首页 >出版文学> SPEECHES>第12章

第12章

  Hewentondownthereandaccostedthisantiquity,andmadearemarkortwo。Icouldnotcatchup。TheyweresocasualIcouldnotrecognizewhichoneitwasthattouchedthatbottom,forinaninstantthatoldmanwasliterallyineruptionandwasfillingthewholeplacewithprofanityofthemostexquisitekind。Youneverheardsuchaccomplishedprofanity。Ineverhearditalsodeliveredwithsucheloquence。
  IneverenjoyedprofanityasIenjoyeditthen—morethanifIhadbeenutteringitmyself。Thereisnothinglikelisteningtoanartist—
  allhispassionspassingawayinlava,smoke,thunder,lightning,andearthquake。
  Thenthisfriendsaidtome:"Now,Iwilltellyouaboutthat。Aboutsixtyyearsagothatmanwasayoungfellowoftwenty—three,andhadjustcomehomefromathreeyears'whalingvoyage。Hecameintothatvillageofhis,happyandproudbecausenow,insteadofbeingchiefmate,hewasgoingtobemasterofawhaleship,andhewasproudandhappyaboutit。
  "Thenhefoundthattherehadbeenakindofacoldfrostcomeuponthattownandthewholeregionroundabout;forwhilehehadbeenawaytheFatherMathewtemperanceexcitementhadcomeuponthewholeregion。Therefore,everybodyhadtakenthepledge;therewasn'tanybodyformilesandmilesaroundthathadnottakenthepledge。
  "Soyoucanseewhatasolitudeitwastothisyoungman,whowasfondofhisgrog。Andhewasjustanoutcast,becausewhentheyfoundhewouldnotjoinFatherMathew'sSocietytheyostracizedhim,andhewentaboutthattownthreeweeks,dayandnight,inutterloneliness—theonlyhumanbeinginthewholeplacewhoevertookgrog,andhehadtotakeitprivately。
  "Ifyoudon'tknowwhatitistobeostracized,tobeshunnedbyyourfellow—man,mayyouneverknowit。Thenherecognizedthattherewassomethingmorevaluableinthislifethangrog,andthatisthefellowshipofyourfellow—man。Andatlasthegaveitup,andatnineo'clockonenighthewentdowntotheFatherMathewTemperanceSociety,andwithabrokenhearthesaid:'Putmynamedownformembershipinthissociety。'
  "Andthenhewentawaycrying,andatearliestdawnthenextmorningtheycameforhimandroutedhimout,andtheysaidthatnewshipofhiswasreadytosailonathreeyears'voyage。Inaminutehewasonboardthatshipandgone。
  "Andhesaid—well,hewasnotoutofsightofthattowntillhebegantorepent,buthehadmadeuphismindthathewouldnottakeadrink,andsothatwholevoyageofthreeyearswasathreeyears'
  agonytothatmanbecausehesawallthetimethemistakehehadmade。
  "Hefeltitallthrough;hehadconstantremindersofit,becausethecrewwouldpasshimwiththeirgrog,comeoutonthedeckandtakeit,andtherewasthetorturoussmellofit。
  "Hewentthroughthewholethreeyearsofsuffering,andatlastcomingintoportitwassnowy,itwascold,hewasstampingthroughthesnowtwofeetdeeponthedeckandlongingtogethome,andtherewashiscrewtorturinghimtothelastminutewithhotgrog,butatlasthehadhisreward。Hereallydidgettoshoreatlast,andjumpedandranandboughtajugandrushedtothesociety'soffice,andsaidtothesecretary:
  "'Takemynameoffyourmembershipbooks,anddoitrightaway!I
  havegotathreeyears'thirston。'
  "Andthesecretarysaid:'Itisnotnecessary。Youwereblackballed!'"
