首页 >出版文学> SPEECHES>第13章

第13章

  Why,ifamanwhoisnotevenmad,butonlystrenuous—strenuousaboutrace—suicide—shouldcometomeandtrytogetmetousemylargepoliticalandecclesiasticalinfluencetogetabillpassedbythisCongresslimitingfamiliestotwenty—twochildrenbyonemother,Ishouldtrytocalmhimdown。Ishouldreasonwithhim。I
  shouldsaytohim,"Leaveitalone。Leaveitaloneanditwilltakecareofitself。OnlyonecoupleayearintheUnitedStatescanreachthatlimit。Iftheyhavereachedthatlimitletthemgorighton。Letthemhaveallthelibertytheywant。Inrestrictingthatfamilytotwenty—twochildrenyouaremerelyconferringdiscomfortandunhappinessononefamilyperyearinanationof88,000,000,whichisnotworthwhile。"
  Itistheverysamewithcopyright。Oneauthorperyearproducesabookwhichcanoutlivetheforty—two—yearlimit;that'sall。Thisnationcan'tproducetwoauthorsayearthatcandoit;thethingisdemonstrablyimpossible。Allthatthelimitedcopyrightcandoistotakethebreadoutofthemouthsofthechildrenofthatoneauthorperyear。
  Imadeanestimatesomeyearsago,whenIappearedbeforeacommitteeoftheHouseofLords,thatwehadpublishedinthiscountrysincetheDeclarationofIndependence220,000books。Theyhaveallgone。Theyhadallperishedbeforetheyweretenyearsold。Itisonlyonebookin1000thatcanoutlivetheforty—two—yearlimit。
  Thereforewhyputalimitatall?Youmightaswelllimitthefamilytotwenty—twochildren。
  IfyourecalltheAmericansinthenineteenthcenturywhowrotebooksthatlivedforty—twoyearsyouwillhavetobeginwithCooper;
  youcanfollowwithWashingtonIrving,HarrietBeecherStowe,EdgarAllanPoe,andthereyouhavetowaitalongtime。YoucometoEmerson,andyouhavetostandstillandlookfurther。YoufindHowellsandT。B。Aldrich,and,thenyournumbersbegintorunprettythin,andyouquestionifyoucannametwentypersonsintheUnitedStateswhoinawholecenturyhavewrittenbooksthatwouldliveforty—twoyears。Why,youcouldtakethemallandputthemononebenchthere[pointing]。Addthewivesandchildrenandyoucouldputtheresultontwoorthreemorebenches。
  Onehundredpersons—thatisthelittle,insignificantcrowdwhosebread—and—butteristobetakenawayforwhatpurpose,forwhatprofittoanybody?Youturnthesefewbooksintothehandsofthepirateandofthelegitimatepublisher,too,andtheygettheprofitthatshouldhavegonetothewifeandchildren。
  WhenIappearedbeforethatcommitteeoftheHouseofLordsthechairmanaskedmewhatlimitIwouldpropose。Isaid,"Perpetuity。"
  Icouldseesomeresentmentinhismanner,andhesaidtheideawasillogical,forthereasonthatithaslongagobeendecidedthattherecanbenosuchthingaspropertyinideas。IsaidtherewaspropertyinideasbeforeQueenAnne'stime;theyhadperpetualcopyright。Hesaid,"Whatisabook?Abookisjustbuiltfrombasetoroofonideas,andtherecanbenopropertyinit。"
  IsaidIwishedhecouldmentionanykindofpropertyonthisplanetthathadapecuniaryvaluewhichwasnotderivedfromanideaorideas。Hesaidrealestate。Iputasupposititiouscase,adozenEnglishmenwhotravelthroughSouthAfricaandcampout,andelevenofthemseenothingatall;theyarementallyblind。Butthereisoneinthepartywhoknowswhatthisharbormeansandwhatthelayofthelandmeans。Tohimitmeansthatsomedayarailwaywillgothroughhere,andthereonthatharboragreatcitywillspringup。
