SPEECHES

第5章

Sheraisedaboythatcouldnottellalie—couldnottellalie!

Butheneverhadanychance。ItmighthavebeendifferentifhehadbelongedtotheWashingtonNewspaperCorrespondents\'Club。

Irepeat,sir,thatinwhateverpositionyouplaceawomansheisanornamenttosocietyandatreasuretotheworld。Asasweetheart,shehasfewequalsandnosuperiors;asacousin,sheisconvenient;

asawealthygrandmotherwithanincurabledistemper,sheisprecious;

asawet—nurse,shehasnoequalamongmen。

What,sir,wouldthepeopleoftheearthbewithoutwoman?Theywouldbescarce,sir,almightyscarce。Thenletuscherishher;letusprotecther;letusgiveheroursupport,ourencouragement,oursympathy,ourselves—ifwegetachance。

But,jestingaside,Mr。President,womanislovable,gracious,kindofheart,beautiful—worthyofallrespect,ofallesteem,ofalldeference。Notanyherewillrefusetodrinkherhealthrightcordiallyinthisbumperofwine,foreachandeveryonehaspersonallyknown,andloved,andhonoredtheverybestoneofthemall—hisownmother。

ADVICETOGIRLS。

In1907ayounggirlwhomMr。ClemensmetonthesteamerMinnehahacalledhim"grandpa,"andhecalledherhisgranddaughter。ShewasattendingSt。Timothy\'sSchool,atCatonsville,Maryland,andMr。

Clemenspromisedhertoseehergraduate。HeaccordinglymadethejourneyfromNewYorkonJune10,1909,anddeliveredashortaddress。

IDON\'Tknowwhattotellyougirlstodo。Mr。Martinhastoldyoueverythingyououghttodo,andnowImustgiveyousomedon\'ts。

TherearethreethingswhichcometomymindwhichIconsiderexcellentadvice:

First,girls,don\'tsmoke—thatis,don\'tsmoketoexcess。Iamseventy—threeandahalfyearsold,andhavebeensmokingseventy—threeofthem。ButIneversmoketoexcess—thatis,Ismokeinmoderation,onlyonecigaratatime。

Second,don\'tdrink—thatis,don\'tdrinktoexcess。

Third,don\'tmarry—Imean,toexcess。

Honestyisthebestpolicy。Thatisanoldproverb;butyoudon\'twantevertoforgetitinyourjourneythroughlife。

TAXESANDMORALS。

ADDRESSDELIVEREDINNEWYORK,JANUARY22,1906。

Atthetwenty—fifthanniversaryofthefoundingofTuskeegeeInstitutebyBookerT。Washington,Mr。Choatepresided,andinintroducingMr。Clemensmadefunofhimbecausehemadeplayhiswork,andthatwhenheworkedhardesthedidsolyinginbed。

ICAMEhereintheresponsiblecapacityofpolicemantowatchMr。

Choate。Thisisanoccasionofgraveandseriousimportance,anditseemsnecessaryformetobepresent,sothatifhetriedtoworkoffanystatementthatrequiredcorrection,reduction,refutation,orexposure,therewouldbeatriedfriendofthepublictoprotectthehouse。Hehasnotmadeonestatementwhoseveracityfailstotallyexactlywithmyownstandard。Ihaveneverseenapersonimproveso。

Thismakesmethankfulandproudofacountrythatcanproducesuchmen—twosuchmen。Andallinthesamecountry。Wecan\'tbewithyoualways;wearepassingaway,andthen—well,everythingwillhavetostop,Ireckon。Itisasadthought。ButinspiritIshallstillbewithyou。Choate,too—ifhecan。

EverybornAmericanamongtheeightymillions,lethiscreedordestitutionofcreedbewhatitmay,isindisputablyaChristiantothisdegree—thathismoralconstitutionisChristian。