  WATTERSONANDTWAINASREBELS。
  ADDRESSATTHECELEBRATIONOFABRAHAMLINCOLN'S92D
  BIRTHDAYANNIVERSARY,CARNEGIEHALL,FEBRUARY11,1901,TORAISEFUNDSFORTHELINCOLNMEMORIAL
  UNIVERSITYATCUMBERLANDGAP,TENN。
  LADIESANDGENTLEMEN,—Theremainderofmydutiesaspresidingchairmanherethiseveningarebuttwo—onlytwo。Oneofthemiseasy,andtheotherdifficult。Thatistosay,Imustintroducetheorator,andthenkeepstillandgivehimachance。ThenameofHenryWattersoncarrieswithititsownexplanation。ItislikeanelectriclightontopofMadisonSquareGarden;youtouchthebuttonandthelightflashesupoutofthedarkness。YoumentionthenameofHenryWatterson,andyourmindsareatonceilluminatedwiththesplendidradianceofhisfameandachievements。Ajournalist,asoldier,anorator,astatesman,arebel。Yes,hewasarebel;and,betterstill,nowheisareconstructedrebel。
  Itisacuriouscircumstance,acircumstancebroughtaboutwithoutanycollusionorprearrangement,thatheandI,bothofwhomwererebelsrelatedbybloodtoeachother,shouldbebroughtheretogetherthiseveningbearingatributeinourhandsandbowingourheadsinreverencetothatnoblesoulwhoforthreeyearswetriedtodestroy。Idon'tknowasthefacthaseverbeenmentionedbefore,butitisafact,nevertheless。ColonelWattersonandIwerebothrebels,andwearebloodrelations。IwasasecondlieutenantinaConfederatecompany—forawhile—oh,IcouldhavestayedonifI
  hadwantedto。Imademyselffelt,Ilefttracksallaroundthecountry。Icouldhavestayedon,butitwassuchweather。Ineversawsuchweathertobeout—of—doorsin,inallmylife。
  TheColonelcommandedaregiment,anddidhispart,Isuppose,todestroytheUnion。Hedidnotsucceed,yetifhehadobeyedmehewouldhavedoneso。Ihadaplan,andIfullyintendedtodriveGeneralGrantintothePacificOcean—ifIcouldgettransportation。I
  toldColonelWattersonaboutit。Itoldhimwhathehadtodo。WhatIwantedhimtodowastosurroundtheEasternarmyandwaituntilI
  cameup。Buthewasinsubordinate;hestuckonsomequibbleofmilitaryetiquetteaboutasecondlieutenantgivingorderstoacolonelorsomethinglikethat。Andwhatwastheconsequence?TheUnionwaspreserved。ThisisthefirsttimeIbelievethatthatsecrethaseverbeenrevealed。
  Nooneoutsideofthefamilycircle,Ithink,knewitbefore;buttherethefactsare。WattersonsavedtheUnion;yes,hesavedtheUnion。Andyettherehesits,andnotastephasbeentakenoramovementmadetowardgrantinghimapension。Thatisthewaythingsaredone。Itisacasewheresomeblushingoughttobedone。Yououghttoblush,andIoughttoblush,andhe—well,he'salittleoutofpracticenow。
  ROBERTFULTONFUND。
  ADDRESSMADEONTHEEVENINGOFAPRIL19,1906。
  Mr。ClemenshadbeenaskedtoaddresstheassociationbyGen。
  FrederickD。Grant,president。Hewasofferedafeeof$1000,butrefusedit,saying:
  "Ishallbegladtodoit,butImuststipulatethatyoukeepthe$1000,andaddittotheMemorialFundasmycontributiontoerectamonumentinNewYorktothememoryofthemanwhoappliedsteamtonavigation。"
  AtthismeetingMr。Clemensmadethisformalannouncementfromtheplatform:
  "Thisismylastappearanceonthepaidplatform。IshallnotretirefromthegratisplatformuntilIamburied,andcourtesywillcompelmetokeepstillandnotdisturbtheothers。Now,sinceImust,I
