The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-04-22

him any harm. yet he always exer-
cises this wanton and malicious rank
aess upon my portrait. | should like
10 be drawn once before | reach sew
i enty again. as should look if had
hesn made right instead of careless
ly.,'
/ A little more than a year ago
Mark iwain was criticised for
i smoking cigar while waiting
! the fnaf ceremony comforting upon
him the. doctors degree at Oxford,
Eng One, more radical than the rest,
I referred TO this incident as proof of
Mark Twain S deteriorating character
The doctor has the best of me this
time, was the authors amiable reply.
But he can not attribute all my
& crimes TO the excessive use of tobac-
co. There are about forty other
1 causes. and tobacco will have to bear
only one-fortieth part of the blame
As q Physician.
s Last year Mark Twain appeared as
guest OF honor of the New York post
i graduate medical school, of which he
4 was elected an honorary director. He
! was clad in his angel clothes,'' as
( be termed them-a dress suit of
+ spotless white-a matchless setting
/ for the luxuriant silvery hair. He
was at his best, although far past
/ his allotted three score years and
ten.
Redding was thinly settled when |
went there, and since have engaged
i in practice it has become more thinly
settled still. This gratihes me as in
4 dicating that am making some i'm
preston on the community.
''Of course the practice of medicine
and surgery in a remote country has
1 its disadvantages, but in my case l
! am happy in division of response
bility. / practice in conjunction with
a horse doctor. sexton and an under-
taker. The combination is alright.
and once man is stricken in our dis
1 trict escape is impossible
His humor seems to have been
/ something apart from himself. for he
/ was born inwardly serious. The humor
was but the froth of his deeper
thought. 1t bubbled out in quaint. ir-
resistible phrases without effort.
/ The character of his philosophy has
never changed. Whether he has fought
! In the buoyant certainty of victory or
{ in the resigned expectation of defeat.
I ne has always beea on the same side
/ He has been the consistent enemy Of
Injustice and oppression
The fighting spirit endured to the
last. Although sadness dissolved the
humorous note in his familiar drawl
the author lent his voice to the cause
OF woman's suffrage only two days
before the death of his daughter Jean
In fact, is synchronized his MESA ye
to the world that his work as done
Lived in keokuk.
There are quite a number of Keokuk
people who knew Mark Twain per
sonally. for he was al one time-many-
years-ago-a citizen of Keokuk and had
visited here after he became famous.
calling upon his brother Orion, who
was long time residence.
Along about 1856, orion Clemens
published the first city directory of
Keokuk, a copy of which is in the
city library and few other copies are
owned by citizens. In this book ap-
pears the name of Samuel L. Clemens
with his occupation given as anti
quarfan-" At that time he was Just
about of voting age. printer and
writing humorous stories for the news
papers.
He entered the river trade from
Keokuk and fecame a pilot. His
brother remained in Keokuk and was
an attorney, residing for many years
Al the corner Of Seventh and High
streets.
In the biographical sketch of Mark
Twain, his father is mentioned as be
ing very absent minded and citizens
can remember this particular eharac-
teristic Of Orion Clemens who was
forgetful 10 marked degree. Many
"reminiscences can be recalled Of the
peculiar actions Of Orion Clemens in
this regard. WHO. although highly
educated and smart man. was given
10 lapses Of memory which created the
most humorous situations.
NearlY every medium sized library
in Keokug, contains one or more of
Mark Twain's books and Keokuk
people have long considered him as
one Of her gifted sons. His illness
end death ATE Of extreme interest to
Keokuk people who Join with the
world In mourning the passing away
Of one Of the most distinguished
Nriters Of modern tineg.
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