The Washington herald., 1910-12-01
GOSPEL OF HUMOR
PREACHED AT BIG
TWAIN MEMORIAL
Continued from Page one.

Continued from Page One.
Congress. whereupon the humorist wrote
TO Speaker Cannon. asking him TO have
Congress thank him
Deserves It's Thanks.
Write me your thanks yourself" he
wrote. "and have Congress ratify II
later. For seventy-one years have let
Congress alone, and deserve its
thanks"
But If Twain could not get the floor
privilege he won anyway by going into
tie big private Office OF the Speaker and
then sending out word that he was there.
And IN less than five minutes so many
Congressman had left their seats to talk
with the humorist that there was no
quorum left on the floor. That was the
famous visit when Mark Twain first
startled Washington with his new suit OF
white. and il was evident from Mr.. Can
mons paper tonight that throughout the
visit the Speaker and the humOrist often
had sat as Mr.. Howells put II when in
Producing Mr.. Cannon, with their cigar
tips together"
WatterSOn's speech.
In part Col. Watterson spoke as fol-
lows;
Although Mark Twain and I called
each other cousin and claimed TO be
blood relatives. the connection between
US was by marriage. A great-uncle OF
his married a great-aunt OF mine; his
mother was named after and reared by
this great-aunt: and the children OF the
marriage were, OF course, his cousins and
mine. An exceeding large, varied, and
picturesque assortment they were.
Though the family became widely sera-
rated we were lifelong and very dear
friends: passed much time together at
home and abroad. and had many COM
mon ties and memories.
Just after the successful production
of his play, The Gilded Age and the up
roariOus hit of the comedian, Raymond
in its leading role. 1 received a letter
from him in which he told me he had
made in Col. Mulberry Sellers a close
study Of a certain mutual kinsman. and
thought he had drawn him TO life, but
for the love of Heaven. he said. don't
whisper IT, for he would never under
stand or forgive me, If he did not thrash
me on sight
THE pathos of the part, and not it's
comic aspects. had most impressed him.
lie designed and wrote II for Edwin
Booth. From the first and always ne
was disguised by the Raymond portrayal
Except for its popularity and money
making, he would have withdrawn IL
from the stage, as, in a nj Of pique,
Raymond himself did, while it was still
packing the theaters. The original Sell
ers' had partly brought him up and been
very good 10 him; a second Don QuiXote
IN appearance. and not unlike the knight
of la Aancha in character
Not "a Laughing Matter.
1T would have, been safe for nobody
10 laugh az him-Hay, by the slightest in
timation, look or gesture, 10 treat him
with reconsideration. or any proposal Of
his-hOwever preposterous-with levity.
He once came to see me upon a public
occasion and during a function. ] knew
that I must introduce him, and with all
possible ceremony, TO my colleagues. He
was very queer: tall and peaked. wear
ing a black, sWauOW-tailed suit. shiny
with age; silk hat, bound with black
crepe 20 conceal its rustiness, not 10 IN
AAAetAt = 4ENt44A AtHNiAr hAi ll47 A444NiA a.
spOtless as neW-fallen snow. ! had my
doubts. Happily, the company. quite
dazed by the apparition, proved decorous
10 s0lemnity, and the kind old gentleman.
pleased with himself and proud of his
distinguished young ldnsman went
away highly sratided,
Not long after this. one OF his daugh-
ters-pretty girls they were, too and in
charm altogether worthy of their Cousin
Sam Clemens-was TO be married, and
Sellers wrote me a stately summons;
all-embraCing, though sum and formal;
such as a baron OF the Middle Ages
might have indiJed 10 his noble rela-
tive The field marshal, bidding him bring
his good lady and his retinue 10 abide
within the castle until the festivities were
ended. though in this instance the castle
was "a suburban cottage scarcely big
enough 10 accommodate the bridal party.
/ showed the bombastic bat hospitable
and sincere invitation 10 the actor. Ray
mOnd, who CHANGED 10 be playing M
Louisville when il reached me- He read
1t through with a care and re-read il.
DO you know said he. 1t makes me
want to cry That is not the man ] am
trying TO impersonate az all Be sure
il was not; for there was nothing funnyl
about the spiritual being Of Mark Twain
Col Mulberry Sellers; he was as brave as
lion and as upright as Sam Clemens
himself
Took Heroic Treatment.
when n very young man living in a
woodland cabin down in the 'pennyrile'
region of Kentucky. with a wife ne
adored and two or three small children.
he was so carried away by an unexpect-
ed windfau that he fingered overlong In
the nearby village. dispensing a royal
hospitality: in point Of fact. he got on a
spree Two or three days passed before
he regained possession of himself When
at last he reached his home. he found
his wife i'll in bed and the children nearly
starved for want Of food He said never a
word, but walked out of the cabin. tied
himself 20 a tree, and was dangerously
horse whipping himself when the cries of
the frightened family summoned the
neighbors and he was brought TO reason.
He never touched an intoxicating drop
from that day 10 the day OF his death
Another one of our fantastic mutual
cousins was the Earl OF Durham 1
ought to say that Mark Twain and
grew up on old wives tales of estates and
titles, which-maybe 1t was a kindred
sense of humOr in both of us-we treated
with shocking trreverence. II happened
some forty years ago that there turned
Up, first upon the plains and afterward
in New York and Washington. a lineal
descendant of the oldest OF the Virginia
Lamptons-he had somehow gotten hold
of or had fabricated a bundle of doeu-
was what a certain famous
American would call a corker.' He wore