The Columbia evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-06
Mark TWain, Reporter.

Al printers banquet which was give
in New York Ciiy several years befor
the death Of Mark Twain. he told tn
story Of his printers apprenticeship:
1T may be that the printer of today i
moi the printer Of thirty.hse years ago.
knew the latter well. built the FIRE fo
him; brought water from the village
pump: swept out his Office; picked NJ
his type; and If he was there to see,
put the good type in his case and the
broken ones among the ''hell matter and
If he wasn't there TO see, dumped it all
with the -pi'.
Il washed the rollers. | washed the
forms, folded the papers, | carried them
around in the disagreeable dawn on
Thursday mornings. The carrier was
then an object Of intense interest TO all
the dogs Of town. II had saved up all
the bites received ! could keep Nj. Pas
ieur busy for a year. We had 100 town
subscribers and $50 country ones; the
Town subscribers paid in groceries, and
the country ones in cabbage and cord
wood-when they paid at all, which was
merely sometimes, and then we always
stated the fact in the paper and gave
them puff. II we forgot il they stopped
the paper. 49,.
Every man iH1fown helped edit that
paper; dictated its opinions, marked out
its course for it, and every time the boss
failed to connect, he stopped his sub.
scripiion.
IF we pied form. We suspended I'M
til next week We always suspended ev-
cry now ana then when the fishing was
good, and explained il by the illness Of
the editor, palfry excuse, for that kind
Of paper was just as well of with a sick
editor as with well one, and better off
with a dead one than with either Of
them"
Such was the beginning of Samuel
Langhorne Clemens career as a printer.
and his first experience with newspa.
per. At the time. he was wild and
reckless boy. ''Trifin'" describes him
pretty well.
He was born on November 30, 1885
and his boyhood days are to be read
like an open book in the adventures Of
Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and
Pudd'nhead Wilson.
BECOMES PRINTERS DEVIL
Sam was II when his father died. His
mothers grief and impecunious condi-
iion aroused the lazy boy 10 such sense
of responsibility that he apprenticed
himself to the Missouri Courier, weekly
Democratic paper Of Hannibal, and start
ed in TO learn the printers trade
He soon became the Office faTorite. He
was so funny. that everybody liked him
whether they approved of his lazy ways
or not. When the forms Of the paper
were ready TO close and Ament the editor
was needed TO supply more matter, Sam
was delegated to find him and labor
with him until the copy was produced.
Thus, he saw literature, in the making.
He had, at this time. however. no ambi-
lion TO make il himself. His ambition
was 10 be an all-round journeyman prin.
Ter. like Pei McMurray," and travel
up and down the world.
He didn't care to read, beyond few |
exciting tales Of adventure, though the |
putting into type of all sorts Of miscel.
laneous matter undoubtedly awakened in |
him taste for general knowledge. An |
incident, fraught with large results, is
told Of this period Of his life. One day, |
he found flying on the street stray leaf
from history, bearing par; Of the story,
Of Joan Of Arc. The Hannibal boy had
no knowledge Of previous times or other
counties. He didn't like 10 go to school.
He had thrown himself into his mothers
arms beside the coffin of his father and
promised 10 do anything she might ask Of
him except go to school.
The printers work, however, had given
him a iradesman's interest in the printed
page. and reading the tragic story OF the
martyred maid there suddenly crystal.
lized within him passion for the worlds
ctot1 Nhhch nc uiu Hol hnON. lnls Dc
came the largest feature Of his iniellec.
fual life and remained wiih him.
WRITES HIS FIRST STORIES"
He worked for three years in the Of.
fee Of the Hannibal Courier and at the
age Of IS considered himself full-hedg- /
ed journeyman printer. His oldest broth.
er. Orion Clemens, also printer. bought
out the Hanpibal Journal and induced
Sam TO take job with him. Left alone
with the paper, while Orion went south
10 sell some family land and secure mon
ey TO bolster up the sagging proposition.
Sam decided TO edit the paper in such a
way as to liven up the circulation He had
never written anything for publication
but he had the courage Of his inclina.
tions and the local items he published
were red hot and his personals brought
prompt demand for satisfaction. 4
II was at this time that he wrote eel.
ebraied poem TO MARY in Hannibal"
The title was long and the type was in.
elastic, so TO shorten the title to meet ex-
igencies, it appeared TO Mary in HI"
HIS ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK
After three years with Orion, Sam, be-
ing l8 years old. decided 10 60 out into
the world. He went 10 New York