New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-08-05
MARK TW4IN's FIRST LECTURE.
From Ainslee's Magazine.

From Ainslee's Magazine.
On Tuesday evening. September 20. 1866. Sam
uel LanghOTne Clemo rs made his first appear
III public, at the Acad= my of Music in Pine
St, San Francisco. He had just returned from
the Sandwich Islands. from where ne had been
writing letters the islands and the ISLANDERS
TO The Sacramento Union" The appearance of
ATtemus Ward some months previous in San
Francisco had aroused an ambition in Mark
fame that might come to him. not from the
money to be earned. but from spirit of pure mis-
chievOusness. Twain one of a cOterie of
Bohemians which included Bret HaTte. Prentice
Muiford and Charles Warren StOddard, and
imagine how he chuckled to himself when
he concluded TO learn a new trick and sur
prise the boys He secured a hau and pub
lshed sort of Artemus Ward announcement
that he would deliver a lecture about his trip
to the Sandwich Islands.
Commenting upon The announcement. the San
Francisco correspondent of a neighbcring news
paper wrote:
We may expect either gay OF grave remarks
for, by recently published letters. he very fully
exhibited the resources of the Islands 10 the
great satisfaction Of cur business community
His lecture at this time viii have peculiar IN
teTest, independent of his own rapidly augment
ing popularity from the fact that the queen
(Esmrua) of said country Is in midst
Everybody is going. and consequently a crowded
audience VIII greet the maiden believe-lect-
ure of the sagebrusheT. he is not at all an
eloquent orator. and l fear. as ne himself an
nouHces it, doors open at {; the trouble VIII
commence at o'clock
THE trouble is over" wrote this same
correspondent under date OF October ). 1866
The fuimftabIe Mark Twain delivered himself
last night of his first lecture en- the Sandwich
Islands Cr anything else Some time before the
hour appointed to open his head the Academy Of
Music Ton Pine-stD densely crowded with
one of the most fashionable audiences II was
ever my privilege 10 witness during my long
residence in this city The elite of the town
were there. and SO the Governor of the
State-cccupyins one of the boXes-WhOSe rO-
tund face was SUfused with halo Of mirth dur
Ing the whole entertainment The audience
promptly notified Mark by the usual sign
Stamping-that the aUspiCiOUs hour had arrived
ana presently the lecturer came siding and
swinging out from the left of the stage. His
very manner produced Il generally VOciferOus
laugh from the sSsemblage. He opened with an
apology. by saying that he had partly succeeded
in obtaining a band but at the last moment the
party engaged backed out. He explained that
he had hired a man TO play the trombone but
he, On learning that he the only person
engaged came at the last moment and Informed
him that he could not play. This placed Mark
in Il bad pTedC8ment, and wishing to know his
reasons for deserving him al thar critical mo-
ment. he replied that he wasn't going to make
a fool of himself by sitting up there the
stage and blowing his horn all 10y himself
After the applause subsidized, he assumed 4 very
grave cOuntenance and commenced his remarks
proper with the following well known sentence:
When. III the course of human events etc. lie
leCtured fully hour and q quarter, and his
humorous sayings We're interSperSed with geo
graphical. agricultural and statistical remarks,
sometimes branching off and reaching beyond
soaring in the very choicest language up to the
very pinnacle of descriptive power