The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-17
CLEMENS At VANCOUVER,
The Writer and Lecturer Tells
the Object of His Trip
to Australia.
All the Claims Of His
Creditors.

RANOOO EN- d. O', aug. IO.-CdHuel
L. Clemens Mark Twain), who is about
leaving for Australia, in an interview con-
corning the purpose of his long trip, said:
Ny run across the continent, covering the
first 1000 miles OF this lecturing tour around
the world, has revealed to me SO many friends,
of whose existence was unconscious before,
and so much kindly and generous sympathy
with me in my financial mishaps that / feel
that it will not be obtrusive self-assertion, but
an act of simple justice to that loyal friend
ship, as well as to my own reputation, to make
public statement of the purpose which have
held from the beginning and which is now in
process of execution.
1t has been reported that I sacrificed for the
benefit of the creditors the property of the
publishing firm whose financial packer was
and that l am now lecturing for my own
benefit. This is an error. l intend the lee
lures as well as the property for the creditors
The law recognizes no mortgage on 8 mans
brain, and a merchant who has given up all he
has may take advantage of the rules Of insol
yency and start free again for himself; but
am not a business man, and honor is q harder
master than the law. 1t cannot compromise
for less than a hundred cents on the dollar
and its debts never outlaw.
/ had two-thirds interest in the publishing
firm, whose capital 1 furnished. If the, firm
had prospered I should have expected to col
lect two-thirds of the profits As it is, expect
to pay all the. debts. My partner has no re-
sources, and do not look for assistance from
him.
By far the largest single creditor of this firm
is my wife, whose contributions in cash from
her private means have nearly equaled the
claims of all the others com bined. In satisfac-
ton OF this great and just claim she has taken
nothing except to avail herself OF the oppor
tunity of retaining control OF the copyrights of
my books, which for many easily understood
reasons, Of which financial ones are the least,
we do not desire to see in the hands of stFahg-
ers. On the contrary, she has helped and in
tends to help me to satisfy the obligations due
to the rest
The present situation is that the wreckage of
the firm, together with what money I can
scrape together with my wife's aid, will enable
me to pay the other creditors about so per cent
of their claims. 1t is my intention to ask them
to accept that as legal discharge and trust TO
my honor to pay the other so per cent as fast
as earn it. From my receptions thus far on
my lecture tour l am confident that if / live
can pay off the last debt within four years.
after which, at the age of 81, I can make
fresh and unincum bered start in life.
do not enjoy the hard travel and broken
rest inseparable from lecturing, and If it had
not been for the imperious moral necessity of
paying these debts, which I never contracted,
but which were accumulated on the faith of
my name by those who had presumptive right
to use it, 1 should never have taken to the
road at my time of life. 1 could have sup
writing is too slow for the demands that [ have
to meet. Therefore, have begun to lecture
my way around the world.
am going to Australia, India and South
Africa, and next year 1 hope to make: a tour of
the great cities of the United States. In my
preliminary run through the smaller cities on
the northern route have found reception,
the cordiality of which has touched my heart
and made me feel how small thing money is
in comparison with friendship. =: -.
meant, when l began, to give my creditors
all the benefit OF this, but begin to feel that
am gaining something from it, too, and that
my dividends if not available. for banking pur-
poses may be even more satisfactory than
theirs.