The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-10-31
MARK TWAIN ABROAD.
Notes Of the Humorist's Trip
Around the World.
HADsoME FUN WHILE IN PRETORIA

How He Tried 60 Comfort the Ina
prlsoned Jameson Raiders - HIS
Opinion ON Writing HumOr and
Telling the Txuth-Message 20 Sec
retary Gage.
Samuel L. Clemens, ruddy, but COM
posed, as always, walked down the
gangway from the Atlantic Transport
line steamship Minnehaha the other
evening after a ten day trip from Lon
don and made such headway as he
could across the pier between friends
and a crowd Of newspaper reporters
who were there awaiting him, says the
New York Sun. Never ruft1ed, Mr..
Clemens quietly but cheerily greeted
his friends and as quietly put In such
sentences as he could between times to |
the waiting newspaper men.
Mr.. Clemens innocently frightened
one Of the reporters by telling him that
he was just getting ready to swear,
but the appearance of customs ofncer
restored confidence. Another reporter
confided to the author that his city edl- |
tor had sent positively the worst equip
ped man In his Office to interview hu-
morist. 'My boy" said Mark Twain
''I don't know about that. Humor Is SO
serious. When you sit down to write
humor, 60 at 1t seriously. II the hu-
NOR doesn't come, don't write 1t.
What apprehensions. moved the as
tute Mark to this adjuration his smooth
Mississippi eye did not give away
Pressed to talk he said that be was
not loaded. He had come home In
pretty good health. he said, and practi'
cally without any plans except that he
should remain In New York this winter
and In the spring go to Hartford, mis-
home. His writings while in new
York would probably be only some
magazine work. He said that he had
two or three works under way, some
having already been written two or
three times, and that when he had
written them over again TO bis satis-
faction he would publish them. He
had picked up the material for various
stories on his travels and during his
| foreign residence which he should be
able to locate most anywhere.
'"relI us some OF the incidents OF
| your tour of the world"
/ ADOtC eli 06J OANSPN A1S PN~
In my book, and there weren't enough
| of them to go round" he answered
1t had been MIR. Clemens plan when
he went away to make final lecturing
tour of this country when he came
back, but this has been abandoned.
Mr. Clemens was lecturing in Aus
| tralasia at the time of Cleveland's Ven-
ezuelan message, but that message
made no difference, he said. In the feel
ings Of the people out there, who turn
ed out to hear him and show their
friendship. He remarked that when
friendship could reach as far as that 1t
must be sincere. He went on to Cal
cutta. Ceylon. Mauritius. Delagoa Bay
and Pretoria among other places. 81
had heard about Paul Kruger" he
said, about his beard and long pipe
and all that, and he corrobornted my
impression Of him."
At Pretoria the redoubtable humorist
took 1t into his head to visit the i'm
prisoned Jameson raiders. 1T made a
little speech to them during my call"
he said. II told them that thought !
could comfort them some. told them
that they were as we'll off there as
they would be in any jail in any coun-
try. ! assured them that they did not
realize their advantages as they ought
to do. why, the Pilgrims Progress"
and Don Quixote'' would never have
been produced if their writer's had not
been In JAIL l said to them, and l
dwelt upon how many people had to go
through life without the advantages
| @Aok kho1 Of
laughed, but they didn't seem alto
gether to like 1t somehow"
After reaching England Mr.. Clemens
staid at Guildford and London for ten
months and then In July, 1897, went to
Vienna, where he staid until May, 1899.
He said that he had the most fun at
Vienna, having more time to have 1t In.
His humorous reichsrath speech will be
remembered: MY daughter had a music
teacher at Vienna" Mr.. Clemens said
His name was spelled L-e-t-s-c-h-e-
t-it-z-k-y, but he was a good music
teacher. believe he was a Russian"
Since leaving Vienna Mr.. Clemens
, and his family have spent their time in
London and in Sweden mostly. AS ev-
erybody knows, Mr.. Clemens wrote
Secretary Gage that he was coming
home, that the big 10000 ton Mime
haha was being loaded with his bag
. gage. 81 told the secretary" he said
! that had quite a good many things
but that there was nothing good
enough to pay duty on, while it was al
/ too good to throw away"
+ Mr.. Clemens book In manuscript tC
be opened "a hundred years hence" 81
] that all the people mentioned In 1t will
, be dead before its contents are giveI
to the public, which has been announc
ed from time to time as in progress
and has been regarded by some per
sons as very likely one Of MARI
Twain's jokes, was mentioned to hin
on the pier inquiringly, and he respond
: ed that that was all right.
i, at has been suggested that tn,
b whole thing was one Of your jokes OF
q the public" SAID the reporter. 81 nev
er yet told the truth that was not &C
! cused OF lying" was the solemn an
y swer- ';and every time lie soms on,
believes It So have adopted the plaI
when ] want people to believe what
say Of putting 1t In the form Of q lie
Is That is the difference between my fic
ton and other peoples. Everyhod.
l.