The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-10-24
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plume and when he died 1t passed out
of use until Clemens took it up him.
self and made it famous.
It was the common custom of those
days for newspaper writer's below the
position of editorin-chief to use pen
name
Sam Clemens was much like his
brother Orion in his later years, and
they both bore a striking likeness to
their mother, especially the younger
son. She was strong featured old
lady OF remarkable appearance. and
as he grew older the humorist re-
sembled her more and more.
She was very fond of going to
church though deaf, and sitting up
near the pulpit, ear trumpet in hand,
was picture for local people and
visitors to remember. Orion and his
wife were faithful churchgoers. He
was long a leading member of the
Westminster Presbyterian church. FL
nally he took it into his head to write
an article for local consumption that
the patriarch Abraham was not so
good saint in his early years as he
was made out. He also said he was
a fire worshipper The Presbyterian
brethren We're much wrought up ever
this tampering with sacred writ. The
pastor was Rev Willis Craig, after
wards president Of the Presbyterian
theological college at Chicago He
announced that he would answer Mr..
Clemens article on Sabbath morn
ing. The church was thronged. Glenn
ems and his wife and mother were
there. After his sermon on the Abra-
ham article the pastor announced that
it was the sense of the brethren of
the church that Mr.. Clemens had ex.
communicated himself by his attitude
| Prayerfully they must part, hoping
that he would see the error of his
ways. There was much weeping over
the affair, for the Clemenses were fine
people and good neighbors. They i'm
mediately became connected with the
Congregational church.
They lived in neat brick house
which 1t was said had been built for
the mother by Mark Twain himself.
and that Mark contributed regularly
to his mothers keep.
About this time Twain had been oh.
serving the profits that his publishers
had made from his works, and being
himself an old-time printer, he con
Guided that to publish his own books
would give him double profits, Now,
observe what keen eye he had for
business. A company was formed at
his then-home town OF Hartford, Conn.
and it was styled Chas. L. Webster &
Co. You will guess who the company
was. But it was not long before it
failed with a great crash. / well
how several of US young
fellows at that time thought what a
great pity it was that after life.
time" of work poor Mark Twain must
lose all and end his days in poverty.
But that was before we fully realiz.
ed what business genius Mark
Twain really was, aided and allotted
by one Fl. II. Rogers, who was then
not yet a national figure. Between
them had sprung up strong attach
nent. Not long ago some one said
hat Twain was as child In money
affairs. For my part do not believe
t. Twain was much like Shakespeare
out for the dough. Literature he
liked as did "Spokeshave," as he called
aim But both were ever near the box
office to hear the money rattle. Twain
Knew how to advertise himself before
he advertising experts of today were /
n the primary grade. He did not sit /
Town and pine over his losses.
Twain simply quit the easy life he
lad gotten into and went to work !
and paid off all his debts and those
Of the whole Webster company. Ever
since then we have heard of the par
lllel between this feat and that of Sir
Walter Scott, when the Scottish pub
ishing house with which he was con-