TherearetwokindsofChristianmorals,oneprivateandtheotherpublic。Thesetwoaresodistinct,sounrelated,thattheyarenomoreakintoeachotherthanarearchangelsandpoliticians。Duringthreehundredandsixty—threedaysintheyeartheAmericancitizenistruetohisChristianprivatemorals,andkeepsundefiledthenation\'scharacteratitsbestandhighest;thenintheothertwodaysoftheyearheleaveshisChristianprivatemoralsathomeandcarrieshisChristianpublicmoralstothetaxofficeandthepolls,anddoesthebesthecantodamageandundohiswholeyear\'sfaithfulandrighteouswork。Withoutablushhewillvoteforanuncleanbossifthatbossishisparty\'sMoses,withoutcompunctionhewillvoteagainstthebestmaninthewholelandifheisontheotherticket。

EveryyearinanumberofcitiesandStateshehelpsputcorruptmeninoffice,whereasifhewouldbutthrowawayhisChristianpublicmorals,andcarryhisChristianprivatemoralstothepolls,hecouldpromptlypurifythepublicserviceandmakethepossessionofofficeahighandhonorabledistinction。

OnceayearhelaysasidehisChristianprivatemoralsandhiresaferry—boatandpilesuphisbondsinawarehouseinNewJerseyforthreedays,andgetsouthisChristianpublicmoralsandgoestothetaxofficeandholdsuphishandsandswearshewisheshemaynever—

neverifhe\'sgotacentintheworld,sohelphim。Thenextdaythelistappearsinthepapers—acolumnandaquarterofnames,infineprint,andeverymaninthelistabillionaireandmemberofacoupleofchurches。Iknowallthosepeople。Ihavefriendly,social,andcriminalrelationswiththewholelotofthem。Theynevermissasermonwhentheyareso\'stobearound,andtheynevermissswearing—offday,whethertheyareso\'stobearoundornot。

Iusedtobeanhonestman。Iamcrumbling。No—Ihavecrumbled。

Whentheyassessedmeat$75,000afortnightagoIwentoutandtriedtoborrowthemoney,andcouldn\'t;thenwhenIfoundtheywerelettingawholecropofmillionairesliveinNewYorkatathirdofthepricetheywerechargingmeIwashurt,Iwasindignant,andsaid:

"Thisisthelastfeather。Iamnotgoingtorunthistownallbymyself。"Inthatmoment—inthatmemorablemoment—Ibegantocrumble。

Infifteenminutesthedisintegrationwascomplete。InfifteenminutesIhadbecomejustameremoralsand—pile;andIliftedupmyhandalongwiththoseseasonedandexperienceddeaconsandsworeoffeveryragofpersonalpropertyI\'vegotintheworld,cleardowntocorkleg,glasseye,andwhatisleftofmywig。

Thosetaxofficersweremoved;theywereprofoundlymoved。Theyhadlongbeenaccustomedtoseeinghardenedoldgraftersactlikethat,andtheycouldendurethespectacle;buttheywereexpectingbetterthingsofme,achartered,professionalmoralist,andtheyweresaddened。

Ifellvisiblyintheirrespectandesteem,andIshouldhavefalleninmyown,exceptthatIhadalreadystruckbottom,andtherewasn\'tanyplacetofallto。

AtTuskeegeetheywilljumptomisleadingconclusionsfrominsufficientevidence,alongwithDoctorParkhurst,andtheywilldeceivethestudentwiththesuperstitionthatnogentlemaneverswears。

Lookatthosegoodmillionaires;aren\'ttheygentlemen?Well,theyswear。Onlyonceinayear,maybe,butthere\'senough,bulktoittomakeupforthelosttime。Anddotheyloseanythingbyit?No,theydon\'t;theysaveenoughinthreeminutestosupportthefamilysevenyears。Whentheyswear,doweshudder?No—unlesstheysay"damn!"

Thenwedo。Itshrivelsusallup。Yetweoughtnottofeelsoaboutit,becauseweallswear—everybody。Includingtheladies。IncludingDoctorParkhurst,thatstrongandbraveandexcellentcitizen,butsuperficiallyeducated。

Foritisnotthewordthatisthesin,itisthespiritbackoftheword。Whenanirritatedladysays"oh!"thespiritbackofitis"damn!"andthatisthewayitisgoingtoberecordedagainsther。ItalwaysmakesmesosorrywhenIhearaladyswearlikethat。Butifshesays"damn,"andsaysitinanamiable,niceway,itisn\'tgoingtoberecordedatall。

