Mexico Missouri message., 1915-12-30
MARK TwA1N's BIRTHPLACE.
The Old House Is to Be Furnished
and Fitted up."
(By Bert Love.)

Mark Twain is a prophet with hon
or In his own country, HIS own state.
his own county and his own town.
The presen: tense of the verb is used
because Mark Twain still is with US.
tho Samuel Langhorne Clemens has
departed.
Still freil is the new paint or the
little old ho IJ2 IN tho little old town
in which Marx Twain was born. The
fresh paint and other evidences of
care-taking Indicate that this Dn tn
place of great thinker and writer
is to be preJervcJ to Dosterit! as a
shrine for adoring pilgrims.
1t was my privilege to visit for the
first time the otehr day the seques-
tered hamlet Of Florida, Monroe
County, Mo-, where was born the in
FAINT who developed from Sam Glenn
ems, Missouri native. into Mark
Twain, who belongs to the world. It
is not the easiest thing on earth to
visit Florida, and but for the court
esy of enterprising citizens of Perry,
in Rails County, perhaps the little
journey to the infantile abode of Mis-
souri's most famous citizen would
not have been taken, since tho walk
ing is not half so good as the auto
mobiling.
Florida lies 10 miles northwest OF
Perry, by dirt road. There is a rail-
road, the Katy" running a few
miles to the north of Florida. 1 ask
ed M. A. Violet, the Florodian who
has bought the Mark Twain birth
house and is taking steps to see that
1t is preserved, how far 1t is from the
nearest railroad station.
WELL" replied Mr.. Violet, sit
used to be seven miles, but now it
is only 20 minutes"
Which is only another way of pay
ing tribute to the automobile, which
makes the trip from Stoutsville in a
third of an hour. Florida, as in the
period four-score years ago when
John Quarles, the original of Mark
Twain's Col. Sellers, lived and
dreamed there, still dreams of great
ness. 1t dreams of a possible trolley
line, If not stream railroad, which
may put it upon the transporta-
tion map. 1t has ceased to dream, of
course, of steamboats, coming up Salt
River from the Mississlppi-one of
the early dreams of Florida. A navi-
cation company having that for it's
purpose was chartered by the Mis-
souri, Legislature, with Mark Twain's
father, John Marshall Clemens, as
president, and Congress was asked to
appropriate funds for building locks
and dams. Railroads, however, began
to make their appearance in the East,
so Florida was told to wait for a rail-
road. Florida still is waiting.
This village was established between
the two main forks of Salt River, near
the point of confluence. This stream
by the way, was the O-ha-ha River
until its name was changed because of
the frequent spilling into its waters
OF cargoes OF salt carried on small
boats. 1t is gratifying to know that
the man who laughed and made the
world laugh was born between the
forks of the o-ha-ha. There is laugh
in every syllable of that Indian name.
Florida has only one grief. 1t grieves
because Mark Twain never came back
to his birthplace to settle down. Mr..
Violet, who now owns the house
where Mark first saw the light, has
done differently. Ten years ago, after
being away for 40 years, merchandis-
ing in the ozarks snd engaging in
other lines of business, he came back
to Florida. where he was born 67
years ago, and settled down to stay.
He is farmer and fisherman, hav-
ing resort on the north fork Of the
river, where he invites his friends to
G me and sojourn and fish and float
to their hearts content. And there is
good fishing in Salt River, SO they say
where sometimes catfish as big as