The San Francisco call., 1910-12-01
NOTED men HONOR
CLEMENS MEMORY
Brilliant Gathering Pays Tribute
TO the Famous American
HumOrist
Joe Cannon and Champ Clark
Tell of Mark Twain as a
Lobbyist

NEW YORK. Nov. 30.-The intellect.
the power and the wealth Of the land
gathered at Carnegie hall tonight to pay
tribute to the memory of Mark Twain.
william Dean Howells presided. Jo-
seph g. Cannon, speaker OF the house
of representatives, and Champ Clark,
speaker that may be, spoke from the
same platform. Dr. Henry Van Dake of
Princeton. Henry Watterson. George W.
Cable. Booth Harrington, j. Pierpont
Morgan. John Luther Long and many
others were among those invited.
The meeting was under the auspices
Of the Academy OF Arts and Letters
Howells spoke briefly.
al believe I can safely promise he
said, that the commemoration will
not be formal or funereal The man
himself could no more be formalized
than flame. His vivid genius ranged at
will through all the ways of life. Now
that 1t is freed to the painless ampl-
tude OF the skies, 1t could hardly offer
the pattern of conventional observa-
tion
As TWAIN WOULD HAVE 1T
IF the mind and make of our COM
memoration could be left to him we
might imagine him saying:
why, of course you must not make
a solemnity of it; you must not have 1t
that sort of obsequy / should want
you to be serious about me-that is.
sincere. and you could not be sincere II
you ran to eulogy. But we don't object
here 10 any mans affection; we like
to be liked as well as ever, and If any
of you can remembers some creditable
thing about me, l shouldn't mind his
telling it, provided always he didn't
y irr~ of,@ a no
the mitigating motives, the selfish con-
siderations that always accompany
every noble action.
:" shouldn't like to be made out a
m racle of humor, either, and left a
stumbling block for any man who was
intending to be moderately amusing
and instructive hereafter At the same
time 1 don't suppose commemoration
is exactly the occasion for dwelling on
mans shortcomings in his life or his
literature.
1T seems 10 me that we are met to-
night not SO much to commemorate
great man as one who still yes in
us as a contemporary. Others here
after may prove him the greatest hu
morist. the kindest and wisest moralist
who ever lived. We who were of his
acquaintance can best offer in our col
lective reminiscence a composite like
ness of hi mwhich will keep him real
and actual"
Joseph Choate recalled that Darwin
used to say he kept two remedies for
sleeplessness at the head of his bed
the bible and Innocence Abroad"
FRO GsTORY BEST
'And Darwin said he did not know
which he read the more continued
Choate. Pit the story that earned
undying fame for the author was the
jumping frog story. Not even Lin
coins two minute speech at Gettys-
burk has been read so much or com
mitted to memory so often as that re-
markable story
Uncle Joe Cannon was warmly greet
ed. I'll read my remarks he said.
1T is the first time I've ever read a
manuscript to an audience and I con-
gratulate you upon the fact that it
won't be long
The speaker said he knew Mark
Twain personally and he described how
Clemens came to Washington in the
interest of the copyright law.
Finally" said Uncle Joe, "he tried
to persuade me TO allow him to lobby
on the very floor of congress, and wrote
me a letter and brought it to me in
the speakers room"
Cannon added with smile that he
sent his messenger to summon the
congressman to the speakers room and
Il helped Mark Twain to lobby
In less than five m nutes," he added
when the congressman knew who
wanted to see them, there was not
quorum left in the house."
Rev. DR.. Henry Van Dyke read an
original poem entitled Mark Twain
Congressman Champ Clarke Mis-
souri,, who is prominently mentioned as
the successor of Joseph Cannon as
speaker of the house of representa-
tives. also spoke on Mark Twain as
r lobbyist"