Theideathatnogentlemaneverswearsisallwrong;hecanswearandstillbeagentlemanifhedoesitinaniceandbenevolentandaffectionateway。Thehistorian,JohnFiske,whomIknewwellandloved,wasaspotlessandmostnobleanduprightChristiangentleman,andyethesworeonce。Notexactlythat,maybe;still,he—butIwilltellyouaboutit。

Oneday,whenhewasdeeplyimmersedinhiswork,hiswifecamein,muchmovedandprofoundlydistressed,andsaid:"Iamsorrytodisturbyou,John,butImust,forthisisaseriousmatter,andneedstobeattendedtoatonce。"

Then,lamenting,shebroughtagraveaccusationagainsttheirlittleson。Shesaid:"HehasbeensayinghisAuntMaryisafoolandhisAuntMarthaisadamnedfool。"Mr。Fiskereflecteduponthematteraminute,thensaid:"Oh,well,it\'saboutthedistinctionIshouldmakebetweenthemmyself。"

Mr。Washington,Ibegyoutoconveytheseteachingstoyourgreatandprosperousandmostbeneficenteducationalinstitution,andaddthemtotheprodigalmentalandmoralricheswherewithyouequipyourfortunateprotegesforthestruggleoflife。

TAMMANYANDCROKER。

Mr。ClemensmadehisdebutasacampaignoratoronOctober7,1901,advocatingtheelectionofSethLowforMayor,notasaRepublican,butasamemberofthe"Acorns,"whichhedescribedasa"thirdpartyhavingnopoliticalaffiliation,butwasconcernedonlyintheselectionofthebestcandidatesandthebestmember。"

GREATBRITAINhadaTammanyandaCrokeragoodwhileago。ThisTammanywasinIndia,anditbeganitscareerwiththespreadoftheEnglishdominionaftertheBattleofPlassey。ItsfirstbosswasClive,asufficientlycrookedpersonsometimes,butstraightasayardstickwhencomparedwiththecorkscrewcrookednessofthesecondboss,WarrenHastings。

Thatold—timeTammanywastheEastIndiaCompany\'sgovernment,andhaditsheadquartersatCalcutta。OstensiblyitconsistedofaGreatCounciloffourpersons,ofwhomonewastheGovernor—General,WarrenHastings;reallyitconsistedofoneperson—WarrenHastings;

forbyusurpationheconcentratedallauthorityinhimselfandgovernedthecountrylikeanautocrat。

OstensiblytheCourtofDirectors,sittinginLondonandrepresentingthevastinterestsofthestockholders,wassupremeinauthorityovertheCalcuttaGreatCouncil,whosemembershipitappointedandremovedatpleasure,whosepoliciesitdictated,andtowhomitconveyeditswillintheformofsovereigncommands;butwheneveritsuitedHastings,heignoredeventhataugustbody\'sauthorityandconductedthemightyaffairsoftheBritishEmpireinIndiatosuithisownnotions。

Athismercywasthedailybreadofeveryofficial,everytrader,everyclerk,everycivilservant,bigandlittle,inthewholehugeIndiaCompany\'smachine,andthemanwhohazardedhisbreadbyanyfailureofsubserviencytothebosslostit。

Nowthen,letthesuprememastersofBritishIndia,thegiantcorporationoftheIndiaCompanyofLondon,standforthevotersofthecityofNewYork;lettheGreatCouncilofCalcuttastandforTammany;letthecorruptandmoney—grubbinggreathiveofserfswhichservedundertheIndianTammany\'srodstandforNewYorkTammany\'sserfs;letWarrenHastingsstandforRichardCroker,anditseemstomethattheparallelisexactandcomplete。AndsoletusbeproperlygratefulandthankGodandourgoodluckthatwedidn\'tinventTammany。

EdmundBurke,regardedbymanyasthegreatestoratorofalltimes,conductedthecaseagainstWarrenHastingsinthatrenownedtrialwhichlastedyears,andwhichpromisestokeepitsrenownforcenturiestocome。Iwishtoquotesomeofthethingshesaid。I

wishtoimaginehimarraingingMr。CrokerandTammanybeforethevotersofNewYorkCityandpleadingwiththemfortheoverthrowofthatcombinediniquityofthe5thofNovember,andwillsubstitutefor"MyLords,"read"Fellow—Citizens";for"Kingdom,"read"City";for"ParliamentaryProcess,"read"PoliticalCampaign";for"TwoHouses,"read"TwoParties,"andsoitreads:

"Fellow—citizens,Imustlookuponitasanauspiciouscircumstancetothiscause,inwhichthehonorofthecityisinvolved,thatfromthefirstcommencementofourpoliticalcampaigntothisthehourofsolemntrialnotthesmallestdifferenceofopinionhasarisenbetweenthetwoparties。

"Youwillsee,intheprogressofthiscause,thatthereisnotonlyalong,connected,systematicseriesofmisdemeanors,butanequallyconnectedsystemofmaximsandprinciplesinventedtojustifythem。

Uponbothoftheseyoumustjudge。

"ItisnotonlytheinterestofthecityofNewYork,nowthemostconsiderablepartofthecityoftheAmericans,whichisconcerned,butthecreditandhonorofthenationitselfwillbedecidedbythisdecision。"

AtalatermeetingoftheAcornClub,Mr。Clemenssaid:

Tammanyisdead,andthere\'snouseinblackguardingacorpse。

Theelectionmakesmethinkofastoryofamanwhowasdying。Hehadonlytwominutestolive,sohesentforaclergymanandaskedhim,"Whereisthebestplacetogoto?"Hewasundecidedaboutit。Sotheminister。toldhimthateachplacehaditsadvantages—heavenforclimate,andhellforsociety。

MUNICIPALCORRUPTION。

ADDRESSATTHECITYCLUBDINNER,JANUARY4,1901。

BishopPottertoldhowanallegedrepresentativeofTammanyHallaskedhimineffectifhewouldceasehiswarfareuponthePoliceDepartmentifacertaincaptainandinspectorweredismissed。Herepliedthathewouldneverbesatisfieduntilthe"manatthetop"

andthe"system"whichpermittedevilsinthePoliceDepartmentwerecrushed。

THEBishophasjustspokenofaconditionofthingswhichnoneofuscandeny,andwhichoughtnottoexist;thatis,thelustofgain—alustwhichdoesnotstopshortofthepenitentiaryorthejailtoaccomplishitsends。Butwemaybesureofonething,andthatisthatthissortofthingisnotuniversal。Ifitwere,thiscountrywouldnotbe。Youmayputthisdownasafact:thatoutofeveryfiftymen,forty—nineareclean。Thenwhyisit,youmayask,thattheforty—ninedon\'thavethingsthewaytheywantthem?I\'lltellyouwhyitis。Agooddealhasbeensaidhereto—nightaboutwhatistobeaccomplishedbyorganization。That\'sjustthething。It\'sbecausethefiftiethfellowandhispalsareorganizedandtheotherforty—ninearenotthatthedirtyonerubsitintothecleanfellowseverytime。

Youmaysayorganize,organize,organize;buttheremaybesomuchorganizationthatitwillinterferewiththeworktobedone。TheBishopherehadanexperienceofthatsort,andtoldallaboutitdown—towntheothernight。Hewaspaintingabarn—itwashisownbarn—andyethewasinformedthathisworkmuststop;hewasanon—unionpainter,andcouldn\'tcontinueatthatsortofjob。

Now,alltheseconditionsofwhichyoucomplainshouldberemedied,andIamheretotellyoujusthowtodoit。I\'vebeenastatesmanwithoutsalaryformanyyears,andIhaveaccomplishedgreatandwidespreadgood。Idon\'tknowthatithasbenefitedanybodyverymuch,evenifitwasgood;butIdoknowthatithasn\'tharmedmeverymuch,andishasn\'tmademeanyricher。

Weholdthebalanceofpower。Putupyourbestmenforoffice,andweshallsupportthebetterone。WiththeelectionofthebestmanforMayorwouldfollowtheselectionofthebestmanforPoliceCommissionerandChiefofPolice。

