The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-01
MARK TWAIN JOKES.
How the Hnmprists ynIgnrlty Shocked
Ellis RosiGn Friends.

Els Boston Friends.
ISt. Louis Republican1
There appears to be great deal of talk in
Boston literary circles, and there is certainly
atoat i'm the newspapers great deal of crit-
cistn of Mark Twain's contribution to the
Whittier birthday festival lately held at the
Hub. In the first place 1t was difficult mat
ter to get the Quaker septenarian to consent
are retiring and his ways Quakerly, and he
shuns public display Of every kind. He was
naturally timid Of public demonstration in
his own honor. But he yielded and gave his
men and wits, and all knowing Whittier as
they did 1t was to be expected they would in
tuitively observe that decorum In harmony
with his quiet life, sedate habits and literary
position. The presence and reputation of the
man they had met to honor ought to have
toned the occasion without hedging 1t about
with prescribed programme of due respect.
Probably all felt the influence of this spirit Of
decorum- but one. Mark Twain, 1t seems,
was not in sympathy with the solemnity Of
the Quaker meet, 4, and could not rspress bis
extravagant drollery. which is SO well in his
books and SO effective on the platform. He
Is charged with kicking over the traces Of
respect and hitting several venerable YEN able poets
was not the kind OF speaker Whittier,
especially. was in the habit of hearing, and
at Whittier's table, too, his effort must
have been quite astonishing TO the soberly
broad farce was expected from q man who
could tenderly weep over the neglected grave
of Adam. But he flung it at them, and played
the kings jester at that birthday celebration.
It Is said that the banqusters laughed, and
that the sedate Whittier had hard work to
hold himself together. Of course 1t would
not do to spoil q celebration like this by
choking down or putting out a speaker. and
the proper thing to do was to laugh 1t off as
q joke. There are however hints abroad
that the laughing was grim, if not ghastly.
| and the old fellows who strained point like
this are now questioning the propriety
of such farcical performance in the
august literary presence. The whole matter
was that Mark Twain, presulniDg that he was
expected TO be funny. took it into his head to
perpetrate broad joke on Emerson, Long
fellow and Holmes, who were present fast
anchored, and had To sit and take it, He drew
personal caricatllres OF these three old wor-
wild oats in the far Western wilderness,
talking of themselves as poets. quoting
and claiming each others poetry as their
own. gaming and drinking for pastime
and making themselves altogether disagree
able 30 the Keeper OF a back woods tavern
neetion between any passage in the lives of
the men, or any trait in their characters. and
the scene In which they were represented rs
actors. The harmony and possibilities were
violated In the picture and situation. II was
no joke, and Boston, proud OF these men, fees
the attempt as an insult. OF course Mark
Twain intended nodisrespect. He simply felt
compelled to be as funny as he could, and OBJ
livous of the peculiar surroundings commit
ted an error Of taste and Judgment. He un-
fortunately stopped oveI'' at the Quaker
meeting. and all the tears he ' ever poured on
the tomb Of Adam cannot atone for the fault
or wash out its memory.