The sun., 1906-02-08
TWAIN AT DICKENS DINNER.
KNOWS MORE ABOUT VERACITY
THAN j. ID. ROCkEFELLER, JR.
Al That He's Bothered by Letters Urging
Him to Lead Righteous Life-Rcal
Innards OF the George Washington
Cherry Tree incident Laid Bare.

Cherry Tree incident Laid Bare.
Mark Twain was the guest OF honor
at dinner given last night by the Press
Club and the Manhattan Dickens Fellow
ship in the Press Club rooms to comment
orate the ninety-fourth anniversary OF the
birth of Charles Dickens. In the course OF
his speech the humorist expressed his
opinion on the competency of John ID.
Rockefeller, Jr., to instruct his Bible class
on the subject OF veracity. He also aired
his thoughts on the general subject OF
lying.
Il am" said he, suffering now from
the fact that l, who have told the truth
a good many times in my life, have lately
received more letters than anybody else
urging me to lead righteous life. | have
more friends who want to see me develop
on high level than anybody else.
young John d. Rockefeller two weeks
ago taught his Bible class all about verac-
ity. Some Of the letters l have received
suggest that / go there and learn, too
Why, | know Mr.. Rockefeller. and he is a
good fellow. He is competent in many
ways to teach Bible class, but when it
comes to veracity he is only 35 years old
L u
veraci.y twice as long as he has.
And the story about George Washington
and lis little hatchet," continued the
speaker, has also been suggested to me
in these letters in furtive way, as If needed
some of George Washington and his hatchet
in my constitution. Why, dear me, they
overlook the real point in that story. The
point is not the one that is usually sug-
gested, and you can readily see that
4The point is not that George said to his
father Yes, father, | cut down the cherry
tree, I can't tell le but that the little
boy-only years od-should have his
sagacity developed under such circum-
stances. He was boy wise beyond his
years. His conduct then was prophecy
of later years. Yes, think he was the most
remarkable man the country ever produced
up to my time, anyway
Mark said that little George was keen
enough to realize that circumstantial evil
ddence was against him. He knew that his
father would know from the size OF the chips
that no full grown hatchet cut that tree
down and that no man would have haggled
1t so.
Now, then, George-little George
knew that everything was against him; ne
the plantation and inquire for small boy
with hatchet and he had the wisdom to
come out and confess it. Now. the idea
that his father was overjoyed when ne told
little George that he would rather have
him cut down loo cherry rses dd he ean reav
mean? Why, that he was absol ntely as
to tell lie and didn't.
Il admire old George-if that was his
name-ffor his dscernment," the q speaker S,r
drawled. He knew when he said that his
son couldn't tell lie that he was stretch
ing it good deal He wouldn't have to go
to John D. Rockefellers bible class to find
that out. The way the old George Wash
ington story goes down it doesn't do any
body any good. IL only dlscouIages people
who can tell a lie"
The humorist said that he had always
taken an interest in young people, who
wanted to become poets. He remembered
that he was particularly Interested IN one
budding poet when he was a reporter.
This Young poets name was Butter. Marx
was out Of job and Butter came around
to him one day and said disconsoately
that he was going to commit sulclde-he
was tired of life, not being able to express
his thoughts in poetic form Butter asked @
Reporter Clemens what he Thought ol the
idea Said the speaker:
Il said / would; that 1t was a good idea
You can do me friendly turn, You go
off in a private place and do II there ana
III get it all. You do it and I'll do as much
for you some time.
The speaker said he told Butter how he
would write up his death; how he would
make a spread Of it; how it would appear
on the first page Of the paper, and 1t cheered
Butter up so much that he went of IN
Joyous frame of mind to Kill himself
Buffers idea was to kill himself with
revolver, but Reporter Clemens and the
poet didn't have enough money to buy
revolver, and the reporter persuaded the
poet to drown himself. Drowning is 80
nice and clean and writes up well in the
newspaper
But said the speaker, things ne'er
do go smoothly in weddings. suicides or
courtships. Only there at the edge OF the
water where Butter was to end himself lay
a life preserver. big round canvas one,
which would float after the scrap iron Was
soaked out OF it.
Butter wouldn't kill himself with the
life preserver in sight and Reporter Clemens
had an idea. He took it to pawnshop
and soaked it for a revolver. The pawn
broker didn't think much Of the exchange,
but when Clemens explained the situation
he acquiesced. The reporter and the poet
went up on top of high building, and
this is what happened to the poet:
@He put the revolver to his forehead and
blew a tunnel straight through his head.
The tunnel was about the size of your finger
was complete; there was nothing in it.
well, after that, concluded the humor-
list, "that man never could write prose,
but he could write poetry. He could write
it after he had blown his brains out. There
is lots Of that talent all over the country,
but the trouble is they don't develop it,
About $50 persons attended the dinner.
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