  Thatishisidea。Andhehasanotheridea,whichistogoandtradehislastbottleofScotchwhiskeyandhislasthorse—blankettotheprincipalchiefofthatregionandbuyapieceoflandthesizeofPennsylvania。ThatwasthevalueofanideathatthedaywouldcomewhentheCapetoCairoRailwaywouldbebuilt。
  Everyimprovementthatisputupontherealestateistheresultofanideainsomebody'shead。Theskyscraperisanotheridea;therailroadisanother;thetelephoneandallthosethingsaremerelysymbolswhichrepresentideas。Anandiron,awash—tub,istheresultofanideathatdidnotexistbefore。
  Soif,asthatgentlemansaid,abookdoesconsistsolelyofideas,thatisthebestargumentintheworldthatitisproperty,andshouldnotbeunderanylimitationatall。Wedon'taskforthat。
  Fiftyyearsfromnowweshallaskforit。
  Ihopethebillwillpasswithoutanydeleteriousamendments。IdoseemtobeextraordinarilyinterestedinawholelotofartsandthingsthatIhavegotnothingtodowith。Itisapartofmygenerous,liberalnature;Ican'thelpit。Ifeelthesamesortofcharitytoeverybodythatwasmanifestedbyagentlemanwhoarrivedathomeattwoo'clockinthemorningfromtheclubandwasfeelingsoperfectlysatisfiedwithlife,sohappy,andsocomfortable,andtherewashishouseweaving,weaving,weavingaround。Hewatchedhischance,andbyandbywhenthestepsgotinhisneighborhoodhemadeajumpandclimbedupandgotontheportico。
  Andthehousewentonweavingandweavingandweaving,buthewatchedthedoor,andwhenitcamearoundhiswayheplungedthroughit。Hegottothestairs,andwhenhewentuponallfoursthehousewassounsteadythathecouldhardlymakehisway,butatlasthegottothetopandraisedhisfootandputitonthetopstep。Butonlythetoehitchedonthestep,andherolleddownandfetcheduponthebottomstep,withhisarmaroundthenewel—post,andhesaid:"Godpitythepoorsailorsoutatseaonanightlikethis。"
  INAIDOFTHEBLIND。
  ADDRESSATAPUBLICMEETINGOFTHENEWYORK
  ASSOCIATIONFORPROMOTINGTHEINTERESTS
  OFTHEBLINDATTHEWALDORF—ASTORIA,MARCH29,1906。
  IFYoudetectanyawkwardnessinmymovementsandinfelicitiesinmyconductIwilloffertheexplanationthatIneverpresidedatameetingofanykindbeforeinmylife,andthatIdofinditoutofmyline。IsupposedIcoulddoanythinganybodyelsecould,butI
  recognizethatexperiencehelps,andIdofeelthelackofthatexperience。Idon'tfeelasgracefulandeasyasIoughttobein—ordertoimpressanaudience。IshallnotpretendthatIknowhowtoumpireameetinglikethis,andIshalljusttakethehumbleplaceoftheEssexband。
  TherewasagreatgatheringinasmallNewEnglandtownabouttwenty—fiveyearsago。Irememberthatcircumstancebecausetherewassomethingthathappenedatthattime。Itwasagreatoccasion。
  Theygatheredinthemilitiaandoratorsandeverybodyfromallthetownsaround。Itwasanextraordinaryoccasion。
  Thelittlelocalpaperthrewitselfintoecstasiesofadmirationandtriedtodoitselfproudfrombeginningtoend。Itpraisedtheorators,themilitia,andallthebandsthatcamefromeverywhere,andallthisinhonestcountrynewspaperdetail,butthewriterranoutofadjectivestowardtheend。Havingexhaustedhiswholemagazineofpraiseandglorification,hefoundhestillhadonebandleftover。Hehadtosaysomethingaboutit,andhesaid:"TheEssexbanddonethebestitcould。"
  IamanEssexbandonthisoccasion,andIamgoingtogetthroughaswellasinexperienceandgoodintentionswillenableme。Ihavegotallthedocumentsherenecessarytoinstructyouintheobjectsandintentionsofthismeetingandalsooftheassociationwhichhascalledthemeeting。Buttheyaretoovoluminous。Icouldnotpackthosestatisticsintomyhead,andIhadtogiveitup。Ishallhavetojustreduceallthatmassofstatisticstoafewsalientfacts。
