New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-08
MARK TWAIN'S BOOK.
TRAVEL NOTES AND ANECDOTES.

Samuel / Clemens, iliustTssna hing pV com
pany New-York: Doubleday K Mcclure Oo''''
pany
Paranhrasing afarar comic sons, We may say
of Mark Twain In this new book OF MS tha' II
not 60 much the thing he says It's the funny
way he says it. Long before the reader gets
half way through this bulky book he VIII have
given I'D In despair any attempt to follow the
author Systematically through the various steps
~ his tourney from Paris 10 vancouver
from there 10 the Sandwich Islands. ana on
through Australia. New-Zealand Ceyioh' inoi"
end Africa. The truth Is that Marx Iwail uocs
rot seem to care very much whether the reaoe'
follows him with system or not lie likes "
drop the narrative OF his travels ana 10 'eli
gold stories Many OF his stories are good'
Better even than these are the Puddehheao
Maxims The public has for some time oeen
acquainted with the wisdom of Puddenhead
Wilson. but he is now as fresh as he ever was
The very nrst OF the maxms. Just following
the dedication 10 the book has all Of Mark
T,yain's drollery in II. We give Ii intact:
"These VISIONS are for NE Turing of youth
toward high moral attitudes. The author did
not gather them from practice. but from opser-
walton To be good is noble. but to SHOW others
how to be good is nober and no trouble. lhd'
sets the pace for the entire volume before us
We hardly turn the pages before we are upon
another nugget Describing his departure from
Paris for America. Mari; Twain says: These
preparations took but little time Two mem
ters OF my family elected to go with me, also
a carbunce. The dictionary says the carbuncis
is a kind of Jewel. Humor is out Of place in
q dictionary"
One IL not surprised by tho rambling chapters
that follow this quaint introduction. One learns
something about the character Of the people one
fnds on board the steamers that put out from
Vancouver one learns also something about
General Grants memory for faces, and II can
not be said that one is made to be more inter-
ested IN the first subject than In the second.
All Is grtst that comes TO Mark Twain's mill
For instance after We have had described to
us the smoking room types OF the Paciho
steamer we are plunged into deep discussion
as to the manner in which Scotchmen pronounce
the word three One Scotch voyager claimed
that the peasantry Of Scotland pronounce the
word as we pronounce 1t in America; but his
adversaries claimed that they did not: that the
peasants pronounced It "thraw." The argument
waxed hot Then Mark Twain spoke up and
said the peasantry pronounced the word three"
not "thraw." He admits that It was an error
OF Judgment. He made his contribution TO
the conversation with bland recklessness; not
that he cared a row OF asterisks. the
Irishman put It, but simply to make CONVERSE
ton. He made it. and the Sootchnen very
nearly took his life. While they were storming
he saw a way out of the difficulty. and invented
a Scotch couplet At this point the story may
be told in his own words
Very well: don't say any more confess
defeat: thought l knew. but see my mistake
I was deceived by one OF your Scotch poets!'
"A Scotch poet Oh. comet Name HIM
Robert Burns.
1T is wonderful. the power OF that name
These men looked doubtful-but paralyzed all
the same They were quite silent for a moment
Then one OF them said. with the reverence in
his voice that is always in a Scotchman's tone
when he utters the name:
docs Robbie Burns say-what does he say?
"1Ths is what ne says:
"'"There was nae baircs but three,
Ane at the breast. twa at the knee"
1T ended the discussion. There was no man
there profane enough, disoyal enough. to say
any word against thing that Robert Burns had
settled. / shall always honor that great name
for the salvation 1t brought me In this time OF
ny sore need. 1t is my belief that nearly any
devised quotation. played with confidence.
stands a good chance to deceive There are
people who think honesty is always the best
policy. That is q superstition. There are times
when the appearance of It is worth six OF It,"
OF course, this vein OF absurdity has It's dis
advantages. Leaving the ROBERT burns episode
Mark turns to the Southern Cross. and
though he is not particularly irreversnt in his
notes on the subject. his failure to appreciate
his privilege in gazing upon that majestic spec
tacle Jars upon the taste. There is nothing in
the world more beautiful than the Southern
Cross and one would think that even O profess
slonal humorist would forego his little Jokes
IN its presence; but Mark is incorrigible He
Is uncertain TO whether the Southern Cross
should be called the Southern Coffin the
Southern Kite: on the whole he would prefer
10 know It the Kite. This is rather lame
fooling. and IT must be confessed that there Is
a good deal more like 1t within the covers Of
this long, long book. Yet when have stated
this we are driven to acknowledge that. long
the book is. the lapses from taste do rot
make IT longer On the contrary. this is an
commonly readable book: readable, that IS
In q desultory way. One may not want TO read
II through at one sitting, but one Is bound to
pick IT up again and again and DIP into II at
new places always with fair success. There
is a story In this book which fills one entire
chapter. and Il IS devoted to dieQuisition on
the text that given the circumstances. the man
will appear. Mark goes on to show that . Ger
tain young Southerner who sent by joking
friends 70 Commodore Vanderbilt with worth
less letter Of introduction. ultimately became
a successful employe Of the great millionaire
The anecdote is not In itself very electrifying
but we repeat Marks way 10 taking. and he
tells the story with susto that carries the
reader straight through from the first word TO
the last.
In India Mark Twain found a great deal TO
admire and great deal more to laugh at We
share IN his admiration willingly. Much moro
willingly We share in his laughter. There is a
fine extract which he gives US from the biosra-
ply of distinguished Hndoo Judge. Onocool
Chunder Mookerjee II Ia the closing scene OF
the Judges life that is described.
After having said these words. no hermeti-
cally sealed his lips, not TO open them again.
All the well-known doctors OF Calcutta that