Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1883-12-27
MEXICO. MISSOURI THURSDAY DECEMBER q, 1888
MARK TWAIN AGGRIEyED.
Why Statue Of Liberty When We
Have Adann


Mark Twain was asked to contri-
butte to the album af artists sketches
and autograph letters % Be lafled for
|at the Bartholdi Pstlestai Fund Art
Loan Exhibition, and this is his re-
sponse, which accompanied his con-
tribution:s fe IL
rfYou know my weakness for Ad-
am and you know how ! have strug-
gled to get him a monument and fall
ed. Now, 1t seems to me, here is my
chance. What do we care for stat
ue of liberty when we've got the thing
itself in its widest sublinity? What
you want of monumenf is to keep
you in mind of something you
haven't got-somethi,4 you've lost.
Very wen; we haven't lost liberty 1
we've lost Adam. @ g
Another thing! What has Hberay.
done for US? Nothing in particular
that know of. What have we done
for her? Everything. We've given
her home, and good home, too,
And if she knows any thing, she
knows it's the FIRST time she ever
struck that novelty. She knows that
when We took her in she had been u
mere tramp for 6 900 years, Biblical
measure. Yes, aud we not only end
ed the troubles and made things soft
for her permanently, but we made
her respectable-and that she hadn't
ever been before. And now, after
we've poured out these Atlantics OF
benefits upon this aged outcast, 10!
and behold you, we are asked to
come forward and set up monument
to her! Go to. Let her set up a
monument to us if she wants to do
the clean thing.
But suppose your statue represent
her old, bent, clothed in rags, down.
cast, shame-faced, with the insults
and humiliation OF 5000 years, i'm
|ploring crust and an hours rest for
Gods sake at our back door,
come. now you're shouting! That's
the aspect of her which we need to be
reminded Of, lest we forget it-not
this proposed one, where she's
hearty and weIl-fed, and holds up her
head and fiourishes her hospitable
schooner of flame, and appears to be
inviting oil the rest OF the tramps to
come over. o, 60 to-this is the
VERY insolence of prosperity.
| But on the other handbook at
Adam. What have We done for
Adam? Nothing. What has Adam
done for us? Everything. He gave
US life, he gave US death, be gave US
heaven, he gave us hell. These are
inestimable privileges, and remember.
! not one of them should we have had
without Adam. Well, then, he ought
to have monument, for Evolution
is steadily and surely abolishing him !;
and we must get up monoment, and
he quick about it, or our children's
children will grow up ignorant that
there ever was an Adam. With
trifing alterations, this present statue
will answer very well for Adam. You
can turn the blanket into an ulster
without any trouble, part the hair on
one side, or conceal the sex of his
head with fire helmet, and at once
he's a man; put harp and halo
and palm branch in the left hand to
symbolic part of what Adam did
for US, and leave the fire basket just
where it is to symbolic the rest.
My friend, the father of life and
death and taxes, has been neglected
Ilong enough. Shall this infamy be
allowed to go on, or shall it stop right
here? yF8s a
Is it but question of finance
Behold the enclosed (paid bank
checks! Use them as freely as they
are freely contributed. Heaven knows
1 would there were a ton of them
I would send them all to you. for my
heart is in this sublime work.