  Therearetoomanystatisticsandfiguresforme。Inevercoulddoanythingwithfigures,neverhadanytalentformathematics,neveraccomplishedanythinginmyeffortsatthatruggedstudy,andto—daytheonlymathematicsIknowismultiplication,andtheminuteIgetawayupinthat,assoonasIreachninetimesseven—
  [Mr。Clemenslapsedintodeepthoughtforamoment。Hewastryingtofigureoutninetimesseven,butitwasahopelesstask,andheturnedtoSt。ClairMcKelway,whosatnearhim。Mr。McKelwaywhisperedtheanswer,andthespeakerresumed:]
  I'vegotitnow。It'seighty—four。Well,Icangetthatfarallrightwithalittlehesitation。AfterthatIamuncertain,andIcan'tmanageastatistic。
  "Thisassociationforthe"—
  [Mr。Clemenswasinanotherdilemma。AgainhewasobligedtoturntoMr。McKelway。]
  Ohyes,forpromotingtheinterestsoftheblind。It'salongname。IfIcouldIwouldwriteitoutforyouandletyoutakeithomeandstudyit,butIdon'tknowhowtospellit。AndMr。CarnegieisdowninVirginiasomewhere。Well,anyway,theobjectofthatassociationwhichhasbeenrecentlyorganized,fivemonthsago,infact,isinthehandsofvery,veryenergetic,intelligent,andcapablepeople,andtheywillpushittosuccessverysurely,andallthemoresurelyifyouwillgivethemalittleofyourassistanceoutofyourpockets。
  Theintention,thepurpose,istosearchoutalltheblindandfindworkforthemtodosothattheymayearntheirownbread。Nowitisdismalenoughtobeblind—itisdreary,drearylifeatbest,butitcanbelargelyamelioratedbyfindingsomethingforthesepoorblindpeopletodowiththeirhands。Thetimepassessoheavilythatitisneverdayornightwiththem,itisalwaysnight,andwhentheyhavetositwithfoldedhandsandwithnothingtodotoamuseorentertainoremploytheirminds,itisdrearieranddrearier。
  Andthentheknowledgetheyhavethattheymustsubsistoncharity,andsooftenreluctantcharity,itwouldrenewtheirlivesiftheycouldhavesomethingtodowiththeirhandsandpasstheirtimeandatthesametimeearntheirbread,andknowthesweetnessofthebreadwhichistheresultofthelaborofone'sownhands。Theyneedthatcheerandpleasure。Itistheonlywayyoucanturntheirnightintoday,togivethemhappyhearts,theonlythingyoucanputintheplaceoftheblessedsun。ThatyoucandointhewayIspeakof。
  Blindpeoplegenerallywhohaveseenthelightknowwhatitistomissthelight。Thosewhohavegoneblindsincetheyweretwentyyearsold—theirlivesareunendinglydreary。Buttheycanbetaughttousetheirhandsandtoemploythemselvesatagreatmanyindustries。
  ThatassociationfromwhichthisdrawsitsbirthinCambridge,Massachusetts,hastaughtitsblindtomakemanythings。Theymakethembetterthanmostpeople,andmorehonestthanpeoplewhohavetheuseoftheireyes。Thegoodstheymakearereadilysalable。Peoplelikethem。Andsotheyaresupportingthemselves,anditisamatterofcheer,cheer。Theypasstheirtimenownottooirksomelyastheyformerlydid。
  Whatthisassociationneedsandwantsis$15,000。Thefiguresaresetdown,andwhatthemoneyisfor,andthereisnograftinitorIwouldnotbehere。Andtheyhopetobeguilethatoutofyourpockets,andyouwillfindaffixedtotheprogrammeanopportunity,thatlittleblankwhichyouwillfilloutandpromisesomuchmoneynoworto—morroworsometime。Then,thereisanotheropportunitywhichisstillbetter,andthatisthatyoushallsubscribeanannualsum。
