Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-12-31

ophy Of Mark Twain. Americas
mos; famous hunorsi. is re-
rcalei for tho first time IN the last book
he wrote before his death.
The book Is entitled "'rhc Mysterious
Stranger: a Romance" and is published
by Harper and BROTHERS with charming,
fancifnl illustrations by y. G. Wyeth.
Mark Twain soos mankind as = rae"
Of insane monsters. cursed h. - Moral
Sense" That almost invariably compcls
them 10 do wrong and rHicd by a deity
who Intentionally condemns his follow.
crs to hidcouS fortunes.
TO Americans who have been accus
toned 10 think oil Mark Twain tho
author of from Sawyer and "lnnoccn's
Abroad" as essentially n humorS. this
book OF satire as bitter a that of Dean
Swift Is quito astonishing. II Is evident
ly the result " the crl.cl experiences OF
the authors life which fell upon him
very heavily in his later years.
Ills fayoritc daughter and companion
for years Jean Clemens was mysterious
~ drowned in bath,ub in 1909. she
was all had left" said Mark Twain.
HIS only son died when a child. His
wife. much younger than himself. died
in 1904
His other dauGhtcr. whose occupation
as musician had kept her away from
him 81 great deal. married before the
death OF Jean Clemens and decided 10
spend most Of her time abroad
In late middle age he invested tho
savings Of lifetime in = book publishing
business and failed. owing more than
100000 IIc had 10 begin life anew.
4 series Of such tragedies must have
convinced the humorist that man il
doomed b. higher powers 10 life of
misery and torture.
"Thc Mysterious Stranger" IN which
he sets forth this philosophy has also
In il a charming romance. \ group OF
hoys. 'Thcodor. Scppi and Nickolaus,
are living on feudal princes lands in
Austria in The Middle Ages.
As tho boys arc playing i'll the park.
pleasant stranger joins them and tells
them his manic IS Satan. an angel OF
good family.
Satan docs wonderful series Of
tricks to entertain the boys He shows
them as in play, the history Of man
kind. both past and future, from the
murder OF Abel by his brother Cain 10
modern Europcan forms OF warfare. lie
starts with the Garden Of Eden and The
Tower Of Babel
"Whe Satan talked" says the author.
che made crowd OF little men and women
the size OF your finger. and !hcy went
diligently to work and cleared and leveled
off space a couple of yards square in
the grass and began TO build cunning
little castle in it, the women mixing the
mortar and carrying il up the scaIfoldinss
In pals on their heads. just as our work
women have always done. and the mon
laying the courses Of masonry-hve nun
-dred OF these toy people Swarmin2 brisk
ly about and working diligently and wip
ing the sweat off their faces rs natural
as life. In the absorbing interest Of
watching those five hundred little people
make tho castle grow step by step and
course by course. and take shape and
symmetry. that feeling Of awe soon
passed away and We were quite comfort
able and at home again.
"Then Seppi asked him what his own
name was. and he said TRANQUILITY. Satan
and held out a chip and caught little
woman on il who was falling from the
scaffolding and put hcr back whore she
belonged. and said. She is an idiot to
stop backward like that and not notice
what she is about.
"Then he turned 10 Nikoaus and said:
No. the fall did not affect me nor the
rest OF the relationship. 1t was only he