THE MARK TWAIN CENTENARY

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21646, 3 December 1935, Page 11

THE MARK TWAIN CENTENARY

GREAT AMERICAN HUMORIST

GENIUS PRAISED IN BRITISH PRESS (BBXTISB OTFICUIi WIBEUES3J (Received December 2, 7.5 p.m.) ' RUGBY, November 30. The centenary of the birth of the great American ' humorist, Mark ■ Twain, is the subject of wide com-! ment in the-press. j Most of the newspapers publish' special articles or pay tributes editorially to the genius and character of the creator of Huckleberry Finn.

BAN ON HUCKLEBERRY FINN

"BAD EXAMPLES FOR

YOUTH"

HUMORIST'S COMMENT ON LIBRARIAN'S ACTION

NEW YORK, November 5. Two hitherto unpublished letters by I Mark Twain which echo a national controversy waged 30, years ago over Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn have been made public by Professor Asa Don Dickinson, head librarian at Brooklyn College. Mark Twain's letters were sent to Professor Dickinson in response to the librarian's appeal for the author to defend his two beloved characters from the onslaughts of an official of the Brooklyn Public Library, who declared that the two characters were "bad examples for ingenuous youth." ; • The controversy began in 1905 when a young woman, superintendent of the children's department, insisted that Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer be removed from the children's room because of their "coarseness, deceitfulness, and mischievous practices." Professor Dickinson strongly disagreed and- sent a letter to Twain acquainting him of the librarian's action.

Mark Twain's Defence The creator of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn immediately sent back this reply: Dear Sir: I am'greatly troubled by what you say. I wrote Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn for adults exclusively, & it always distressed me when I find that boys and girls have been allowed access to them. The mind that becomes soiled;in youth can never again be washed clean. I know this by my own experience, & to this day I cherish an unappeased bitterness against the unfaithful guardians of my young life, who not only permitted but compelled me to read an unexpurgated Bible through before I was 15 years old. None can do that and ever draw a clean sweet breath again on this side of the grave. Ask that young lady—she will tell you so. Most honestly do I wish I could say a softening word or two in defence of Huck's character, since you wish it, but really in my opinion it is no better than God's (in the Ahab & 97 others), & those of Solomon, & Satan, & the rest of the sacred brotherhood. If there, is an Unexpurgated in the Children's Department, won't you please help that young woman remove Tom and Huck from that questionable companionship? Sincerely yours, S. L. CLEMENS. I shall not show your letter to anyone—it is safe with me. Reporters »n the Trail When read to the young librarian the letter caused a bitter discussion, but the librarians decided to drop the affair. The books, however, were removed from the children's shelves, but placed on shelves accessible to both children and adults. But after several months one of those present at the meeting inadvertently mentioned the letter in the company flLi.ii ®?u oTte \ and the news was flashed _ throughout the newspaper offices that the Brooklyn Library had banned the two child heroes from the u - ves 'm. Rum °urs also spread of a choice Twain letter. Newspaper men eagerly sought out both Dr. Dickinson and Twain, but their efforts we« unrewarded for the two men maintained a complete silence. The newspaper men persisted, and Twain sent another follows*— llbrana n- The letter

21 Fifth avenue, •!-.■»„«. March 26, 'O6. Dear Mr Dickinson,— Be wise as a serpent and wary as « M e l newspaper boys want l a i le^~ don ' t let tt»em get hold 5? "• A The y sa y you refuse to allow them to see it*without my consent Keep on refusing, and I'll take care of this end of the line. Was the January meeting held? You did not tell me. Sincerely yours, S. L. CLEMENS.

! Newspapers Assail Prudery Newspapers throughout the nation rallied to the support of the two Twain children, and the "literary prudery" of Brooklyn was assailed in editorials and newspaper articles. The entire incident was dropped after several months and not mentioned again until 1924, when Albert Bigelow Paine published excerpts from the letters in his history of Twain. In this work, Paine also quoted Twain's remarks on similar incidents in- Concord, after Huckleberry Finn had first made his appearance. Twain said that When Huck appeared, the public library of Concord flung him out indignantly, partly because he was a liar and partly because after deep meditation and careful deliberation' he decided that if he'd got to betray Jim or go to hell, he would rather go to hell—which was profanity, and those Concord purists,couldn't stand it."