Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-04-16
Ttuai3a Talks AUaiu.

AtOUSS AuHfS AOUSNs
Mark Twain delivered the following
speech at the dinner given Bayard Taylor in
New York, on Tuesday evening last:
MIR. CHA1RMAH-I had intended to make
an address of some length here tonight,
and, in fact, wrote out an improptu speech
-[laughter] but have had no time to men,
or1ze 1t. ! cannot make speech ON the
moment, and, therefore, being unprepared,
am silent and undone. However, I will say
this much for the speech I had written out
that it was very good one, and gave it
away, as had no further use for it, and saw
that could not deliver it. Therefore, I will
ask the indulgence of the company here to
let me retire without speaking. I will make
my compliments to our honored friend, Mr..
Taylor, but will make them on board ship,
where I shall be fellow-passenger.
Here follows the speech which Mr.. Glenn
ems wrote out.
I have been warned-as no doubt, have all
among you that are inexperienced-tha a
dinner to our ambassador is an occasion
which demands, and even requires, pc
culiar caution and delicacy in the handling
Of the dangerous weapon of speech. have
been warned to avoid all mention of interna-
tional politics, and all criticisms, however
| mild, of countries with which we are at
peace, lest such utterances embarrass our
minister and our government in their deal
ings with foreign states. In a word, I have
been cautioned to talk, but be careful to
notsay anything. do not consider this e
difficult task.
Now, it has often occurred to me that the
conditions under which we live at the pres
ent day, with the revelations of geology all
about us, viewing, upon the one hand, the
majestic confgurations of the silurian.
oolitic, old red sandstone periods,
and, upon the other, the affilia-
tons, and qualifications. and qualifications
of the prehistoric, post-pliocene, ante-pennl-
innate epochs, we are stricken dumb with
amazed surprise, and can only lift up our
hands and say with that wise but odious
Frenchman; 1T was slip of the tongue.
sir, and wholly unintentional.'' It would i'll
become me, upon an occasion like this, pur-
posely to speak slightingly of a citizen of
a country with which we are at peace-and
especially great and gracious France, whom
God preserve! The subject, however, is a
delicate one, and will not pursue it.
But-as was about to remark-cast your
over the vista which looms before you in the
mighty domain of intellectual progression,
and contemplate the awe compelling theory
of the descent of man! Development, sir!
Development! Natural selection! Correla-
ton of the sexes! Spontaneous combustion!
what CULTS and whirlwinds of
intellectual stimulus these magic words
fling upon the burning canvas of the
material universe of the soul! Across the
chasm of the ages we take the oyster by
the hand and call him brother; and back,
and still further back, we go, and breathe
the germ we cannot see, and know, in him
the true Adam! And as we stand, dazed,
trans6xed, exalted, and gaze down the long
procession of life, marking how steadily,
how symmetrically we have assembled, step
by step, to our sublime estate and dignity of
humanity-out of one lowly form into a
little higher and little higher formal
ding grace after grace, and function after
function, with each and evry change-de-
veloping from tadpoles into frogs, frogs into
fishes, fishes into birds, birds into reptiles,
reptiles into Russians beg million par
dons, sir, and gentlemen it was wholly
innocent slip of the tongue, and
due only to the excitement of
debate-for, far be it from me
upon such an occasion as this, to cast q
seeming slur upon great nation with whom
we are at peace--a great and noble and
Christian nation-whom God expand!
But, as was about to remark, I maintain
and nothing can ever drive me from that
position-that the contributions of the nine
teenth century to science and the Industrial
arts are-are-but, Of course they are. There
is no need to dwell upon that. You look at
it yourself. Look at steam Look at the
steamboat, look at the railway, look at the
steamship! Look at the telegraph, which
enables you to flash your thoughts from
world to world, ignoring intervening seas.