Myfirstlessoninthecraftofstatesmanshipwastakenatanearlyage。Fifty—oneyearsagoIwasfourteenyearsold,andwehadasocietyinthetownIlivedin,patternedaftertheFree—masons,ortheAncientOrderofUnitedFarmers,orsomesuchthing—justwhatitwaspatternedafterdoesn\'tmatter。Ithadaninsideguardandanoutsideguard,andapast—grandwarden,andalotofsuchthings,soastogivedignitytotheorganizationandofficestothemembers。

Generallyspeakingitwasaprettygoodsortoforganization,andsomeoftheverybestboysinthevillage,including—butImustn\'tgetpersonalonanoccasionlikethis—andthesocietywouldhavegotalongprettywellhaditnotbeenforthefactthattherewereacertainnumberofthememberswhocouldbebought。Theygottobeaninfernalnuisance。Everytimewehadanelectionthecandidateshadtogoaroundandseethepurchasablemembers。Thepricepervotewaspaidindoughnuts,anditdependedsomewhatontheappetitesoftheindividualsastothepriceofthevotes。

Thisthingranalonguntilsomeofus,thereallyverybestboysintheorganization,decidedthatthesecorruptpracticesmuststop,andforthepurposeofstoppingthemweorganizedathirdparty。Wehadaname,butwewereneverknownbythatname。Thosewhodidn\'tlikeuscalledustheAnti—Doughnutparty,butwedidn\'tmindthat。

Wesaid:"Calluswhatyouplease;thenamedoesn\'tmatter。Weareorganizedforaprinciple。"By—and—bytheelectioncamearound,andwemadeabigmistake。Weweretriumphantlybeaten。Thattaughtusalesson。Thenandtherewedecidedneveragaintonominateanybodyforanything。Wedecidedsimplytoforcetheothertwopartiesinthesocietytonominatetheirverybestmen。Althoughwewereorganizedforaprinciple,wedidn\'tcaremuchaboutthat。

Principlesaren\'tofmuchaccountanyway,exceptatelection—time。

Afterthatyouhangthemuptoletthemseason。

Thenexttimewehadanelectionwetoldboththeotherpartiesthatwe\'dbeatanycandidatesputupbyanyoneofthemofwhomwedidn\'tapprove。Inthatelectionwedidbusiness。Wegotthemanwewanted。I

supposetheycalledustheAnti—Doughnutpartybecausetheycouldn\'tbuyuswiththeirdoughnuts。Theydidn\'thaveenoughofthem。Mostreformersarriveattheirpricesoonerorlater,andIsupposewewouldhavehadourprice;butouropponentsweren\'tofferinganythingbutdoughnuts,andthosewespurned。

NowitseemstomethatanAnti—Doughnutpartyisjustwhatiswantedinthepresentemergency。IwouldhavetheAnti—DoughnutsfeltineverycityandhamletandschooldistrictinthisStateandintheUnitedStates。IwasanAnti—Doughnutinmyboyhood,andI\'manAnti—Doughnutstill。ThemoderndesignationisMugwump。ThereusedtobequiteanumberofusMugwumps,butIthinkI\'mtheonlyoneleft。Ihadavotethisfall,andIbegantomakesomeinquiriesastowhatIhadbetterdowithit。

Idon\'tknowanythingaboutfinance,andIneverdid,butIknowsomeprettyshrewdfinanciers,andtheytoldmethatMr。Bryanwasn\'tsafeonanyfinancialquestion。Isaidtomyself,then,thatitwouldn\'tdoformetovoteforBryan,andIratherthought—Iknownow—thatMcKinleywasn\'tjustrightonthisPhilippinequestion,andsoIjustdidn\'tvoteforanybody。I\'vegotthatvoteyet,andI\'vekeptitclean,readytodepositatsomeotherelection。Itwasn\'tcastforanywildcatfinancialtheories,anditwasn\'tcasttosupportthemanwhosendsourboysasvolunteersoutintothePhilippinestogetshotdownunderapollutedflag。

