MR. W. D. HOWELLS AND MARK TWAIN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1019, 7 January 1911, Page 9

MR. W. D. HOWELLS AND MARK TWAIN.

The "Atlantic; Monthly" was tho means of-bVinging Mr.'W: <D. Howells and tho late' Samuel' Clemens' together. Mr. Howell's wrote a review of "The Innocents"—we havo it here—and tho author expressed his satisfaction with it. This acquaintance developed into" am intimate. friendship, interrupted by .long absences of "Samuel Clomons, but/not harmed even by serious differences of temperament and opinion. We. mayhave done with-these at once. Clemens had a Kabelaisian freedom of expression which was not to his friend's liking; and in his latter days at least ho was wholly unbelieving. It is sad to know this; but when the unfailing sympathy, the Jargo kindness,'and tho generosity of tho maji aro witnessed for by testimony so conclusive, ivo may ho content ; to .forget. His charity was, it is true, a, matter of impulse, but the impulse never failed or weakened. Ho did not troublo; hiihsolf with plans for remedying social wrongs; in later days ho developed a queer misanthropic temper which relieved itself, by. tho phrase "damned human race." But ho spared neither money nor personal help; witness the half : comic story of tho woman bent on suicide. Tho history of his literary ventures js curious. Writing books mado him / wealthy, publishing them mado liini 'poor. This is not ■usual, but Samuel Clemens had exceptional gifts for both making- and losing money. One great publishing loss was a "Life of Leo. XIII"; he reckoned that overy good R-oman Catholic would buy it. -Ho-reckoned also, that every' patriotic American would buy a bust of Grant. Ho mado preparations accordingly; put the sales never came off. The business failed; but all the debts were-paid.' Nothing could permanently depress'a;genius in which American humour found so-.complete an expression. Perhaps the greatest success of his pen will bo posthumous, an autobiogranhv, if, indeed; this exists in any available shape. -: Of this Mr. Howells' can say riothinji; he. knows that Clemens dictated the matter for several hours day by day.' It is interesting to hear that

ho began by liking England vor.v much, tlmt xiis aifection cooled, and was rn.vived when Oxford gavo liim a D.C.L. Ono curious story wo.must mention. In this wo hear how Clemens, who was a supremely good after-dinner speaker, lhado a lamentablo failure on ono occasion when ho conceived tho idea of t-oll-iug how three tramps personated Emerson, Longfellow, find 0. AY. Holmes in ,-a -Western mining camp. Tho three men were present, tho company felt it to be a profanity, and tho speech was nioro than a failure. Tho dato given, is 1879, and Mr.. Hovclls says that "hero tho almanac is unimportant." But the'ro is: tho same idea in "Tho Golden Butterfly.;" which was published in 1876.