  shallsaygood—bye。Iseemanyfacesinthisaudiencewellknowntome。Theyareallmyfriends,andIfeelthatthoseIdon'tknowaremyfriends,too。Iwishtoconsiderthatyourepresentthenation,andthatinsayinggood—byetoyouIamsayinggood—byetothenation。
  Inthegreatnameofhumanity,letmesaythisfinalword:Iofferanappealinbehalfofthatvast,patheticmultitudeoffathers,mothers,andhelplesslittlechildren。Theywereshelteredandhappytwodaysago。Nowtheyarewandering,forlorn,hopeless,andhomeless,thevictimsofagreatdisaster。SoIbegofyou,Ibegofyou,toopenyourheartsandopenyourpursesandrememberSanFrancisco,thesmittencity。"
  IWISHtodeliverahistoricaladdress。I'vebeenstudyingthehistoryof—er—a—letmesee—a[thenhestoppedinconfusion,andwalkedovertoGen。FredD。Grant,whosatattheheadoftheplatform。Heleanedoverinawhisper,andthenreturnedtothefrontofthestageandcontinued]。Ohyes!I'vebeenstudyingRobertFulton。I'vebeenstudyingabiographicalsketchofRobertFulton,theinventorof—er—a—let'ssee—ohyes,theinventoroftheelectrictelegraphandtheMorsesewing—machine。Also,Iunderstandheinventedtheair—diria—pshaw!Ihaveitatlast—thedirigibleballoon。
  Yes,thedirigiblebutitisadifficultword,andIdon'tseewhyanybodyshouldmarryacoupleofwordslikethatwhentheydon'twanttobemarriedatallandarelikelytoquarrelwitheachotherallthetime。IshouldputthatcoupleofwordsunderthebanoftheUnitedStatesSupremeCourt,underitsdecisionofafewdaysago,andtake'emoutanddrown'em。
  IusedtoknowFulton。Itusedtodomegoodtoseehimdashingthroughthetownonawildbroncho。
  AndFultonwasborniner—a—well,itdoesn'tmakemuchdifferencewherehewasborn,doesit?Irememberamanwhocametointerviewmeonce,togetasketchofmylife。Iconsultedwithafriend—apracticalman—beforehecame,toknowhowIshouldtreathim。
  "Wheneveryougivetheinterviewerafact,"hesaid,"givehimanotherfactthatwillcontradictit。Thenhe'llgoawaywithajumblethathecan'tuseatall。Begentle,besweet,smilelikeanidiot—
  justbenatural。"That'swhatmyfriendtoldmetodo,andIdidit。
  "Wherewereyouborn?"askedtheinterviewer。
  "Well—er—a,"Ibegan,"IwasborninAlabama,orAlaska,ortheSandwichIslands;Idon'tknowwhere,butrightaroundtheresomewhere。Andyouhadbetterputitdownbeforeyouforgetit。"
  "Butyouweren'tborninallthoseplaces,"hesaid。
  "Well,I'veofferedyouthreeplaces。Takeyourchoice。They'reallatthesameprice。"
  "Howoldareyou?"heasked。
  "IshallbenineteeninJune,"Isaid。
  "Why,there'ssuchadiscrepancybetweenyourageandyourlooks,"
  hesaid。
  "Oh,that'snothing,"Isaid,"Iwasborndiscrepantly。"
  ThenwegottotalkingaboutmybrotherSamuel,andhetoldmemyexplanationswereconfusing。
  "Isupposeheisdead,"Isaid。"Somesaidthathewasdeadandsomesaidthathewasn't。"
  "Didyouburyhimwithoutknowingwhetherhewasdeadornot?"askedthereporter。
  "Therewasamystery,"saidI。"Weweretwins,andonedaywhenweweretwoweeksold—thatis,hewasoneweekold,andIwasoneweekold—wegotmixedupinthebath—tub,andoneofusdrowned。Wenevercouldtellwhich。Oneofushadastrawberrybirthmarkonthebackofhishand。Thereitisonmyhand。Thisistheonethatwasdrowned。There'snodoubtaboutit。"
  "Where'sthemystery?"hesaid。
