Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-01-08
Notes by Mark Twain.

Mark Twain has been writing more let.
ters for the Alta CdlU0rRi0R, and here are
some extracts from one of the latest
have had a boil on one side of my nose
aud cold on the other, and whether |
snee2e or blow it is all one; l get the
lockiaw anyhow, l never fully compre.
hended before how iuscrutable are the
ways of Providence. For my feeble finite
wisdom is utterly stumped with the sim
Pile problem Of what great and good end
is TO be accomplished by the comforting of
this boil and cold on me, both at the same
time, but Providence understands it well
enough. The ways of Providence are too
inscrutable for the subscriber.
have not been working very hard, but
have got this book of mine ready for
the engrayers and electrotypers at last,
though ii viii not be issued from the pub
fishing house till March. Not knowing
what else to name it, | have called it
"rhe New Pilgrims Progress" This re.
minds me that | see by the papers that l
am going to China in the spring. l was
not quite certain of IL before, but | am
now, | suppose. My lecturing engage
ments extend into March, and | shall bave
ample time to think it over.
Don't direct any more letters to me at
AAoANANAN hhNAA AAllN NhN WHICH
live in. They mix such things here in New
England. think am in Hartford prop
or, but no man may hope to be
certain, Because right here In one
nest We have Hartford, and Old Hartford,
and New Hartford, and West Hartford,
and East Hartford, and Hartford on the
Hill, aud Hartford around generally. It
is the strangest thing-this paucity of
names in Yankee land. You find that il
is not amatter confined TO Hartford, but is
adistCmper that atlllCts all New England.
They get u name that suits them, and then
hitch distinguished handles To it, and hang
them on all the villages round about. II
reminds me Of the man who said that
Adam went on naming his descendants
until he ran ont of names, and then said
grayely, Let the rest be called Smith"
Down there at New Haven they have
Old Haven, West Haven, South Haven,
West hy-sou.west Haven, and East.by.
east.nor east t-halteast- Haven, and the
oldest man in the world can't tell which
one of them Yale College is in, The boys
in New England are smart, but after they
have learned everything else they have to
devote couple of years to the geography
of New Haven before they can enter col,
lege, and then half Of them can't do il till
they so to sea a voyage and learn how to
box the compass. That is why there are
so many more New England sailors than
any other Some of them spend their
whole lives In the Whaling service, trying
to tit themselves for college. This class OF
people have colonized the City of New
Bedford, Mass II is well known that
nine tenths Of the old salts there became
old salts just in this way. Their lives are
a failure they have lived in vain-they
have never been able tQ get the hang of
the New Haven geography.
In this connection they tell a story of a
stranger who was coming up the Con.
necucut river, and was trying his best TO
sleep; but every now and then the boat
would stop and man would thrust his
head into the room. First he sung out
" Hsddam p and then last Haddam ~
and then "Ha1dsm Neck :" and then
North Haddam |" and then Great
Haddsm :" Little Haddam :" "Old Had.
dam :" New HaddAml' "Irish Had.
dam y Dutch Hsddam :" Haddam, Had.
dam = and then the stranger jumped out of
bed, all excited, aad says; ~ am Meth.
odist preacher, full of grace, and forty
years In service without guile I'm a
meek and lowly Christian, bu; d-n these
Haddams, wish the devil had EN- saw 7"
The gentlemen of the C0udAt have
given me fdd amie copy OF the first
issue Of thst paper Ii Is about tWico as
large as a sheet Of foolscap, aud bears date
Oct. 20. l16i-something over a hundred
years ago In iIs news columns, under