Twain's
countrymen； who in former years had expected him to be merely a humorist；
should now； in the light of his wider acceptance abroad； demand that he
be mainly serious。
But the American people were quite ready to accept him in any of his
phases； fully realizing that whatever his philosophy or doctrine it would
have somewhat of the humorous form； and whatever his humor； there would
somewhere be wisdom in it。 He had in reality changed little； for a
generation he had thought the sort of things which he now； with advanced
years and a different audience； felt warranted in uttering openly。 The
man who in '64 had written against corruption in San Francisco； who a few
years later had defended the emigrant Chinese against persecution； who at
the meetings of the Monday Evening Club had denounced hypocrisy in
politics； morals； and national issues； did not need to change to be able
to speak out against similar abuses now。 And a newer generation as
willing to herald Mark Twain as a sage as well as a humorist； and on
occasion to quite overlook the absence of the cap and bells。
CCXIII
MARK TWAINGENERAL SPOKESMAN
Clemens did not confine his speeches altogether to matters of reform。 At
a dinner given by the Nineteenth Century Club in November； 1900； he spoke
on the 〃Disappearance of Literature；〃 and at the close of the discussion
of that subject； referring to Milton and Scott； he said：
Professor Winchester also said something about there being no modern
epics like 〃Paradise Lost。〃 I guess he's right。 He talked as if he
was pretty familiar with that piece of literary work； and nobody
would suppose that he never had read it。 I don't believe any of you
have ever read 〃Paradise Lost；〃 and you don't want to。 That's
something that you just want to take on trust。 It's a classic； just
as Professor Winchester says； and it meets his definition of a
classicsomething that everybody wants to have read and nobody
wants to read。
Professor Trent also had a good deal to say about the disappearance
of literature。 He said that Scott would outlive all his critics。
I guess that's true。 That fact of the business is you've got to be
one of two ages to appreciate Scott。 When you're eighteen you can
read Ivanhoe； and you want to wait until you're ninety to read some
of the rest。 It takes a pretty well…regulated abstemious critic to
live ninety years。
But a few days later he was back again in the forefront of reform；
preaching at the Berkeley Lyceum against foreign occupation in China。
It was there that he declared himself a Boxer。
Why should no