  "Why,don'tyouseehowstupiditwastoburythewrongtwin?"I
  answered。Ididn'texplainitanymorebecausehesaidtheexplanationconfusedhim。Tomeitisperfectlyplain。
  But,togetbacktoFulton。I'mgoingalonglikeanoldmanIusedtoknowwhousedtostarttotellastoryabouthisgrandfather。Hehadanawfullyretentivememory,andheneverfinishedthestory,becauseheswitchedoffintosomethingelse。Heusedtotellabouthowhisgrandfatheronedaywentintoapasture,wheretherewasaram。
  Theoldmandroppedasilverdimeinthegrass,andstoopedovertopickitup。Theramwasobservinghim,andtooktheoldman'sactionasaninvitation。
  Justashewasgoingtofinishabouttheramthisfriendofminewouldrecallthathisgrandfatherhadaniecewhohadaglasseye。Sheusedtoloanthatglasseyetoanotherladyfriend,whouseditwhenshereceivedcompany。Theeyedidn'tfitthefriend'sface,anditwasloose。Andwhenevershewinkeditwouldturnover。
  Thenhegotonthesubjectofaccidents,andhewouldtellastoryabouthowhebelievedaccidentsneverhappened。
  "TherewasanIrishmancomingdownaladderwithahodofbricks,"
  hesaid,"andaDutchmanwasstandingonthegroundbelow。TheIrishmanfellontheDutchmanandkilledhim。Accident?Never!IftheDutchmanhadn'tbeentheretheIrishmanwouldhavebeenkilled。
  Whydidn'ttheIrishmanfallonadogwhichwasnexttotheDutchman?Becausethedogwouldhaveseenhimcoming。"
  Thenhe'dgetofffromtheDutchmantoanunclenamedReginaldWilson。Reginaldwentintoacarpetfactoryoneday,andgottwistedintothemachinery'sbelt。Hewentexcursioningaroundthefactoryuntilhewasproperlydistributedandwaswovenintosixty—nineyardsofthebestthree—plycarpet。Hiswifeboughtthecarpet,andthensheerectedamonumenttohismemory。Itread:
  Sacredtothememoryofsixty—nineyardsofthebestthree—plycarpetcontainingthemortalremaindersofREGINALDWILSON
  GothouanddolikewiseAndsoonhewouldrambleabouttellingthestoryofhisgrandfatheruntilweneverweretoldwhetherhefoundtheten—centpieceorwhethersomethingelsehappened。
  FULTONDAY,JAMESTOWN。
  ADDRESSDELIVEREDSEPTEMBER23,1907。
  Lieutenant—GovernorEllyson,ofVirginia,inintroducingMr。
  Clemens,said:
  "Thepeoplehavecomeheretobringatributeofaffectionaterecollectionforthemanwhohascontributedsomuchtotheprogressoftheworldandthehappinessofmankind。"AsMr。Clemenscamedowntotheplatformtheapplausebecamelouderandlouder,untilMr。
  Clemensheldouthishandforsilence。Itwasagreattriumph,anditwasalmostaminuteaftertheapplauseceasedbeforeMr。Clemenscouldspeak。Heattempteditonce,andwhentheaudiencenoticedhisemotion,itcheeredagainloudly。
  LADIESANDGENTLEMEN,—Iambuthuman,andwhenyougivemeareceptionlikethatIamobligedtowaitalittlewhileIgetmyvoice。Whenyouappealtomyhead,Idon'tfeelit;butwhenyouappealtomyheart,Idofeelit。
  WeareheretocelebrateoneofthegreatesteventsofAmericanhistory,andnotonlyinAmericanhistory,butintheworld'shistory。
  Indeeditwas—theapplicationofsteambyRobertFulton。
