The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-04-05
THE MASTERS OF
A MANS CAREER
Mark Twain Says Circumstance
and Temperament Are Re-
sponsible for a Mans
Life.

twain has come to be regard
al a. Americas foremost philosophel
as well as it's first hunOrlst. - 49,
not attribute his success 10 ms ="
initiative and native talent aiu -
trv Indeed, he seems TO uiscouii'
those and thus gives his theory:
circumstance is mans master ~
rben circumstance commands ne
must obey: he may argue the iha.':1
that is his privilege-just as lt IS
he honorable privilege OF d aIii9
BODY to argue with the attraction -
gravitation-but 1T won | 40 any 80
he must obey. circumstance Is pow
erfnl but it cannot work alone, lt mas
ia have q partner. Its partner -
mans temperament, his hatura1 20
position. His temperament is not ms
invention. it is born in him ana ne mas
nc authority over IT,, he'1 IL cannot
responsible for its acts. lie ahio
change it, nothing can chahse ~
nothing can modify it-except ZEN
norarily. But it won't stay modlheo.
II is permanent like the color OF TIC
mans eyes and the shape OF ms d.
sometimes a temperament is an ass.
| When that is the case the owner y
# is an ass. too. and is going to remain
one. Training, experience, aSsocld-
| ton can temporarily SO polish nm
improve him, that people Will tihuh
that he is a mule, but they Will De
| II1iStdhcu. a
the time being, but at the botlofn ne
is an ass yet, and will remain one.
BY temperament | was the hlhu u
person that does things. Does mem
and reflects afterwards, SO l staiIeu
for the Amazon, without refect1ns'
and without asking any questions.
That was more than fifty years ago.
In all that time my temperament mas
not changed, by even d shade. l nave
been punished many and many a
time, and bitterly, for dong ihlngs
and rejecting afterwards. but their
torture were OF no value to me: / still
do the things commanded by circum-
stance and temperament. and rehect
afterwards, always violently. When l
am rejecting on those occasions even
deaf persons can hear me think.
The following are the interesting
links of circumstances and tempera-
ment wnich turned Americas best
known writer into literature. he
found on the street a fifty dollar bill,
which, he n~aively says he advertised
and then left the same day Tor New
Orleans. where he intended to embark
for the Amazon to engage in the sale
Of cocoa leaves.
II went by way of Cincinnati, and
down the Ohio and Mississippi. My
idea was to take ship at New Orleans,
for Para. In New Orleans | inquired
and found there was no ship leaving
for Para. Also, that there never had
been one leaving for Para. [ reflect
ed. A policeman came and asked me
what | was doing, and | told him.
He made me move on, and said if he
caught me rejecting in the public
street again he would run me in.
after d few days l was out Of
money. Then circumstance arrived,
with another turning-point of my life
"a new link. On my way down, !
had made the acquaintance of a pilot.
| begged him to teach me the river,
and he consented. / became a pilot.
BY and by Circumstance came
again-introducing the Civil War. this
time. in order to push me ahead
another stage or two toward the liter
AIRY profession. The boats stopped
running, my livelihood was gone.
came to the rescue
with a new t~urning-point and a fresh
INK. My brother was appointed
secretary TO the new territory of Ne
Eada and he invited me to go with
MN and help him in his Office.
accepted.
In Nevada, Circumstance urnish
ed me the silver fever and | went into
the mines to make a fortune. As
supposed, but that was not the idea
Inc ldea was. to advance me anothe,
step toward literature. For am,,se-
ment scrubbed things for the Nir.
r gina City Enterprise. one isn't 2
printer ten years without setting uf
acres OF good and bad literature. anc
leafnins-unconsciously at first, con.
sclously 1ater-tO discriminate he.
tween the two. within his menta
mutations; and meantime he is I'm
consciously acquiring what is called ,
stsIe. one of my efforts attracted
attentlon, and the Enterprise sent 70
me. and put me on its staff.
, And so l became a journalist
ano'hef INK. By and by Circum
:. stance and the Sacramento Union son
! me 10 the Sandwich Islands for fya q
: SIX months, to write up sugar. 7 al,
49, ~ 'nreW IN q good deal of ex
traneOus matter that hadn,t o,
: . 40 with sugar. But it was ~;
: entIatleous matter that helped me +
another link. ne !