The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-09-27
FUN THAT FAILED.
Mark Twaln's Burlesque Of Emer-
son, LOngfeIlow and Holmes.
1T SHOCKED THE lMMORTALs.

w. o. Howells' Description Of the Die
NAL Effect Of the Humorist's At
tempt to Make Game Of the pisnifisd
Literary Trio at the Boston Dinner
In his memories OF Mark Twain In
Harper's w. D. Howells tells OF the
dinner in Boston when Mark Twain,
with fatal effect. made game of Elmer.
son. Longfellow and Holmes;
"He believed he bad been particu-
larry fortunate in his notion for the
speech OF that evening. and he bad
worked II out in joyous self reliance.
It was the notion Of three tramps.
three deadbeats. visiting California
mining camp and imposing themselves
upon the innocent miners as respec.
lively Ralph Waldo Emerson. Henry
Wndsworth Longfellow and Oliver
Wendell Holmes. The humor OF the
conception must prosper or must fail
according 10 the mood Of the bearer,
but Clemens felt sure Of compelling
this to sympathy. and be 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 cali
ed presence for want of some clearer
word. SO that no one could well APP
proach them In personally light or
tritling spirit. do not suppose that
anybody more truly valued them or
more piously loved them than Glen.
ems himself. but the intoxication Of his
fancy carried him beyond the bounds
Of that regard and emboldened him TO
the other thing which he had not taken
into account-namely the immense
hazard Of working bis fancy out be-
fore their faces and expecting them to
enter into the delight Of 1t. II neither
Emerson nor Longfellow nor Holmes
had been there the scheme might pos
sibly have carried, but even this Is
doubtful.
II was the hapless president, fulfH.
ing the abhorred function Of calling
people TO their feet and making them
speak. When / came to Clemens i
introduced him with the cordial ad.
miration had for him as one OF nv
greatest contributors and dearest
friends. Here, said. In sum. was
humorist who never left you hanging
your head for having enjoyed bis Joke.
and then the amazing mistake. the be-
wildering blunder. the cruel catastro.
phe was upon us. ! believe that after
the scope Of the bnrlesque made itself
clear there was no one there. including
the burlesquer himself. who was not
smitten with desolating dismav
There fell silence. weighing many
tons TO the square inch. which deem.
ened from moment to moment aud
was broken only by the hysterical and
blood curdling laughter Of single
guest, whose name shall not be hand.
ed down to infamy Nobody knew
whether TO look at the speaker ar
down at his plate. chose nv plafe
rs the least afiiiction. and SO do mot
know how Clemens looked. exeent
when ] stole a glance at him and saw
MIN standing solitary amid his an
palled and appalling listeners, with hls
joke dead on bis hands From tirst
glance at The great three whom bis
jest had made its theme / was aware
OF Longfellow sitting upright and re-
gardlng the humorist with an air Of
pensiye puzzle. Of Holmes busily writ.
ing on bis menu with well feIened