  Ihaveinventedagoodmanyusefulthingsinmytime,butneveranythingbetterthanthatofgettingmoneyoutofpeoplewhodon'twanttopartwithit。Itisalwaysforgoodobjects,ofcourse。Thisistheplan:Whenyoucalluponapersontocontributetoagreatandgoodobject,andyouthinkheshouldfurnishabout$1000,hedisappointsyouaslikeasnot。Muchthebestwaytoworkhimtosupplythatthousanddollarsistosplititintopartsandcontribute,sayahundreddollarsayear,orfifty,orwhateverthesummaybe。
  Lethimcontributetenortwentyayear。Hedoesn'tfeelthat,buthedoesfeelitwhenyoucalluponhimtocontributealargeamount。
  Whenyougetusedtoityouwouldrathercontributethanborrowmoney。
  ItrieditinHelenKeller'scase。Mr。Huttonwrotemein1896or1897whenIwasinLondonandsaid:"ThegentlemanwhohasbeensoliberalintakingcareofHelenKellerhasdiedwithoutmakingprovisionforherinhiswill,andnowtheydon'tknowwhattodo。"
  Theywereproposingtoraiseafund,andhethought$50,000enoughtofurnishanincomeof$2400or$2500ayearforthesupportofthatwonderfulgirlandherwonderfulteacher,MissSullivan,nowMrs。
  Macy。IwrotetoMr。Huttonandsaid:"Goon,getupyourfund。Itwillbeslow,butifyouwantquickwork,Iproposethissystem,"
  thesystemIspeakof,ofaskingpeopletocontributesuchandsuchasumfromyeartoyearanddropoutwhenevertheyplease,andhewouldfindtherewouldn'tbeanydifficulty,peoplewouldn'tfeeltheburdenofit。Andhewrotebacksayinghehadraisedthe$2400ayearindefinitelybythatsysteminasingleafternoon。Wewouldliketodosomethingjustlikethatto—night。Wewilltakeasmanychecksasyoucaretogive。Youcanleaveyourdonationsinthebigroomoutside。
  Iknewoncewhatitwastobeblind。Ishallneverforgetthatexperience。Ihavebeenasblindasanybodyeverwasforthreeorfourhours,andthesufferingsthatIenduredandthemishapsandtheaccidentsthatareburninginmymemorymakemysympathyrisewhenI
  feelfortheblindandalwaysshallfeel。IoncewenttoHeidelbergonanexcursion。Itookaclergymanalongwithme,theRev。JosephTwichell,ofHartford,whoisstillamongthelivingdespitethatfact。IalwaystravelwithclergymenwhenIcan。Itisbetterforthem,itisbetterforme。Andanypreacherwhogoesoutwithmeinstormyweatherandwithoutalightningrodisagoodone。TheReverendTwichellisoneofthosepeoplefilledwithpatienceandendurance,twogoodingredientsforamantravellingwithme,sowegotalongverywelltogether。Inthatoldtowntheyhavenotalteredahousenorbuiltonein1500years。WewenttotheinnandtheyplacedTwichellandmeinamostcolossalbedroom,thelargestIeversaworheardof。
  Itwasasbigasthisroom。
  Ididn'ttakemuchnoticeoftheplace。Ididn'treallygetmybearings。InoticedTwichellgotaGermanbedabouttwofeetwide,thekindinwhichyou'vegottolieonyouredge,becausethereisn'troomtolieonyourback,andhewaswaydownsouthinthatbigroom,andI
  waswayupnorthattheotherendofit,witharegularSaharainbetween。
  Wewenttobed。Twichellwenttosleep,butthenhehadhisconscienceloadedanditwaseasyforhimtogettosleep。I
  couldn'tgettosleep。Itwasoneofthosetorturingkindsoflovelysummernightswhenyouhearvariouskindsofnoisesnowandthen。A
  mouseawayoffinthesouthwest。Youthrowthingsatthemouse。Thatencouragesthemouse。ButIcouldn'tstandit,andabouttwoo'clockI
  gotupandthoughtIwouldgiveitupandgooutinthesquarewheretherewasoneofthosetinklingfountains,andsitonitsbrinkanddream,fullofromance。
