Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-22
HAD A BUSY CAREER
Mark Twain Best Known
American Man of Letters.
BEGAN LIFE AS PRINTER
Obtained Material for Stories While
Mississippi River Pilot.
DELIVERED MANY LECTURES
Famous Humorist Was Great Trav-
eler and Acquainted With
Crowned Heads of Europe.
DELIVERED MANY LECTURES

Samuel Langhorne Clemens was consid-
cred the best known American man of
letters. Often he was referred to as the
dean of American literature. He was
known far beyond the boundaries where
English Is spoken as the greatest humor-
list using that tongue, If not actually the
greatest humorist and satirist living. His
famous telegram to a newspaper publish
ing report of his death, when happily it
was untrue, has been quoted and re-
quoted almost everywhere. THE report
of my DEATH he wired. lis greatly ex-
aggerated.''
The father of Mark Twain was John
Marshall Clemens. who migrated from
Virginia to Kentucky and then on to
Adair county. Tenn, when a young man.
There he married q young woman named
Langhorne, who brought him family pres
tige and many broad acres. But with the
prevalent spirit of unrest among pioneers.
the couple crossed over into Missouri,
settling at Florida, Monroe county, where
November 30, 1885, their since famous
son was born Mark Twain's life, how
ever. really did not begin until three
years later, when the family moved to
Hannibal, Marion county.
Ks Young Clemens, SO the record runs,
WenI 10 SCHOOL tHeTO anu, 81 diSo tilC ISC-
ord runs. studied Just as little as he
could, II he studied at all. He had been
painted In that period Of his career as an
incorrigible truant. roaming the river
banks and bluffs. watching the passing
steamboats, and listening keenly to the
trials that went on in the shabby office
where the justice OF the peace. his father,
settled the disputes and punished the mis-
demeanors Of his neighbors.
Left School at Twelve.
Mark Twair's school days ended when
he was twelve. The father died. leaving
nothing behind save the reputation OF be-
ing a good neighbor and an upright man,
and his children at once became bread
winners Sam was apprenticed as a
printer at 80 cents q week in the office
of the Hannibal Weekly Journal: doing
as ne afterward said. "a little of every
thing" After three years. with capital
of a few dollars, he became what was
then a familiar sight. wanderer from
one printing Office to another. ABOUT this
period he paid his first visit to New York.
He worked In New York for while,
then moved to Philadelphia. and later to
nearly all the larger cities OF the south
and west. including New Orleans. The
trip down the river awakened the Old de,
sire to be a pilot. which had slumbered
since the Hannibal days. and his career
az q printer was ended. He paid In cash
and promises $500 to q Mississippi pilot
to take him on as an assistant. He be-
came a pilot and stuck to 1t until the
outbreak OF the civil war. earning $3.50 a
month. but chief Of all he got here his
material for Life on the Mississippi
His experience as Confederate soldier
was brief and interesting. Hardly had he
enlisted before he was captured. Released
on parole. he broke the parole and re-
turned to the ranks, and soon was recap
tured He was in imminent peril, for rec
IGNITION meant immediate and fgnonini-
ols execution, but he got away. and de-
fernfned never to take the risk again
He stopped flight only on reaching Ne
yada. where several letters OF his to the
Virginia City Enterprise resulted In ar
offer from the editor OF thaa paper OF 9
mace on the staff. From that day forward
.CIemens earned his living with his pen
with the exception OF several excursions
into the lecture field.
Began to White Stories.
While employed on the Enterprise he
used the pen name. Mark Twain fol-
The first time, the words being phrase
commonly used by the leadsmen on Mis-
sissippi boats to indicate certain depth
of water. At this period. also. many OF
his short humorous sketches were writ
ten, including notably The Jumping
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