Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1910-10-12
FUN THAT FAILED.
Mark Twan's BurleSque of Emer-
son, LongfelloW and Holmes.
1T SHOCKED THE iMMoRTALS.


Literary Trio at the Boston Dinner.
( In his memories or Marx Twain ia
/ Harper's ". D. Howeils tells Of the
I dinner in Boston when Mark Twain,
! with fatal effect. made game OF Emer-
son. Longfellow and Holmes:
He believed he had been particu-
larry fortunate in his notion for the
/ speech OF that evening. and he had
worked It ont in joyous self reliance.
Il was the notion or three tramps.
I three dcadbeats. visiting n California
/ mining camp and imposing themselves
upon the innocent miners as respec-
I lively Ralph Waldo Emerson. Henry
Wadsworth Ionsfciiow and Oliver
I Wendell Holmes The huinor Of the
/ conception must prosper or must fail
according 20 The mood OF the hearer.
but Clemens felt sure Of compelling
this 70 sympathy. and ne looked for
ward 70 an unparalleled triumph.
But there were two things that he
had not taken into account One was
/ the species OF religious veneration in
which these men were held by those
nearest them. They were men OF ex-
traordinary dignity. OF the thing call
cd presence Tor want OF some clearer
word. 50 that no one could well an
prOach them IN a personally light or
trihinS spirit. do not suppose that
anybody more truly valued them or
more piously loved them than Glenn
ems himself. but the intoxication % his
fancy carried him beyond the bounds
OF that regard and embroidered him 10
the other thing which he had not taken
into accOunt-namely. tho immense
hazard Of working his fancy out be
fore their faces and expecting them 10
enter into the delight OF T.. II neither
Emerson nor Tongfellow nor Holmes
had been there the scheme might pos
sibly have carried. but even this IS
doubtful.
I was the hapless president. fulfill
ing the abhorred function Of calling
people 20 their feet and making them
speak. When ] came 20 Clemens I
introduced him with the cordial ad-
mirat.on I had for him IS one OF my
greatest contributors and dearest
friends. Here. said. in sum. was n
humorist who never left you hanging
your head FOR having enjoyed his Joke.
and then the amazing mistake. the be-
wildering blunder. the cruel catnstro-
Pie was upon Us. / believe that after
the scope OF the burlesque made itself
clear there was no one there. including
the burlesQuer himself. who was not
smitten with 4 desolaing dismay.
There fell 4 silence. weighing many
tons 20 the square inch. which deep
ened from moment 10 moment and
was broken only by the historical and
blood cuTdling laughter Of single
guest, whose name shall not be hand
ed down TO infamy. Nobody knew
whether 20 look ut the speaker or
down at his plate. chose my nlate
Us the least anliction. and 50 7 DO not
know how Clemens looked. exceDt
when I stole n glance at him and saw
him standing solitary amid his ap-
palled and appalling listeners. with his
joke dead on his hands From n first
glance at the great three whom his
Jest had made its theme. was aware
OF Longfellow sitting upright and re-
garding the humorist with an air OF
pensive puzzle. OF Holmes busily writ
ing on his menu with a well feiened
effect Of preOccupation. and Of Emer-
son holding his elbows and listening
with sort OF Jovian oblivion of this
neither world in that lapse OF memory
| which saved him in those later wears
from so much bother. Clemens must
have dragged his joke 10 the climax
and left ii there. but cannot say
this from any sense Of the fact. OF
what happened afterward NJ the table
where the immense. the wholly limo
cent, the truly unimagined afTront was
/ offered, have no longer the least re-
membrance. / next remember being
IN room OF the hotel where Clemens
was not TO sleep, but TO toss in despair
and Charles Dudley Warmers saving
In the gloom. We'll. Mark, You're a
funny fellow II was as we'll as any
thing he could have said. but Clemens
seemed unable to accept the tribute.
i stayed the night with him. and
the next morning after n haggard
breakfast we drove about. and he
made some purchases OF bric-a-brac
for his house in Hartford. With a soul
as far away from bric-a-brac as ever
the soul OF man was He went home
by an early train. and he lost no time
IN writing back 10 the three divine
personalities which be had so inyolun-
tarily seemed to fiout. They all wrote
back TO him, making IL as light for
him as they could. ] have heard that
Emerson was good deal mystified
and In his sublime forgetfulness asked.
Who was this gentleman who appear
ed TO think he had offered him some
sort Of annoyanceT But | am not
sure that this is accurate What 7
am sure Of is that LOngfellow few
days after in my study stopped before
a photograph Of Clemens and said
All. be IS wag!' and nothing more
Holmes told me. with deep emotion.
such as brother humoriSt might well
feel. that ne had not lost an instant In
replying to Clemens letter aud assur
Ing him that there had rot ieen tie
least onense and cntrpafing hm never
20 think OF the matter again. He said
that he was fool. bat bc WAS God 4,
fool Holmes quoted from the Ieffcr
With true sense OF thr ri'frS aa6
1"''"~ - tho self abaserarf.