  Igotoutofbed,andIoughttohavelitacandle,butIdidn'tthinkofituntilitwastoolate。Itwasthedarkestplacethateverwas。Therehasneverbeendarknessanythickerthanthat。Itjustlayincakes。
  IthoughtthatbeforedressingIwouldaccumulatemyclothes。I
  pawedaroundinthedarkandfoundeverythingpackedtogetheronthefloorexceptonesock。Icouldn'tgetonthetrackofthatsock。Itmighthaveoccurredtomethatmaybeitwasinthewash。ButI
  didn'tthinkofthat。Iwentexcursioningonmyhandsandknees。
  PresentlyIthought,"Iamnevergoingtofindit;I'llgobacktobedagain。"ThatiswhatItriedtododuringthenextthreehours。I
  hadlostthebearingsofthatbed。Iwasgoinginthewrongdirectionallthetime。By—and—byIcameincollisionwithachairandthatencouragedme。
  Itseemedtome,asfarasIcouldrecollect,therewasonlyachairhereandthereandyonder,fiveorsixofthemscatteredoverthisterritory,andIthoughtmaybeafterIfoundthatchairImightfindthenextone。Well,Idid。AndIfoundanotherandanotherandanother。Ikeptgoingaroundonmyhandsandknees,havingthosesuddencollisions,andfinallywhenIbangedintoanotherchairI
  almostlostmytemper。AndIraisedup,garbedasIwas,notforpublicexhibition,rightinfrontofamirrorfifteenorsixteenfeethigh。
  Ihadn'tnoticedthemirror;didn'tknowitwasthere。AndwhenI
  sawmyselfinthemirrorIwasfrightenedoutofmywits。Idon'tallowanyghoststobiteme,andItookupachairandsmashedatit。Amillionpieces。ThenIreflected。That'sthewayIalwaysdo,andit'sunprofitableunlessamanhashadmuchexperiencethatwayandhasclearjudgment。AndIhadjudgment,andIwouldhavehadtopayforthatmirrorifIhadn'trecollectedtosayitwasTwichellwhobrokeit。
  ThenIgotdownonmyhandsandkneesandwentonanotherexploringexpedition。
  AsfarasIcouldrememberthereweresixchairsinthatOklahoma,andonetable,agreatbigheavytable,notagoodtabletohitwithyourheadwhenrushingmadlyalong。InthecourseoftimeIcollidedwiththirty—fivechairsandtablesenoughtostockthatdining—roomoutthere。Itwasahospitalfordecayedfurniture,anditwasinaworseconditionwhenIgotthroughwithit。Iwentonandon,andatlastgottoaplacewhereIcouldfeelmywayup,andtherewasashelf。Iknewthatwasn'tinthemiddleoftheroom。UptothattimeI
  wasafraidIhadgottenoutofthecity。
  Iwasverycarefulandpawedalongthatshelf,andtherewasapitcherofwateraboutafoothigh,anditwasattheheadofTwichell'sbed,butIdidn'tknowit。IfeltthatpitchergoingandIgrabbedatit,butitdidn'thelpanyandcamerightdowninTwichell'sfaceandnearlydrownedhim。Butitwokehimup。Iwasgratefultohavecompanyonanyterms。Helitamatch,andthereI
  was,waydownsouthwhenIoughttohavebeenbackupyonder。Mybedwasoutofsightitwassofaraway。Youneededatelescopetofindit。TwichellcomfortedmeandIscrubbedhimoffandwegotsociable。
  Butthatnightwasn'twasted。Ihadmypedometeronmyleg。TwichellandIwereinapedometermatch。TwichellhadlongerlegsthanI。
  TheonlywayIcouldkeepupwastowearmypedometertobed。Ialwayswalkinmysleep,andonthisoccasionIgainedsixteenmilesonhim。Afterall,Ineverfoundthatsock。Ineverhaveseenitfromthatdaytothis。Butthatadventuretaughtmewhatitistobeblind。
  Thatwasoneofthemostseriousoccasionsofmywholelife,yetI
  nevercanspeakofitwithoutsomebodythinkingitisn'tserious。
  YoutryitandseehowseriousitistobeastheblindareandI
  wasthatnight。
  [Mr。Clemensreadseverallettersofregret。HethenintroducedJosephH。Choate,saying:]
