The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-01-11
MARK TWAIN.
The Great HumOrist's Lecture at
Washington Hall Last Evening.
A Large and Wen Pleased Audience.

Samuel L. Clemens, whose literary
name is sMark Twain" delivered hi
Lecturs6n ''Roughihg II" in Nevada, las
evening at Washington Hall. The hal
was crowded with the most intelligen
and rellnedpsople Of the city who had
high appreciation Of the lecture, II WI
may judge from the almost continuous
laughter and applause that greeted 1t.
Mr. Clemens came upon the stage with
out attendance, and introduced himself Il
a manner as once droll and novel. II,
always does this for reasons which h
gives his audiences, In personal appear
ance he very much resembles the picture
that arc meant to represent him in hi
great book, lnnOcents Abroad" ex
cOpt that ho don't wear the checl
trowsers on the lecture stand that h
wore in the holy land. He is q young
ISL looking man Of somewhere abou
thirty.lve, not handsome, but having {
bright and intelligent look, and eye
with merry twinkle that put him q
once en- rapport with an audience, and tina
have fashion Of swapping just as III
comes to the crisis Of the joke. He wa
dressed very neatly in a black suit, TIT
upper garment being black irock coat
closely buttoned. He Is clean shaver
excepta heavy dark moustache; and bill
manner Of wearing his hair, which 1
abundant, shows that he is his own ton
serial artist His style Of oratory Is moi
unlike that Of Artemus Ward. lie hal
the same dry, hesitating, stammeripl
manner, and his face, aside from the merry
light in his eyes, Is as grave as the visagC
Of an undertaken when screwing dowr
the coffin lid. He appears TO labor undel
some embarrassment in not knowing JUS
how to dispose of his arms and hands, bu
this only heightens the drollcry oil hi
manner, and may be merely "stagt
trick" five remember Alright Artemul
Ward labored under like difficulty, rea,
or assumed.
Mark preIaced his lecture with the fol
lowing remarks:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: BY reques,
Of the Chairman Of the committee, who
has been very busy, and is very tired,
suppose, l ask leave to introduce TO you
the lecturer OF the evening, Mr.. Clemens
otherwise Mark Twain, o gentleman
whose great learning, whose historical &C
curacy, whose devotion to science, and
whose veneration for the truth laughter
are only equalled by his moral character
and his majestic presence. Renewed
laughter. ! refer these vague genera
terms to myself Giggling. am q
little opposed to the custom Of ccremon
iously introducing the lecturer to The
audience, because itseems to me unneccs
sary where the man has been properly
advertised laughter, and besides 1t L
very uncomfortable for the lecturer. But
whereit is the custom, an Introduction
ought to I've made, and I had rather make
il myself in my own case, and then car
rely on getting in all the facts. Contin
ucd laughter. 1t Is not simple intro.
duclion that | mind don't really care
for that nj all, but it is the compliments
that sometimes goes with it-tllat is what
hurts. II would make any one unc0m.
Portable. You can fancy u young lady
introduced 10 parlor.full Of company as
the best cOnversatiOnalist. the best model
In every way in her section of the cOun.
try. You might just rs well knock hcl
in tho head. She could not say q word
the rest of the evening.
! never had but one public introduction
that seemed exactly the thing; that seem.
ed to be a very inspiration in the way Of
an introduction. The gentleman had q
good head, and he said he supposed
didn't want any compliments. l said lie
was exactly right, didn't want any com.
pliments. And when he introduced me
he said, ladies and Gentlemen, l shall
not waste any unnecessary time in the in.
PRODUCTION. 1don't know anything about
this man; laughter at least only know
two things about him; one Is that he has
never been in the PGnitentiary, and the
other is can't imagine why" Prolonged
laughter Now such IN Introduction puts
a man right at ease. Laughter.
The speaker alluded to the various lee.
lures which he had delivered the present
season. He had prepared several; got
tired Of them, and cast them aside. He
reall y supposed that his audience din't
care what the lecturer talked about.
Laughter The present address was
part Of volume Of 600 octave pages, now
in press, which detailed his experience in
Nevada. Hewould give them thirty or
forty pages Of 1t, or the whole 600, Just as
they preferred. There's nothing mean
about me, said Mark, with q sudden glsh
Of innocence. 2 . tsFaaSo y "a !
He then proceeded to describe an over.
land trip as it was twelve or fifteen years
ago, before the days Of Pacific railroads.
He and his party were bound Tor Nevada.
A description Of that territory followed,
with the characteristics Of soil, climate,
productions which Its presents, and the
peculiarities of life and population which
1t then presented. Its mountains, its val
leys, its cloudless skies, were all well de-
picted. Tho Territory never had possessed
$4,000 inhabitants, and yet it sends two
Senators to Congress, and has all the ma
tional influence that attends upon a Com.
Equal representation was
something which he believed ones ances.
tors commended for at the time of the rev.
olution, although he was not certain, not
having been present He spent consider.
able time while in Nevada at Carson City.
Here he had a peculiar adventure, which
was given to the audience in the form Of
n narrative, We give 1t nearly in the
speakers own works:
Everybody rode horseback in that town.
! never saw such magnificent horseman.
ship rs that displayed in Carson streets
every day, and | did envy them, though I