The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-05
THE LITERARY OUTLOOK.
MARK TwAIN's ADVENTURE WITH
THE "FUNNY COLUMN"


visits 10 New YOFk-A Notable In
stance of Collaboration Between
husband and Wife.
New York March I'm a conversation
/ had the other day with a friend OF Mark
Twains there was recalled Mark Twain's
attempt to conduct a humorous" depart
ment in a monthly magazine. 1t was as in
teresting and Characteristic an adventure
as any in all of Mark Twain's eventful
life, and IL is one that must by now be
pretty well forgotten by the general public,
for it befen all but 30 years ago The mag
azine in which the attempt was made has
been dead all OF 20 years II was the Gal
axy, a magazine that in the distinction Of
its contributors was surpassed by none of
its day; but the tide, in soms myT terious
way. ran against It, and after career of
perhaps y or Is years it passed under
Mark Twain's venture began in the
spring of 1870. Under the general title Of
Memoranda" he supplied to each number
eight or ten pages of short sketches and
matter survives in his collected works;
and, I may add that the fact is, on the
whole not to be regretted. And yet among
these monthly memoranda" there We're
a good many bright things; things that
had the true Mark Twain flavor. Twice
Mark introduced into the department spec
linens of his drawing. one was a map of
Paris, made timely by the fact that the
war between France and Germany was
then in progress and the other was pOr
trait of the German Emperor, william III.
With each he printed a series of testimon-
ials. Regarding the portrait, for instance,
Plus TX was alleged to have said, There
is nothing like it in the vatican" and Rosa
BOnheur, 1T IS the neatest thing in still
life have seen for years." and Bismarck,
The smile may be almost called unique;"
and the Emperor's son, the crown prince
Frederick William. zone cannot see it
without longing to contemplate the artist"
The map of Paris was no less aptly re-
marked upon: u. S. Grant said 1T is the
only map of the kind l ever saw" Gen.
Sherman, lit is but fair TO say that in
some respects, 1t is a truely remarkable
map" and Napoleon III, lit is very nice,
large print"
Of all the contents Of the department.
however, the thing that attracted most
attention at the time was a rather long
review of Mark Twain's book, 1.-THE limo
cents Abroad" from the London Saturday
Review. With what appeared to be abso-
lutte sincerity and seriousness the review
er took the author to task for ignorance
falsehood and bad taste. The most whop-
ping Of the statements and stories in the
book were cited or retaied with such COM
ments as this seems to be rather exag-
gerated; this certainly departs in impor-
tant particulars from the ascertalned his
torical facts" this surely could not have
happened in the way IN which the author
has represented It," AT one point the book
was commended for certain curious in
formation it gave; and at this exception
ally praiseful passage. Mark Twain in
terposed foot note saying that the in
formation so much valued was of his own
invention. Summing up finally the long list
of exceptions taken, the reviewer said.
THE book is absolutely dangerous. con-
sidering the magnitude and variety of its
miscellaneous, and the convincing conf
dence with which they are made. And vet
II Is a text book in the schools of Amer
icaw
No end Of discussion followed the publ
cation of this curious composition.
Through the newspapers and by private
letters, Mark Twain was profusely coun-
eeled as to all the possible bearings of IT,
Some judges informed him that he had
been most ludicrously taken In. that the
writer In the Saturday Review was him
self a humorist as deft a one as Mark
Twain himself, and the critic all a deep
dry joke Others saw in il a new example
not surprising, perhaps, all things CON
sidered-of that monumental English dull
ness which was always making more or
less of parade of itself In his DEPART
ment the next month Mark Twain CRATE
fully printed selection from these iudg-
ments, exhibiting them in all their pictu-
rescue vigor and variety; and he added
a note of personal explanation in which
he informea the judges ana the public
that he had written the review himself
conceiving that IL was about the sort of
notice of his book the Saturday Review
would have taken had it taken any
which, at the time the review was written
1t had not though il did subsequently,, /
believe.
AS time went on IL became quite evil
dent that his department was a burden
20 Mark Twain. Finally, he could en-
dure 1t no longer, and he closed it with
valedictory" that is like master
piece of short fiction in the dramatic sug-
gestNeness with which it places before
the Imagination the fundamental contrasts
OF life. Il have now" il reads. written
for the Galaxy year. For the last eight
months with hardly an interval 1 have
had for my fellows and comrads night
dhu udy, doctors ana watchers of the sick
During these eight months death has taxi
en- two members of my home circle. and
Indignantly threatened two others. All
this | have experienced, yet all the time
peen under contract to furnish 'humo-
rous matter once month for this mag
azlne. - think that some of the hu-
NOR l have written during this period
could have been injected into a funeral
sermon without disturbing the solemni-
" OF the occasion. 49, To he a nj
rate on low salary and with no share
In the profits of the business. used to be
my idea of an uncomfortable occunation
but l have other views now. To he a
monthly humorist in a cherries time Is
drearer"
In conclusion, the 'valedictory' stated
mat the author would now devote him
self to writing a book. The book referred
10 must have been "Roughing It." which
appeared the following year. 1t was Mark
Iwain's third venture in this sort. the
nrst being the obscure little collection
mat opened with the story of the "Jumn-
FROG, and the second being THE In
nocents Abroad"