  ItisnowmyprivilegetopresenttoyouMr。Choate。Idon'thavetoreallyintroducehim。Idon'thavetopraisehim,ortoflatterhim。I
  couldsaytrulythatintheforty—sevenyearsIhavebeenfamiliarlyacquaintedwithhimhehasalwaysbeenthehandsomestmanAmericahaseverproduced。AndIhopeandbelievehewillholdthebeltforty—fiveyearsmore。Hehasservedhiscountryably,faithfully,andbrilliantly。Hestandsatthesummit,attheverytopintheesteemandregardofhiscountrymen,andifIcouldsayonewordwhichwouldlifthimanyhigherinhiscountrymen'sesteemandaffection,Iwouldsaythatwordwhetheritwastrueornot。
  DR。MARKTWAIN,FARMEOPATH。
  ADDRESSATTHEANNUALDINNEROFTHENEWYORKPOST—GRADUATE
  MEDICALSCHOOLANDHOSPITAL,JANUARY21,1909。
  Thepresident,Dr。GeorgeN。Miller,inintroducingMr。Clemens,referredtohislateexperiencewithburglars。
  GENTLEMENANDDOCTORS,—Iamgladtobeamongmyownkindto—night。Iwasonceasharpshooter,butnowIpractiseamuchhigherandequallyasdeadlyaprofession。Itwasn'tsoverylongagothatIbecameamemberofyourcult,andforthetimeI'vebeeninthebusinessmyrecordisonethatcan'tbescoffedat。
  Astotheburglars,Iamperfectlyfamiliarwiththesepeople。I
  havealwayshadagooddealtodowithburglars—notofficially,butthroughtheirattentionstome。Ineversufferedanythingatthehandsofaburglar。Theyhaveinvadedmyhousetimeandtimeagain。Theynevergotanything。ThenthosepeoplewhoburglarizedourhouseinSeptember—wegotbacktheplatedwaretheytookoff,wejailedthem,andIhavebeensorryeversince。Theydidusagreatservice—
  theyscaredoffalltheservantsintheplace。
  IconsidertheChildren'sTheatre,ofwhichIampresident,andthePost—GraduateMedicalSchoolasthetwogreatestinstitutionsinthecountry。Thisschool,inbringingitstwentythousandphysiciansfromallpartsofthecountry,bringingthemuptodate,andsendingthembackwithrenewedconfidence,hassurelysavedhundredsofthousandsofliveswhichotherwisewouldhavebeenlost。
  Ihavebeenpractisingnowforsevenmonths。WhenIsettledonmyfarminConnecticutinJuneIfoundthecommunityverythinlysettled—
  andsinceIhavebeenengagedinpracticeithasbecomemorethinlysettledstill。Thisgratifiesme,asindicatingthatIammakinganimpressiononmycommunity。Isupposeitisthesamewithallofyou。
  IhavealwaysfeltthatIoughttodosomethingforyou,andsoI
  organizedaRedding(Connecticut)branchofthePost—GraduateSchool。Iamonlyacountryfarmerupthere,butIamdoingthebestI
  can。
  Ofcourse,thepracticeofmedicineandsurgeryinaremotecountrydistricthasitsdisadvantages,butinmycaseIamhappyinadivisionofresponsibility。Ipractiseinconjunctionwithahorse—doctor,asexton,andanundertaker。Thecombinationisair—tight,andonceamanisstrickeninourdistrictescapeisimpossibleforhim。
  Thesefourofus—threeintheregularprofessionandthefourthanundertaker—areallgoodmen。ThereisBillFerguson,theReddingundertaker。Billisthereineveryrespect。Heisalittlelukewarmongeneralpractice,andwriteshisnamewitharubberstamp。LikemyoldSouthernfriend,heisoneofthefinestplantersanywhere。
  ThenthereisJimRuggles,thehorse—doctor。RugglesisoneofthebestmenIhavegot。Healsoisnotmuchongeneralmedicine,butheisafinehorse—doctor。Fergusondoesn'tmakeanymoneyoffhim。