MUNICIPALGOVERNMENT。

ADDRESSATTHEANNUALDINNEROFTHEST。NICHOLAS

SOCIETY,NEWYORK,DECEMBER6,1900。

DoctorMackay,inhisresponsetothetoast"St。Nicholas,"referredtoMr。Clemens,saying:"MarkTwainisastrueapreacheroftruerighteousnessasanybishop,priest,orministerofanychurchto—day,becausehemovesmentoforgettheirfaultsbycheerfulwell—doinginsteadofmakingthemsourandmorbidbyeverlastinglybendingtheirattentiontotheseamyandsobersideoflife。"

MR。CHAIRMANANDGENTLEMENOFTHEST。NICHOLASSOCIETY,—Theseare,indeed,prosperousdaysforme。Nightbeforelast,inaspeech,theBishopoftheDioceseofNewYorkcomplimentedmeformycontributiontotheology,andto—nighttheReverendDoctorMackayhaselectedmetotheministry。IthankedBishopPotterthenforhiscompliment,andIthankDoctorMackaynowforthatpromotion。I

thinkthatbothhavediscernedinmewhatIlongagodiscerned,butwhatIwasafraidtheworldwouldneverlearntorecognize。

InthisabsenceofnineyearsIfindagreatimprovementinthecityofNewYork。Iamgladtospeakonthatasatoast—"TheCityofNewYork。"SomesayithasimprovedbecauseIhavebeenaway。Others,andIagreewiththem,sayithasimprovedbecauseIhavecomeback。

Wemustjudgeofacity,asofaman,byitsexternalappearancesandbyitsinwardcharacter。Inexternalstheforeignercomingtotheseshoresismoreimpressedatfirstbyoursky—scrapers。Theyarenewtohim。HehasnotdoneanythingofthesortsincehebuiltthetowerofBabel。Theforeignerisshockedbythem。

Inthedaylighttheyareugly。Theyare—well,toochimneyfiedandtoosnaggy—likeamouththatneedsattentionfromadentist;likeacemeterythatisallmonumentsandnogravestones。Butatnight,seenfromtheriverwheretheyarecolumnstoweringagainstthesky,allsparklingwithlight,theyarefairylike;theyarebeautymoresatisfactorytothesoulandmoreenchantingthananythingthatmanhasdreamedofsincetheArabiannights。Wecan\'talwayshavethebeautifulaspectofthings。Letusmakethemostofoursightsthatarebeautifulandlettheothersgo。WhenyourforeignermakesdisagreeablecommentsonNewYorkbydaylight,floathimdowntheriveratnight。

Whathasmadethesesky—scraperspossibleistheelevator。Thecigar—boxwhichtheEuropeancallsa"lift"needsbuttobecomparedwithourelevatorstobeappreciated。Theliftstopstoreflectbetweenfloors。Thatisallrightinahearse,butnotinelevators。

TheAmericanelevatoractsliketheman\'spatentpurge—itworked。

Astheinventorsaid,"Thispurgedoesn\'twasteanytimefoolingaround;itattendsstrictlytobusiness。"

ThatNew—Yorkershavethecleanest,quickest,andmostadmirablesystemofstreetrailwaysintheworldhasbeenforceduponyoubytheabnormalappreciationyouhaveofyourhackman。Weoughtalwaystobegratefultohimforthatservice。Nobodyelsewouldhavebroughtsuchasystemintoexistenceforus。Weoughttobuildhimamonument。

Weowehimoneasmuchasweoweonetoanybody。Letitbeatallone。

Nothingpermanent,ofcourse;builditofplaster,say。Thengazeatitandrealizehowgratefulweare—forthetimebeing—andthenpullitdownandthrowitontheash—heap。That\'sthewaytohonoryourpublicheroes。

Astoourstreets,Ifindthemcleanerthantheyusedtobe。I

missthosedearoldlandmarks,thesymmetricalmountainrangesofdustanddirtthatusedtobepiledupalongthestreetsforthewindandraintoteardownattheirpleasure。Yes,NewYorkiscleanerthanBombay。IrealizethatIhavebeeninBombay,thatInowaminNewYork;thatitisnotmydutytoflatterBombay,butrathertoflatterNewYork。

