Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-01-03
EDITING HIS OWN OBITUARIES
In Response to Mark Twain's Invitation Obituaries
Are Coming in Quite Lively
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

To the Editor; slr--I am approach.
Ing 20; II is in sight; II is only three
years away Necessarily. ] must 60
soon II Il but matter Of course Wis
dom, then. that should begin to set
my worldly house In order now. so that
II may be done calmly and with thor
oughness, IN place Of waiting until the
last day when as we have often seen,
the attempt TO get both houses In order
at the same time has been marred by
the necessity for haste and by the con-
fusion and waste Of time arising from
the inability OF the notary and the &C.
clesiastlc to work together harmonious
ly, taking turn about and giving each
other friendly assistance not perhaps
In fielding which could hardly be ex-
pected, but at least in the minor offices
Of keeping game and umplrlng by con-
sequence Of which conflict Of interests
and absence Of harmonious action a
draw has frequently resulted where III
fortune could not have happened II the
houses had been set in order one at a
time, and hurry avoided by beginning
IN season and giving to each the
amount OF time fairly and justly prop
en- 10 H.
In setting my earthly house in order
! find II of moment that | should at
tend IN person to one or two matters
which men In my position have long
had the habit OF leaving wholly TO
others, with consequence often most re-
gretable | wish TO speak Of only one
of these matters az this tlrne--obitu-
aries, OF necessity, an obituary Is a
thing which cannot be so judiciously
edited by any hand as by that Of the
subject % &C. In such a work II Is not
the facts that are Of chief Importance,
but the light which the 0bltuarist shall
throw upon them, the meanings which
he shall draw from them and the judg-
ments which he she'll deliver upon
them The yerdicts you INST UNDER
stand that Is the danger line.
In considering this matter In view OF
my approaching change, II has seemed
20 me wise to take such measures as
hioJ w iNholblc w dtfuiit Wy CuuiltNy
OF the press access to my standing oh
ituarics with the prlvllege--lf this is
not asking too much--Of editing, not
their fact, but their yedcts. This. not
for present profit as favorable influence
usuable on the Other Slde where there
are some who are not friendly to me.
With this explanation OF my motives,
VIII now ask you OF your courtesy to
make an appeal for me 10 the public
press. II Is my desire that such jour.
nails and periodicals as have obituaries
of ME lying In their plgeonholes, with
q view to sudden use some day, VIII not
wait longer but viii publish them now,
and kindly send me a marked copy. My
address is simply New York clty-~I have
no other that Is permanent and not
transient.
| will correct them--not the Facts.
but the Verdicts-striking out such
clauses as could have deleterlous In.
fiuence on the Other side. and replac.
ing them with the clause OF more
1udiclOus character, | should of course.
expect TO pay double rates for both tho
omission and the subsututIons. and /
should also expect TO pay uuadruple
rates for all obituaries which proved 10
be rightly and wisely worded In the