Mark Twain on "The Ladies."

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 229, 31 March 1874, Page 8

Mark Twain on "The Ladies."

Mark Twain was present at the festival of the Scottish Corporation, when he replied to

the toast of " The Ladies." . He said:—l have in- mind a poem just now which is familiar to you all, familiar to everybody. And what an inspiration that was, (and how instantly.the present toast recalls the verses to all our minds,) ,when the most noble, the niostgraqipus, thepurest, the sweetest of all poets S&VB nilr. \> , * ■■;- '•''Woman, 0 woman !.-—ef- 1 --?- 'J ::•.'-.■:!•■;!,:'.' ■ j..?ns nv

H^laughter)—however, 'you remember the lined;: and yon remember how feelingly, how daintily,'how almost imperceptibly the verses raise up before you, feature by feature, the ideal of a true and perfect woman ; and how, as you contemplatethe finished marvel, your

homage grow* into worship of the intellectual that could, create so fair a thing onfc oLnierc (..breath, mere words. And you call to -mind, .DoWj as* I Bpeak,,,how tlie poet, with stern fidelity <to the history of all humanity, de-

■ liversthis beautiful child of his head and ■h)% hraiw over to the trials ,*md sorrows that :'•• must coute to all, sooner or later, that abide .in the earth; and how the pathetic story culminates,, in that apostrophe—so wild, set reffrfetfat,' so' full of mournful 'retrospection. The lines run thus— J ' • ' '■>,.-.■. 'j ■ "jAlas !—alas !—a-r-alas 1 —Alas!—— ——alas!" ' r-and so on. (Laughter.) Ido not remember the'rest; but, taken altogether, it'seems to'trie that that poem is the noblest tribute to woman that human genius has ever brought forth—(laughter)—and I feel that if I were to talk'hours I could not do my great theme completer or »)ore graceful justice than I have done now in simply quoting that poet's matchless words. (Renewed laughter.) , The phases of the womanly nature are infinite m their variety.' Take any type of woman, and you shall find in it something to respect, something to admire, something to love. , And you shall find the whole joining yon heart and hand. Who was more patriotic than Joan of Arc ? Who was braver ? Who has given us a grander instance of selfsacrificing devotion 1 Ah, you remember, you remember well, what a throb, of pain, what a great tidal wave of grief swept over us'all when Joan of Arc fell at Waterloo. (Much laughter!) Who does not sorrow for the loss of Sappho ? the sweet singer of Israel ? (Laughter.) Who among us does noG miss the gentle ministrations, the humble piety of Lucretia Borgia? (Laughter.) Who can join in the heartless libel that says woman is extravagant in dress when he can look back and call to mind our simple and lowly mother Eve arrayed in her modification of the Highland costume. (Roars of laughter.) Sir, women have been soldiers, women have been painters, women have been poets.. As long as language lives the name of Cleopatra will live. And not because she conquered George lll.—(laughter)—but because she wrote those divme lines -*- "Let dogß delight to bark and bite, ' ■■■ '■ tor God hath made them so."

(More laughter.) The story of the world is adorned with the illustrious ones of our own sex—some of them sons of St. Andrew, too —Scott, Bruce, Burns,,the warrior Wallace, Ben Nevis—(laughter)—the gifted Ben Lowond, and- the great new Scotchman, Ben Disraeli. (Great laughter.) Out of the great plains of history tower whole mountain ranges of sublime women—the Queen of Sheba, Josephine, Semiramis, Sairey Gamp; the "St is endles9--(laughter)—but I will not call the mighty, roll, the names rise up in your wn memories at the mere suggestion, luminous with 1 the glory of deeds that cannot die, liallewod by the loving worship of the good and true of all dimes.' (Cheers.)