The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1877-08-16
CUTTING A PLAY.
Mark Twain's Funny Speech to a
New York Amdience-How He
and Bret Harte Manufac-
tured "Ah Sin"

The Twain-Harte play of "Ah
SIM was produced for the first
time before a New York audience,
at the Fifth Avenue Theater Tues
day night. In response to call be
fore the curtain, Mark Twain got
off the following.
Ladies and gentlemen: In view
of this admirable success, it is mete
that 1 try express to you our hearty
thanks for the large share which
your encouraging applause has had
in producing this success. This of
flee 1 take upon me with great
pleasure. This is a very remarka-
BILE play. You may not have no
ticed it, but assure you it is So
The construction Of this play was a
work of great labor and research,
also of genius and invention-and
plagiarism. When the authors of
this play began their work they
were resolved that it should not
lack blood-curdling disasters, acci
dents and calamitIes-but these
things always help out a play. But
wanted them to be new ones, bril-
liant, unhackneyed. In a lucky
moment we hit upon the breaking
down of stage coach as being
something perfectly fresh and
appalling. 1t seemed a stroke of
genius-an inspiration. We were
charmed with it. So we naturally
overdid it a little. Consequently,
when the play was first completed,
we found we had had that stage
break down seven times in the first
We saw that that wouldn't do
the piece was going to be too sta
gey Il didn't notice that-that is
very good Yes, the critics and
everybody would say this sort OF
thing argued poverty of invention.
And (confdentially) itdid resemble
that. So, of course, we set to work
and put some limitations upon that
accident, and we threw a little vari-
ETY. into the general style of it, too
Originally the stage-coach always
came in about every seven minutes
and broke down at the footlights
and split the passengers down
among the musicians. You can see
how monotonous that was-to the
musicians. But we fixed all that
At present the stage-coach only
breaks down once; a private car
riage breaks down once, and the
horses of another carriage run away
once. We could have left out one
or two of these, but then we hat
the horses or vehicles on our hands
and we couldn't afford to throw
them away on mere bubble.
am making this explanation in the
hope that it will reconcile you tc
the repetition of the accident.
This play is more didactic thar
otherwise. For the instruction o
the young we have introduced
game of poker in the first act. Th'
game of poker is too little under
stood in the higher circles of thii
country. Here and there you fine
an ambassador that has some lde;
of the game, but you take the gen
eral average of the nation and GU
ignorance ought to make us blush
WHY, have even known a clergy
mana liberal, cultivated, estima
BILE, pure hearted man and most ex
cellent husband and father-wh'
didn't value an ace full above tw'
pair and jack. Such ignorance a
this is brutalizing. Whoever see
Mr.. Parsloe in this piece sees a
GOOD and natural and consistent
Chinaman as he could see in Sa
Francisco. l think his portrayal Q
the character reaches perfection
The whole purpose of the piece IS
afford an opportunity for the Illus
tration of this character. The On