  Itwasaworldevent—therearenotmanyofthem。ItispeculiarlyanAmericanevent,thatistrue,buttheinfluencewasverybroadineffect。WeshouldregardthisdayasaverygreatAmericanholiday。WehavenotmanythatareexclusivelyAmericanholidays。WehavetheFourthofJuly,whichweregardasanAmericanholiday,butitisnothingofthekind。Iamwaitingforadissentingvoice。AllgreateffortsthatleduptotheFourthofJulyweremade,notbyAmericans,butbyEnglishresidentsofAmerica,subjectsoftheKingofEngland。
  Theyfoughtallthefightingthatwasdone,theyshedandspiltallthebloodthatwasspilt,insecuringtoustheinvaluablelibertieswhichareincorporatedintheDeclarationofIndependence;
  buttheywerenotAmericans。TheysignedtheDeclarationofIndependence;noAmerican'snameissignedtothatdocumentatall。
  ThereneverwasanAmericansuchasyouandIareuntilaftertheRevolution,whenithadallbeenfoughtoutandlibertysecured,aftertheadoptionoftheConstitution,andtherecognitionoftheIndependenceofAmericabyallpowers。
  WhilewereveretheFourthofJuly—andletusalwaysrevereit,andthelibertiesitconferreduponus—yetitwasnotanAmericanevent,agreatAmericanday。
  ItwasanAmericanwhoappliedthatsteamsuccessfully。Therearenotagreatmanyworldevents,andwehaveourfullshare。Thetelegraph,telephone,andtheapplicationofsteamtonavigation—
  thesearegreatAmericanevents。
  To—dayIhavebeenrequested,orIhaverequestedmyself,nottoconfinemyselftofurnishingyouwithinformation,buttoremindyouofthings,andtointroduceoneofthenation'scelebrants。
  AdmiralHarringtonhereisgoingtotellyouallthatIhaveleftuntold。IamgoingtotellyouallthatIknow,andthenhewillfollowupwithsuchragsandremnantsashecanfind,andtellyouwhatheknows。
  NodoubtyouhaveheardagreatdealaboutRobertFultonandtheinfluencesthathavegrownfromhisinvention,butthelittlesteamboatissufferingneglect。
  Youprobablydonotknowagreatdealaboutthatboat。Itwasthemostimportantsteamboatintheworld。Iwasthereandsawit。AdmiralHarringtonwasthereatthetime。Itneednotsurpriseyou,forheisnotasoldashelooks。Thatlittleboatwasinterestingineveryway。Thesizeofit。Theboatwasone[consultsAdmiral],hesaidtenfeetlong。Thebreadthofthatboat[consultsAdmiral],twohundredfeet。Yousee,thefirstandmostimportantdetailisthelength,thenthebreadth,andthenthedepth;thedepthofthatboatwas[consultsagain]—theAdmiralsaysitwasaflatboat。Thenhertonnage—youknownothingaboutaboatuntilyouknowtwomorethings:
  herspeedandhertonnage。Weknowthespeedshemade。Shemadefourmiles—andsometimesfivemiles。Itwasonherinitialtrip,onAugust11,1807,thatshemadeherinitialtrip,whenshewentfrom[consultsAdmiral]JerseyCity—toChicago。That'sright。ShewentbywayofAlbany。Nowcomesthetonnageofthatboat。Tonnageofaboatmeanstheamountofdisplacement;displacementmeanstheamountofwateravesselcanshoveinaday。Thetonnageofmanisestimatedbytheamountofwhiskeyhecandisplaceinaday。
  RobertFultonnamedtheClermontinhonorofhisbride,thatis,Clermontwasthenameofthecounty—seat。
  IfeelthatitsurprisesyouthatIknowsomuch。InmyremarksofwelcomeofAdmiralHarringtonIamnotgoingtogivehimcompliments。Complimentsalwaysembarrassaman。Youdonotknowanythingtosay。Itdoesnotinspireyouwithwords。Thereisnothingyoucansayinanswertoacompliment。Ihavebeencomplimentedmyselfagreatmanytimes,andtheyalwaysembarrassme—Ialwaysfeelthattheyhavenotsaidenough。
