Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-02-19
A MARK TWAIN STORY
Showing What May Be Achieved
by Nerve and Reiteration.
A LESSON IN PERSEVERANCE.
Going to Prove That Repetition viii
Work Wonders If a Man Has Only
the Necessary Amount Of Cheek to
Stand Up and Keep on Talking.


Mark Twain once told reporter
that II man says the same thing Of
ten enough people will begin to listen
to him.
Now" said the great humorist
there was that story about Hank
Monk, That was the oldest, stalest
driest. deadest bit OF alleged humor
that any man ever heard. 1t had been
circulated around Nevada and Call.
fornia until there wasn't man left
who would even listen to 1t. | had
heard it so many times that | knew II
by heart. 1t told how Hank Monk got
Horace Greeley over the Glennbroob,
grade to Placerville.
II was about to deliver my second
lecture at Platt's hall In San Fran
cisco-the second Que / had ever de-
livered. 1t occurred to me that l
might begin that lecture with the
worst story l had ever heard and by
telling II often enough start the lee
ture with u big laugh. l took that
story and memorized 1t SO that II
would not vary in the telling. and
made 1t just as pointless and just as
ouii anu Juot I'D Wy 40 = NOuiu'
when it came time for me to talk
1 stood up and with few introduce
tory remarks began that story. If
remember 1t went something like this:
Horace Greeley once went over
the Glennbrook grade to Placerville.
When he was leaving Carson City he
told the driver. Hank Monk. that he
had an engagement to lecture at
Placerville and was very anxious to
go through quick. Hank Monk crack
ed his whip and started off at an aw-
full pace. The stage bounced up and
down in such a terrific way that 1t
jolted the buttons all off Horace's coat
and finally shot his head clean through
the roof of the stage. and then he yell
ed to Hank Monk and begged him to
go easier-said he warn't in as much
of a hurry as he had been awhile
ago. But Hank Monk said. Keep
your seat. Horace, and I'll get you
there on timer! And he did. too-what
was left of him.
"Now, that was all there was to the
story. 1t was bad enough to begin
with. but I made 1t worse In the tell
ing. l droned it out in fat, monoto-
nous tone, without a gesture to mar its
depressing effect The people received
1t in dead silence. had insulted every
man In the audience had graveled'
them with a story that was not only
stale and pointless. but one which they
had heard at least thousand times.
waited few seconds for the laugh
ter. and then I began to hem and haw
and shift my feet I tried to appear
just as embarrassed as l could, and
after hounderlng about helplessly for
few sentences cheered up little and
said that I would tell a funny anec-
dote which might be new to them. 1t
began:
"'Horace Greeley went over the
Glennbrook grade to Placerville'-
81 told it in exactly the same miser-
able, pointless way that l had told 1t
before, and when l got through l wait
ed a longer time for the applause, but
there wasn't any applause. I could see
that several men in the house were
growing quite indignant. They had
paid money to hear a humorous lee
ture. I took long breath and plunged
in a third time, more embarrassed and
fiustered and worried than ever, and
by and by l worked around again to
the time when Horace Greeley went
over Glennbrook grade to Placerville.
This time some of the smarter ones
began to laugh, and this encouraged
me so much that ! thanked them and
started right in to tell the story over
again. never varying the delivery so
70 foIy Tho
fourth time fetched 'em, and at the
end Of the story they stood up and
whooped and yelled and cheered for
some time.
you see, l thought that If a man
had sand enough to stand up before an
audience and tell the oldest, stalest
and most uninteresting story In the
world he could make people laugh If
he had the nerve to tell the story often
enough. The rest of my lecture went
very well. They were willing to laugh
at my anecdotes the first time l told
them. Maybe they were afraid would
tell them second time.
81 felt so sure that had discovered
a new phase i'm human character that
l tried the same thing In New York
years afterward. There was an au-
thors' reading bee one afternoon, and
most of the authors read selections
from their works. I sat on the plat
form beside James Russell Lowell.
He asked me what I was going to
read | said that | wasn't going to
read anything. intended to tell an
anecdote.
lis 1t funny one?' he asked.
81 said 1t would be If I lasted long
enough.
81 started out without any preamble.
and | told the Hank Monk aneedote
There was an awful silence at the
end. took a drink of water, mopped
my forehead and told the story again.
Same effect. Young man, told that
story five times before landed 'em.
When / sat down at last Mr.. Lowell
whispered to me:
"'You have cost me dear. l have
been sitting here and wasting sympa-
thy on you
"That's the point, young man. Rope
tition will do anything If a man has
the sand to stand up and keep on talk
lng"-New York American.
A Family Blessing.