ComparedwiththewretchedattemptsofLondontolightthatcity,NewYorkmayfairlybesaidtobeawell—lightedcity。Why,London\'sattemptatgoodlightingisalmostasbadasLondon\'sattemptatrapidtransit。ThereisjustonegoodsystemofrapidtransitinLondon—the"Tube,"andthat,ofcourse,hadbeenputinbyAmericans。Perhaps,afterawhile,thoseAmericanswillcomebackandgiveNewYorkalsoagoodundergroundsystem。Perhapstheyhavealreadybegun。IhavebeensobusysinceIcamebackthatIhaven\'thadtimeasyettogodowncellar。

Butitisbythelawsofthecity,itisbythemannersofthecity,itisbytheidealsofthecity,itisbythecustomsofthecityandbythemunicipalgovernmentwhichalltheseelementscorrect,support,andfoster,bywhichtheforeignerjudgesthecity。ItisbythesethatherealizesthatNewYorkmay,indeed,holdherheadhighamongthecitiesoftheworld。Itisbythesestandardsthatheknowswhethertoclassthecityhigherorlowerthantheothermunicipalitiesoftheworld。

Gentlemen,youhavethebestmunicipalgovernmentintheworld—

thepurestandthemostfragrant。Theveryangelsenvyyou,andwishtheycouldestablishagovernmentlikeitinheaven。Yougotitbyanoblefidelitytocivicduty。Yougotitbysternandever—watchfulexertionofthegreatpowerswithwhichyouarechargedbytherightswhichwerehandeddowntoyoubyyourforefathers,byyourmanlyrefusaltoletbasemeninvadethehighplacesofyourgovernment,andbyinstantretaliationwhenanypublicofficerhasinsultedyouinthecity\'snamebyswervingintheslightestfromtheuprightandfullperformanceofhisduty。Itisyouwhohavemadethiscitytheenvyofthecitiesoftheworld。Godwillblessyouforit—Godwillblessyouforit。Why,whenyouapproachthefinalresting—placetheangelsofheavenwillgatheratthegatesandcryout:

"Heretheycome!Showthemtothearchangel\'sbox,andturnthelime—lightonthem!"

CHINAANDTHEPHILIPPINES。

ATADINNERGIVENINTHEWALDORF—ASTORIAHOTEL,DECEMBER,1900。

WinstonSpencerChurchillwasintroducedbyMr。ClemensFORyearsI\'vebeenaself—appointedmissionarytobringabouttheunionofAmericaandthemotherland。Theyoughttobeunited。BeholdAmerica,therefugeoftheoppressedfromeverywhere(whocanpayfiftydollars\'admission)—anyoneexceptaChinaman—standingupforhumanrightseverywhere,evenhelpingChinaletpeopleinfreewhenshewantstocollectfiftydollarsuponthem。AndhowunselfishlyEnglandhaswroughtfortheopendoorforall!AndhowpiouslyAmericahaswroughtforthatopendoorinallcaseswhereitwasnotherown!

Yes,asamissionaryI\'vesungmysongsofpraise。AndyetIthinkthatEnglandsinnedwhenshegotherselfintoawarinSouthAfricawhichshecouldhaveavoided,justaswesinnedingettingintoasimilarwarinthePhilippines。Mr。Churchill,byhisfather,isanEnglishman;byhismotherheisanAmerican—nodoubtablendthatmakestheperfectman。EnglandandAmerica;yes,wearekin。Andnowthatwearealsokininsin,thereisnothingmoretobedesired。

Theharmonyiscomplete,theblendisperfect。

THEORETICALANDPRACTICALMORALS。

TheNewVagabondsClubofLondon,madeupoftheleadingyoungerliterarymenoftheday,gaveadinnerinhonorofMr。andMrs。

Clemens,July8,1899。

IThasalwaysbeendifficult—leavethatworddifficult—notexceedinglydifficult,butjustdifficult,nothingmorethanthat,nottheslightestshadetoaddtothat—justdifficult—torespondproperly,intherightphraseology,whencomplimentsarepaidtome;

butitismorethandifficultwhenthecomplimentsarepaidtoabetterthanI—mywife。

AndwhileIamnotheretotestifyagainstmyself—Ican\'tbeexpectedtodoso,aprisonerinyourowncountryisnotadmittedtodoso—astowhichmemberofthefamilywrotemybooks,IcouldsayingeneralthatreallyIwrotethebooksmyself。Mywifeputsthefactsin,andtheymakeitrespectable。Mymodestywon\'tsufferwhilecomplimentsarebeingpaidtoliterature,andthroughliteraturetomyfamily。Ican\'tgetenoughofthem。