  TheAdmiralandmyselfhaveheldpublicoffice,andwereassociatedtogetheragreatdealinafriendlywayinthetimeofPocahontas。ThatincidentwherePocahontassavesthelifeofSmithfromherfather,Powhatan'sclub,wasgottenupbytheAdmiralandmyselftoadvertiseJamestown。
  AtthattimetheAdmiralandmyselfdidnothavethefacilitiesofadvertisingthatyouhave。
  IhaveknownAdmiralHarringtoninallkindsofsituations—inpublicservice,ontheplatform,andinthechain—gangnowandthen—
  butitwasamistake。Acaseofmistakenidentity。IdonotthinkitisatallanecessitytotellyouAdmiralHarrington'spublichistory。
  Youknowthatitisinthehistories。Iamnotheretotellyouanythingabouthispubliclife,buttoexposehisprivatelife。
  Iamsomethingofapoet。Whenthegreatpoetlaureate,Tennyson,died,andIfoundthattheplacewasopen,Itriedtogetit—butI
  didnotgetit。Anybodycanwritethefirstlineofapoem,butitisaverydifficulttasktomakethesecondlinerhymewiththefirst。
  WhenIwasdowninAustraliathereweretwotownsnamedJohnswoodandPar—am。Imadethisrhyme:
  "ThepeopleofJohnswoodarepiousandgood;
  ThepeopleofPar—amtheydon'tcarea—"
  IdonotwanttocomplimentAdmiralHarrington,butaslongassuchmenashedevotetheirlivestothepublicservicethecreditofthecountrywillnevercease。Iwillsaythatthesamehighqualities,thesamemoralandintellectualattainments,thesamegraciousnessofmanner,ofconduct,ofobservation,andexpressionhavecausedAdmiralHarringtontobemistakenforme—andIhavebeenmistakenforhim。
  Amutualcomplimentcangonofurther,andInowhavethehonorandprivilegeofintroducingtoyouAdmiralHarrington。
  LOTOSCLUBDINNERINHONOR
  OFMARKTWAIN。
  ADDRESSATTHEFIRSTFORMALDINNERINTHENEWCLUB—HOUSE,NOVEMBER11,1893。
  Inintroducingtheguestoftheevening,Mr。Lawrencesaid:
  "To—nighttheoldfacesappearoncemoreamidnewsurroundings。
  Theplacewherelastwemetaboutthetablehasvanished,andto—nightwehaveourfirstLotosdinnerinahomethatisallourown。Itispeculiarlyfittingthattheboardshouldnowbespreadinhonorofonewhohasbeenamemberoftheclubforfullascoreofyears,anditisahappyauguryforthefuturethatourfellow—memberwhomweassembletogreetshouldbethebearerofamostdistinguishednameintheworldofletters;fortheLotosClubiseveratitsbestwhenpayinghomagetogeniusinliteratureorinart。IsthereacivilizedbeingwhohasnotheardthenameofMarkTwain?Weknewhimlongyearsago,beforehecameoutoftheboundlessWest,brimfulofwitandeloquence,withnoreverenceforanything,andwentabroadtoeducatetheuntutoredEuropeaninthesubtletiesoftheAmericanjoke。Theworldhaslookedonandapplaudedwhilehehasbrokenmanyimages。Hehasledusinimaginationallovertheglobe。
  WithhimasourguidewehavetraversedaliketheMississippiandtheSeaofGalilee。Athisbiddingwehavelaughedatathousandabsurdities。ByalaboriousprocessofreasoninghehasconvincedusthattheEgyptianmummiesareactuallydead。HehasheldusspellboundupontheplainatthefootofthegreatSphinx,andwehavejoinedhiminweepingbittertearsatthetombofAdam。To—nightwegreethimintheflesh。Whatnameisthereinliteraturethatcanbelikenedtohis?Perhapssomeofthedistinguishedgentlemenaboutthistablecantellus,butIknowofnone。Himselfhisonlyparallel!"