  Yousee,thecombinationstartedthisway。WhenIgotuptoReddingandhadbecomeadoctor,Ilookedaroundtoseewhatmychanceswereforaidinginthegreatwork。ThefirstthingIdidwastodeterminewhatmannerofdoctorIwastobe。BeingaConnecticutfarmer,Inaturallyconsultedmyfarmacopia,andatoncedecidedtobecomeafarmeopath。
  ThenIgotcirculatingabout,andgotintouchwithFergusonandRuggles。Fergusonjoinedreadilyinmyideas,butRuggleskeptsayingthat,whileitwasallrightforanundertakertogetaboard,hecouldn'tseewhereithelpedhorses。
  Well,westartedtofindoutwhatwasthetroublewiththecommunity,anditdidn'ttakelongtofindoutthattherewasjustonedisease,andthatwasrace—suicide。Anddrivingaboutthecountry—sideIwastoldbymyfellow—farmersthatitwastheonlyrationalhumanandvaluabledisease。Butitiscuttingintoourprofitssothatwe'lleitherhavetostopitorwe'llhavetomove。
  We'vehadsomefunnyexperiencesupthereinRedding。Notlongagoafellowcamealongwitharollinggaitandadistressedface。Weaskedhimwhatwasthematter。Wealwaysholdconsultationsoneverycase,asthereisn'tbusinessenoughforfour。Hesaidhedidn'tknow,butthathewasasailor,andperhapsthatmighthelpustogiveadiagnosis。Wetreatedhimforthat,andIneversawamandiemorepeacefully。
  ThatsameafternoonmydogTigetreedanAfricangentleman。Wechainedupthedog,andthenthegentlemancamedownandsaidhehadappendicitis。Weaskedhimifhewantedtobecutopen,andhesaidyes,thathe'dliketoknowiftherewasanythinginit。Sowecuthimopenandfoundnothinginhimbutdarkness。Sowediagnosedhiscaseasinfidelity,becausehewasdarkinside。Tigeisaverycleverdog,andaidsusgreatly。
  TheotherdayapatientcametomeandinquiredifIwasoldDoctorClemens—
  AsapractitionerIhavegivenagreatdealofmyattentiontoBright'sdisease。Ihavemadesomerulesfortreatingitthatmaybevaluable。Listen:
  Rule1。Whenapproachingthebedsideofonewhomanall—wisePresident—Imeananall—wiseProvidence—well,anyway,it'sthesamething—hasseenfittoafflictwithdisease—well,theruleissimple,evenifitisold—fashioned。
  Rule2。I'veforgottenjustwhatitis,but—
  Rule3。Thisisalwaysindispensable:Bleedyourpatient。
  MISSOURIUNIVERSITYSPEECH。
  ADDRESSDELIVEREDJUNE4,1902,ATCOLUMBIA,MO。
  WhenthenameofSamuelL。Clemenswascalledthehumoriststeppedforward,puthishandtohishair,andapparentlyhesitated。Therewasadeadsilenceforamoment。Suddenlytheentireaudienceroseandstoodinsilence。SomeonebegantospelloutthewordMissouriwithanintervalbetweentheletters。Alljoinedin。Thenthehouseagainbecamesilent。Mr。Clemensbrokethespell:
  ASyouareallstanding[hedrawledinhischaracteristicvoice],Iguess,IsupposeIhadbetterstandtoo。
  [Thencamealaughandloudcriesforaspeech。AsthegreathumoristspokeofhisrecentvisittoHannibal,hisoldhome,hisvoicetrembled。]
  Youcannotknowwhatastrainitwasonmyemotions[hesaid]。Infact,whenIfoundmyselfshakinghandswithpersonsIhadnotseenforfiftyyearsandlookingintowrinkledfacesthatweresoyoungandjoyouswhenIlastsawthem,IexperiencedemotionsthatIhadneverexpected,anddidnotknowwereinme。Iwasprofoundlymovedandsaddenedtothinkthatthiswasthelasttime,perhaps,thatIwouldeverbeholdthosekindoldfacesanddearoldscenesofchildhood。
  [Thehumoristthenchangedtoalightermood,andforatimetheaudiencewasinacontinualroaroflaughter。HewasparticularlyamusedattheeulogyonhimselfreadbyGardinerLathropinconferringthedegree。]Hehasafineopportunitytodistinguishhimself[saidMr。Clemens]bytellingthetruthaboutme。
