Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-17

wit. and the kindly. affectionate spirit Of
the man shines on every page. do not
believe YOU could read them, doctor, with.
OFT regretting that you did not know the
man, and, Miss Ames, IL you should read
the few notes to his wife which arc in
cluded you would begin to measure the
love letters which you GET
Il don't" she started to say.
Maybe YOU don't get any to talk about
Just now. and maybe you won't talk about
them anyway" went on, but the man
who could address such tenderness to
her and such alteration would bring the
most confirmed spinster perilously near
To the point Of rccantlng."
Priscilla has not taken any VOWS OF
celibacy" said Doctor McFabre.
owen will be glad to hear IT," said,
and before he could interrupt hastened
to say: THE collection of letters Is al
most as good as an autobiography. In
some respects It is better. for the letters
were written without any expectation
that they would ever be printed An
excellent biography of Mark Twain has
been written. but these two volumes
would serve, very we'll if fuller details
were not accessible. They are preceded
by brief sketch of his life, which gives
the main facts of his career. The letters
themselves are full of interesting and i'm.
portant information and illuminating
comment on his contemporaries. You
admire Roosevelt, doctor. What do you
think of this description of him.
And ! read tho following extract from
letter to Doctor Twichel. of Hartford.
dated November {, 1904:
II veNe5 mo TO catch myself praising
the clean private citizen Roosevelt and
blaming the soiled President Roosevelt.
when know that neither praise nor
blame is due to him for any thought or
word or deed of his. he being merely
helpless. irresponsible coffee-mill ground
by the hand of God
That's nothing but bosh." said the
clergyman.
II wont argue the point" I continued.
The letters have things to say about
General Grant as well as about Roosevelt.
You know that Mark Twains publishing
house issued Grants "reminiscences. There
was gossip at the time and afterward
! that Grant did not write the book which
| Bore his name. 1t was said that he had
! given the material to some one who had
whipped it into shape to print. Indeed
! the critics were astonshed by the superb
| literary style of the book. Some of them
| could not believe that man who had no,
! been trained TO write could have produced
| it, These letters prove that Grant did
| the writing himself He had a story to
| tell and he told it in the simple dircc,
style which is the despair Of little men
The men who said that Grant could not
write in this way evidently forgot that
| Caesar produced a book that is a model
| of compact statement"
81 suppose that IS So" said Doctor Nc
Fabrc. but don't like Mark Twain's
religious views"
His wife was troubled about them
also" admitted but do you know tina,
| one of his most intimate friends was a
| distinguished clergyman of Hartford?
am inclined to think that these two men
| got along so well together because they
| were so much alike. They explained mat
ters in a different way. but at bottom
they were agreed. There was something
| fine in theory of life that could produce
| such a man as Mark Twain. You know
| his wife once said that II her husband
went to hell she wanted to go with him
! for heaven would be hell without him
and she gave up attempting to explain
| him by any OF the futile formulas which
the churches have put out for the saliva
ton Of men. If you read the letters you
will discover some Of the reasons which
led her to this conclusion. Their publca
! ton Is really the most important literary
| event Of the autumn"
GEORGE W. DOUGLAS.
| MARK TWhIN'S LETTERS Arranged with
| comment GV Albert NigolCw Paine. Two vol
um,s New York; Harper & Bros
| II l..