  MR。PRESIDENT,GENTLEMEN,ANDFELLOW—MEMBERSOFTHELOTOSCLUB,—I
  haveseldominmylifetimelistenedtocomplimentssofelicitouslyphrasedorsowelldeserved。Ireturnthanksforthemfromafullheartandanappreciativespirit,andIwillsaythisinself—defence:
  WhileIamchargedwithhavingnoreverenceforanything,IwishtosaythatIhavereverenceforthemanwhocanuttersuchtruths,andI
  alsohaveadeepreverenceandasincereoneforaclubthatcandosuchjusticetome。Tobethechiefguestofsuchaclubissomethingtobeenvied,andifIreadyourcountenancesrightlyIamenvied。Iamgladtoseethisclubinsuchpalatialquarters。I
  rememberittwentyyearsagowhenitwashousedinastable。
  NowwhenIwasstudyingfortheministrythereweretwoorthreethingsthatstruckmyattentionparticularly。Atthefirstbanquetmentionedinhistorythatotherprodigalsonwhocamebackfromhistravelswasinvitedtostandupandhavehissay。Theywereallthere,hisbrethren,DavidandGoliath,ander,andifhehadhadsuchexperienceasIhavehadhewouldhavewaiteduntilthoseotherpeoplegotthroughtalking。Hegotupandtestifiedtoallhisfailings。
  Nowifhehadwaitedbeforetellingallabouthisriotouslivinguntiltheothershadspokenhemightnothavegivenhimselfawayashedid,andIthinkthatIwouldgivemyselfawayifIshouldgoon。I
  thinkI'dbetterwaituntiltheothershandintheirtestimony;thenifitisnecessaryformetomakeanexplanation,Iwillgetupandexplain,andifIcannotdothat,I'lldenyithappened。
  LaterintheeveningMr。Clemensmadeanotherspeech,replyingtoafireofshortspeechesbyCharlesDudleyWarner,CharlesA。Dana,SethLow,GeneralPorter,andmanyothers,eachwelcomingtheguestofhonor。
  Idon'tseethatIhaveagreatdealtoexplain。Igotoffverywell,consideringtheopportunitiesthattheseotherfellowshad。I
  don'tseethatMr。Lowsaidanythingagainstme,andneitherdidMr。
  Dana。However,IwillsaythatIneverheardsomanyliestoldinoneeveningasweretoldbyMr。McKelway—andIconsidermyselfverycapable;buteveninhiscase,whenhegotthrough,Iwasgratifiedbyfindinghowmuchhehadn'tfoundout。ByaccidenthemissedtheverythingsthatIdidn'twanttohavesaid,andnow,gentlemen,aboutAmericanism。
  IhavebeenonthecontinentofEuropefortwoandahalfyears。I
  havemetmanyAmericansthere,somesojourningforashorttimeonly,othersmakingprotractedstays,andithasbeenverygratifyingtometofindthatnearlyallpreservedtheirAmericanism。IhavefoundtheyallliketoseetheFlagfly,andthattheirheartsrisewhentheyseetheStarsandStripes。Imetonlyoneladywhohadforgottenthelandofherbirthandglorifiedmonarchicalinstitutions。
  IthinkitisagreatthingtosaythatintwoandahalfyearsI
  metonlyonepersonwhohadfallenavictimtotheshams—Ithinkwemaycallthemshams—ofnobilitiesandofheredities。Shewasentirelylostinthem。AfterIhadlistenedtoherforalongtime,Isaidtoher:"Atleastyoumustadmitthatwehaveonemerit。WearenotliketheChinese,whorefusetoallowtheircitizenswhoaretiredofthecountrytoleaveit。ThankGod,wedon't!"
