The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15
Only Signed Copy of Address


| interest in humanity. he exhibits a.
pamphlet entitled Edmund Burke of
Croker and Tammany." in which the
author scourges the political machine
with a lash welded with the freedom,
and force of understanding. Clemens
founded the famous Order of Acorps
to fight Tammany. Mr.. Wright has the
only signed copy of the Burke address
which was one of the stingng blows
that Mark Twain rained on the back of
the tiger.
The Mark Twain of "Punch Brothers.
Punch With Care" back in the '70s, was
a most amusing fellow, the Merry An
drew of the times and humorist for his
own and other countries. but the Mark
Twain who could write THE Man That
Corrupted Hadleyburgn and still later
king Leopold's Dream" of the Congo
is man whose fame will live when
the fashion in humor has completely
changed, and no one will be able to
see anything funny in the haunting
refrain of "a blue trip slip for g.
cent fare. red trip slip for a 6-cent
fare or in the sufferings of "The YAM
zee in King Arthur's court who had
to set a maid to, pour water down his
back to relieve the distress occasioned
by his fashionable suit of armor.
AT least this is the belief of Mr..
Wright who counts What Is Manes
among the best of Mark Twains philo-
sophcal writings 1t is in What Is
MANI" published after the death of the
author, that he advances philosophical
theories built up out of a wide expe-
rience cf human nature lie is an
iconoclast of the first order, but per-
m1ts himself no attractions of style nor
any departure from the driest treat
ment. He rejects absolutely the theory
that such thing as self-sacrifice ex-
icf IN thA rR,.11 -.
for the love of 1t. He rejects many
other settled beliefs and proclaim;
many that may be new to an orthodox
world
Mr.. Wright is of the opinion that even
Marx TaWin's humor is rich in philoso-
ply and says that although "Tom Saw
yer" and ''Huckleberry Finn" have been
barred from many libraries, they have
never been barred by librarian who
knows boys.
In the library of the Pratt institute
In Brooklyn there hang portraits of the
worlds heroes. The Missouri collector
was surprised to see among them the
face of Mark Twain. The librarian, not
ing the momentary puzzle asked him if
he knew why Mark Twain was a hero
Immediately MIR. Wright answered Yes"
and gave the reason. 'fHe was the one
business hero on the list and, of course,
had won a place in that gallery through
his payment of 100000 for the publishing
corporation which had already gone into
bankruptcy. It was a debt for which he
could have been held In no way re-
sponsible and for which he was in no
way responsible. but in the payment
of which he undertook the arduous task
OF lecture trip around the world"
The authors own words in which he ex-
plains why self sacrifice is nonexistent
are required to convince enc that he was
not self sacrificing. Anyhow, he got into
the hero class.
OF all the works of Mark Twain, the
unfinished autobiography will be the most
valuable, in the opinion of Mr.. Wright
The first edition is owned by all those
who have the North American Review
for the years 1906 and 1907. The second
appeared Immediately nftepward in the
Sunday Magazine, which is published by
millions with dozens OF Sunday news
papers In America. Although it was SO
numerous, It is probably by this time
very scarce. Mr.. Wright kept his, as he
has kept everything bearing upon the life
OF Mark Twain, and he intends to SEND
them to England to be bound in the new
transparent leather, "vellucent."
1t was the same with the Order of
the Acorn publication, which was print
ed in great numbers and distributed
gratuitously. thrown broadcast in the
streets of New York, and yet has prac-
tically vanished. Had it not been for
the personal gift of one from Mr. Glenn
ems the little publication would have
been absent from the Wright collec-
tion.
Pities Man Without Fad
Mr.. Wright is sorry for the man who
Is not collector "The man without a
hobby or a fad is to be pitied,' he
said. mo matter how worn or worried
he may be the collector Is able to pick
up catalOg and lose himself in its
pages The world slips away and leaves
him alone. There are people who do not
appreciate what this means to a busy
man. and who do not understand how
absorbing the game is"
In addition to the Twain books the
Kansas City collector has several deal
ing with the sort of life depicted In
.'Roughing It" and the other early
tales. He has also in his possession
several signed photographs and a val
liable has relief by Guinitine, a French
sculptor.
The Twain collection il one of four
he has made. OF these an unusually ir-
teresting and complete collection Of
the works of Eugene Field Is in the
public library at st. Joseph. Another
has to do with Doniphan's expedition
to Mexico, and still another with one
phase Of Tennyson's life and works
For the completion of the last. a con-
tinued residence abroad would have
been required.
From the pursuit of the collector. he.
has deprived a pleasure that has more
than repaid him for the trouble 1t has,
cost and he strongly recommends the