  IhaveseenitstatedinprintthatasaboyIhadbeenguiltyofstealingpeaches,apples,andwatermelons。Ireadastorytothiseffectverycloselynotlongago,andIwasconvincedofonething,whichwasthatthemanwhowroteitwasoftheopinionthatitwaswrongtosteal,andthatIhadnotactedrightindoingso。Iwishnow,however,tomakeanhoneststatement,whichisthatIdonotbelieve,inallmycheckeredcareer,Istoleatonofpeaches。
  OnenightIstole—ImeanIremoved—awatermelonfromawagonwhiletheownerwasattendingtoanothercustomer。Icrawledofftoasecludedspot,whereIfoundthatitwasgreen。ItwasthegreenestmelonintheMississippiValley。ThenIbegantoreflect。Ibegantobesorry。IwonderedwhatGeorgeWashingtonwouldhavedonehadhebeeninmyplace。Ithoughtalongtime,andthensuddenlyfeltthatstrangefeelingwhichcomestoamanwithagoodresolution,andtookupthatwatermelonandtookitbacktoitsowner。Ihandedhimthewatermelonandtoldhimtoreform。Hetookmylecturemuchtoheart,and,whenhegavemeagoodoneinplaceofthegreenmelon,Iforgavehim。
  ItoldhimthatIwouldstillbeacustomerofhis,andthatI
  cherishednoill—feelingbecauseoftheincident—thatwouldremaingreeninmymemory。
  BUSINESS
  BUSINESS。
  ThealumniofEastmanCollegegavetheirannualbanquet,March30,1901,attheY。M。C。A。Building。Mr。JamesG。Cannon,oftheFourthNationalBank,madethefirstspeechoftheevening,afterwhichMr。ClemenswasintroducedbyMr。BaileyasthepersonalfriendofTomSawyer,whowasoneofthetypesofsuccessfulbusinessmen。
  MR。CANNONhasfurnishedmewithtextsenoughtolastasslowaspeakerasmyselfalltherestofthenight。ItookexceptiontotheintroducingofMr。Cannonasagreatfinancier,asifheweretheonlygreatfinancierpresent。Iamafinancier。ButmymethodsarenotthesameasMr。Cannon's。
  IcannotsaythatIhaveturnedoutthegreatbusinessmanthatI
  thoughtIwaswhenIbeganlife。ButIamcomparativelyyoungyet,andmaylearn。IamratherinclinedtobelievethatwhattroubledmewasthatIgotthebig—headearlyinthegame。IwanttoexplaintoyouafewpointsofdifferencebetweentheprinciplesofbusinessasIseethemandthosethatMr。Cannonbelievesin。
  Hesaysthattheprimaryruleofbusinesssuccessisloyaltytoyouremployer。That'sallright—asatheory。Whatisthematterwithloyaltytoyourself?AsnearlyasIcanunderstandMr。Cannon'smethods,thereisonegreatdrawbacktothem。Hewantsyoutoworkagreatdeal。Diligenceisagoodthing,buttakingthingseasyismuchmore—restful。Myideaisthattheemployershouldbethebusyman,andtheemployeetheidleone。Theemployershouldbetheworriedman,andtheemployeethehappyone。Andwhynot?Hegetsthesalary。Myplanistogetanothermantodotheworkforme。Inthatthere'smorerepose。WhatIwantisreposefirst,last,andallthetime。
  Mr。Cannonsaysthattherearethreecardinalrulesofbusinesssuccess;theyarediligence,honesty,andtruthfulness。Well,diligenceisallright。Letitgoasatheory。Honestyisthebestpolicy—whenthereismoneyinit。Buttruthfulnessisoneofthemostdangerous—why,thismanismisleadingyou。
  Ihadanexperienceto—daywithmywifewhichillustratesthis。I
  wasacknowledgingabelatedinvitationtoanotherdinnerforthisevening,whichseemedtohavebeensentabouttendaysago。Itonlyreachedmethismorning。IwasmortifiedatthediscourtesyintowhichIhadbeenbroughtbythisdelay,andwonderedwhatwasbeingthoughtofmebymyhosts。AsIhadacceptedyourinvitation,ofcourseIhadtosendregretstomyotherfriends。