The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-06-05
REPrRLIC SPECIAL.

! the presence of several thousand spectators,
who arose as one man as an expression OF
! homage to the great Missourian. when he
| was introduced.
Mr.. Robert S. Brookings OF the Washing
! ton University. St Louis; James Wilson,
| Secretary Of Agriculture; Z. A. Hitchcock.
Secretary Of the Interior, and B. T. Gallo
way Of the Agricultural Bureau at Wash
ington, were honored with similar degrees
by the university to-day.
Doctor Clemens delivered the diplomas to
! the graduates with brief felicitous remarks.
Honors and degrees were awarded in the
department of law, in the department Of
household economics. in the department Of
education and the college OF agriculture
school Of engineering. electrical engineer
ing. mechanical engineering and academic
department.
Mr.. Clemens's appearance in the audlto-
rum was the signal for applause. He wore
his Yale college garb and made a striking
picture as he took his seat upon the ros-
trum.
introduced by Gardiner Lathrop.
Mr.. Clemens was introduced by Gar
diner Lathrop of Kansas City. He in
troduced him being Ito the manner
oorn. typical Missouri boy. a print
er's apprentice, the Mark Twain of the
Mississippi River. and later the Mark Twain
of the civilized world, journalist of note
successful in literature and the leading hu-
morist in the annals of American literature
and distinguished as writer; a poet whose
verses had been all too few, a ripe Shake
spearean scholar. a philosophical man of
generous heart and kindly character; an
exceedingly courteous and Christian gen.
tleman." Mr.. Lathrop concluded: THE
and honors itself by comforting upon him
the highest degree in its gift. I will not
refer to his humorous writings. for they
are familiar TO young and old, but he is
equally a master of pathos What more
beautiful than his letter of advice to a
young girl just budding into womanhood?
you doctor jesse. as president Of the
university. for the degree of LII D.. Sam
tel l." Clemens Of Missouri"
As Mr.. Lathrop completed his introduc-
tiCn, the entire audience of the university
arose in honor of Mark Twain and the stu
dents of the university made the buildings
ring with the yell Of their college.
Mr.. Clemens then commenced his address:
Il did not quite Understandable you re-
peat It? That is term with which 1 was
familiar sixty years ago as boy in Han
nibal, where they all spoke it. 1t is long
time since then and these boys are more
familiar with IT than am. l have a dim
recollection of those sounds and I think
they mean to say to me 1t is never too late
to mend-there IS plenty of time And 1
am not certain as to whether / am to stand
here and speak or whether / am merely"
(cries OF Speech! speech"' Interrupted Mr.
Clemens)
university for the honor that had been done
him, but again was Interrupted by cries OF
speech! Speech! and was compelled to be-
gin at once. He said:
can Emotional Week."
II have been in Missouri for about a week
and II seems very like II did a long time
ago. 1t has been so pleasant to me. not
withstanding the fact that it has been an
intensely PmOfiOnal Uaek
back after so long an absence-and have
spent that week in town which was
boy and you can conceive of what it must
be to meet face to face old men and old
women, whom you have not seen for sixty
years That occurred to me several times
in this last week and 1 never imagined be-
fore what depths of feeling that must sound
and you cannot know it without feeling it
yourself. Every decade added makes 1t
moro and more impressive.
Il looked in the faces OF women-faces
as gray as mine-faces which when 1 last
saw them were beautiful with the peach
ts nIoom Of. OF early youth.n9w on their heads
wrinkles and the weutherbeaten look that
comes from exposure in bad weather.
L.. have have been through all Of that in the
blessed thing, while it has charged me with
feelings which l would have been glad to
tional. 1 am glad f to s be back Se here and 9io
should like to feel that my visit has not
been In vain with the university of Missouri
It is not in vain on my part, in view Of the
honor that / am to receive. 1t is as IL all
the world has risen up rejoicing that viii
be out Of the way soon-the jealous part of
the world.
Loaded Down with Honorx.
The Jealous part OF it-they b gan to con-
fer honors upon me several years ago. only
they were in little too much of hurry.
l was not ready to start that soon. When
Yale conferred upon me the degree of Mas
ter of Arts. there were a great many people
who ready tO fnnTira what Ipd oF
arts I was acquainted with, what kind of
business 1 proposed to run.
Then when the degree OF Doctor of Liter
ature was conferred upon me there were
people who were unkind enough to question
what ! was going to doctor and say: He
about anything along that line? Oh, yes, he
Will have plenty of practice in doctoring his
own literature
Now that am doctor of laws there will
be some more queries of that kind. People
Will be saying now. What does he know
9Rout dO dOStosng sn4 laws SPY But that's all right
right that be made doctor of laws. Peo-
pie who doctor the laws and the people who
make the laws do not have to obey them
Their share of the duties is In making
them"
PoIses Fun ut Mr.. Hitchcock.
Mr.. Clemens then referred to the music
which had lust been Interpreted by the
Swiss bell ringers had played THE Last
Rose of Summer for his benefit and then
he tQuchingly referred to the fact that the
years were drawing his life to a close He
said that he had no cultivated ear for music
but ne had the native talent; that he had
heard that Wagnerian music was a great
deal finer than it sounded.
Referring to his Introduction. he said he
had noticed the difference In his introduc-
tion and that of his friend. the Ambassa-
dor. Mr.. Hitchcock. He said they had not
said a thing about him that made him feel
like he wanted to crawl under the table
But, he said. he didn't know Mr.. Hitchcock
had done all of that credited to him. But.
he said. he could tell things about him that
were not related.
Never stole Ton of Peaches.
"a newspaper said the other day." said
the venerable speaker. that used while
a boy up in Hannibal. to steal watermelons
and peaches. And | knew from the tone OF
voice said in that II was meant as re-
proach. Although in my time we should not
have regarded little things Ike that. While
We did do these things when was boy
do not think 1t is quite proper to say that
we stole peaches. We took them. We
would not want to apply such an epithet-
everybody took peaches. think the grown
people. as well as the younger ones. took
peaches.
It believe that can honestly say that
have never stolen as much as ton Of
peaches. We did take watermelons: I do
not know that there was any harm in 1t.
The first time / ever stole a watermelon /
think 1t was the first time. stole that
watermeion-I removed the watermelon
from famer's wagon while he was attend
ing to another customer. and took IL down
into the seclusion of a lumber yard. I took
that watermelon there and broke 1t open
ever raised in the Mississippi Valley.
Well! How we are affected by little
things. The minute / saw that that water
melon was green was sorry. Sorry! And