Iamcuriouslysituatedto—night。ItsorarelyhappensthatIamintroducedbyahumorist;Iamgenerallyintroducedbyapersonofgravewalkandcarriage。Thatmakestheproperbackgroundofgravityforbrightness。Iamgoingtoaltertosuit,andhaplyImaysaysomehumorousthings。

Whenyoustartwithablazeofsunshineandupburstofhumor,whenyoubeginwiththat,theproperofficeofhumoristoreflect,toputyouintothatpensivemoodofdeepthought,tomakeyouthinkofyoursins,ifyouwishhalfanhourtofly。Humormakesmereflectnowto—night,itsetsthethinkingmachineryinmotion。Always,whenI

amthinking,therecomesuggestionsofwhatIam,andwhatweallare,andwhatwearecomingto。AsermoncomesfrommylipsalwayswhenI

listentoahumorousspeech。

Iseizetheopportunitytothrowawayfrivolities,tosaysomethingtoplanttheseed,andmakeallbetterthanwhenIcame。

InMr。Grossmith\'sremarkstherewasasubtlesomethingsuggestingmyfavoritetheoryofthedifferencebetweentheoreticalmoralsandpracticalmorals。Itrytoinstilpracticalmoralsintheplaceoftheatrical—Imeantheoretical;butasanaddendum—anannex—

somethingaddedtotheoreticalmorals。

Whenyourchairmansaiditwasthefirsttimehehadevertakenthechair,hedidnotmeanthathehadnottakenlotsofotherthings;

heattendedmyfirstlectureandtooknotes。Thisindicatedtheman\'sdisposition。Therewasnothingelseflyinground,sohetooknotes;hewouldhavetakenanythinghecouldget。

Icanbringamoraltobearherewhichshowsthedifferencebetweentheoreticalmoralsandpracticalmorals。Theoreticalmoralsarethesortyougetonyourmother\'sknee,ingoodbooks,andfromthepulpit。Yougathertheminyourhead,andnotinyourheart;

theyaretheorywithoutpractice。Withouttheassistanceofpracticetoperfectthem,itisdifficulttoteachachildto"behonest,don\'tsteal。"

Iwillteachyouhowitshouldbedone,leadyouintotemptation,teachyouhowtosteal,sothatyoumayrecognizewhenyouhavestolenandfeeltheproperpangs。Itisnogoodgoingroundandbraggingyouhavenevertakenthechair。

Asbythefiresofexperience,sobycommissionofcrime,youlearnrealmorals。Commitallthecrimes,familiarizeyourselfwithallsins,taketheminrotation(thereareonlytwoorthreethousandofthem),sticktoit,committwoorthreeeveryday,andby—and—byyouwillbeproofagainstthem。Whenyouarethroughyouwillbeproofagainstallsinsandmorallyperfect。Youwillbevaccinatedagainsteverypossiblecommissionofthem。Thisistheonlyway。

IwillreadyouawrittenstatementuponthesubjectthatIwrotethreeyearsagotoreadtotheSabbath—schools。[Herethelecturerturnedhispocketsout,butwithoutsuccess。]No!Ihaveleftitathome。Still,itwasamerestatementoffact,illustratingthevalueofpracticalmoralsproducedbythecommissionofcrime。

Itwasinmyboyhood—justastatementoffact,readingisonlymoreformal,merelyfacts,merelypatheticfacts,whichIcanstatesoastobeunderstood。ItrelatestothefirsttimeIeverstoleawatermelon;thatis,Ithinkitwasthefirsttime;anyway,itwasrightalongtheresomewhere。

Istoleitoutofafarmer\'swagonwhilehewaswaitingonanothercustomer。"Stole"isaharshterm。Iwithdrew—Iretiredthatwatermelon。Icarriedittoasecludedcornerofalumber—yard。I

brokeitopen。Itwasgreen—thegreenestwatermelonraisedinthevalleythatyear。

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