  COPYRIGHT
  COPYRIGHT。
  WithMr。Howells,EdwardEverettHale,ThomasNelsonPage,andanumberofotherauthors,Mr。ClemensappearedbeforethecommitteeDecember6,1906。ThenewCopyrightBillcontemplatedanauthor'scopyrightforthetermofhislifeandforfiftyyearsthereafter,applyingalsoforthebenefitofartists,musicians,andothers,buttheauthorsdidmostofthetalking。F。D。Milletmadeaspeechfortheartists,andJohnPhilipSousaforthemusicians。
  Mr。Clemenswasthelastspeakeroftheday,anditschieffeature。Hemadeaspeech,theserious,partsofwhichcreatedastrongimpression,andthehumorouspartssettheSenatorsandRepresentativesinroarsoflaughter。
  IHAVEreadthisbill。AtleastIhavereadsuchportionsasIcouldunderstand。Nobodybutapractisedlegislatorcanreadthebillandthoroughlyunderstandit,andIamnotapractisedlegislator。
  Iaminterestedparticularlyandespeciallyinthepartofthebillwhichconcernsmytrade。Ilikethatextensionofcopyrightlifetotheauthor'slifeandfiftyyearsafterward。Ithinkthatwouldsatisfyanyreasonableauthor,becauseitwouldtakecareofhischildren。Letthegrand—childrentakecareofthemselves。Thatwouldtakecareofmydaughters,andafterthatIamnotparticular。Ishallthenhavelongbeenoutofthisstruggle,independentofit,indifferenttoit。
  Itisn'tobjectionabletomethatallthetradesandprofessionsintheUnitedStatesareprotectedbythebill。Ilikethat。Theyareallimportantandworthy,andifwecantakecareofthemundertheCopyrightlawIshouldliketoseeitdone。Ishouldliketoseeoystercultureadded,andanythingelse。
  Iamawarethatcopyrightmusthavealimit,becausethatisrequiredbytheConstitutionoftheUnitedStates,whichsetsasidetheearlierConstitution,whichwecallthedecalogue。Thedecaloguesaysyoushallnottakeawayfromanymanhisprofit。Idon'tliketobeobligedtousetheharshterm。Whatthedecaloguereallysaysis,"Thoushaltnotsteal,"butIamtryingtousemorepolitelanguage。
  ThelawsofEnglandandAmericadotakeitaway,doselectbutoneclass,thepeoplewhocreatetheliteratureoftheland。Theyalwaystalkhandsomelyabouttheliteratureoftheland,alwayswhatafine,great,monumentalthingagreatliteratureis,andinthemidstoftheirenthusiasmtheyturnaroundanddowhattheycantodiscourageit。
  Iknowwemusthavealimit,butforty—twoyearsistoomuchofalimit。Iamquiteunabletoguesswhythereshouldbealimitatalltothepossessionoftheproductofaman'slabor。Thereisnolimittorealestate。
  DoctorHalehassuggestedthatamanmightjustaswell,afterdiscoveringacoal—mineandworkingitforty—twoyears,havetheGovernmentstepinandtakeitaway。
  Whatistheexcuse?Itisthattheauthorwhoproducedthatbookhashadtheprofitofitlongenough,andthereforetheGovernmenttakesaprofitwhichdoesnotbelongtoitandgenerouslygivesittothe88,000,000ofpeople。Butitdoesn'tdoanythingofthekind。Itmerelytakestheauthor'sproperty,takeshischildren'sbread,andgivesthepublisherdoubleprofit。Hegoesonpublishingthebookandasmanyofhisconfederatesaschoosetogointotheconspiracydoso,andtheyrearfamiliesinaffluence。
  Andtheycontinuetheenjoymentofthoseill—gottengainsgenerationaftergenerationforever,fortheyneverdie。InafewweeksormonthsoryearsIshallbeoutofit,Ihopeunderamonument。IhopeIshallnotbeentirelyforgotten,andIshallsubscribetothemonumentmyself。ButIshallnotbecaringwhathappensiftherearefiftyyearsleftofmycopyright。MycopyrightproducesannuallyagooddealmorethanIcanuse,butmychildrencanuseit。Icangetalong;I
  knowalotoftrades。Butthatgoestomydaughters,whocan'tgetalongaswellasIcanbecauseIhavecarefullyraisedthemasyoungladies,whodon'tknowanythingandcan'tdoanything。IhopeCongresswillextendtothemthecharitywhichtheyhavefailedtogetfromme。