MARK TWAIN AND HIS ENGLISH EDITOR

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 112, 23 January 1873, Page 2

MARK TWAIN AND HIS ENGLISH EDITOR

Tnn following has been addressed by Mark Twain to Spectator : — Sir, — I only venture to iutrude upon you because Iee m some sense, in the interest of public morality, and make* my mission respectable. Mr John Camden Hot of London, lias, of his own individual motion, republi several of my books in England. Ido not protect a;f thU, for there is no law to givo cfl'ect to the protect ; besides publishers are not accountable to the laws of he; or earth in any country, as I understand it. 13 ut my 1 grievance is this- My books arc bad enough jtist as thej written; then what must they be after Mr John Cm Ilotten has composed half-a-dozen chapters and niUec same to them ? I feel that all true hearts will bleewc author who«c volumes have fallen under such a dispensi a* this. If a friend of mirs, or even you yourself, we write a book and set it adrift among the- people, with gravest apprehensions that it was not what it ought t intellectually, how would you like to have John Cv Hot ten sit down and stimulate his powers, and drool or three original chapters on to the end of that book ° W not the world seem cold and hollow to you 9 Would not foci that jou wanted to die and be at rest' Little \\ orld knows of true suffering And suppose he should en these chapters "Holiday Literature," "True Storj C'liciigo," "On Children," "Tram up a Child, and Aw a Goes," and " Vengeance," and then, on the strcngt baring evolved these marvels from his own consciousncs and "oopvright" the entire book, and put in the title-pa putnre of a man with 'his hand in another man'sjj»i and the legend "All Rights Rosen cd." (I only sit]qm, picture ; still it would be a rather neat thing ) . further, suppose that in the kindness of his heart nnd exuberance of his untaught fancy, this thoroughly well-ni ing innocent should expunge the modest title which }ou given your book, and replace it with so foul an inventio this, " Screamers and Eye-Openers," and went and got cop} righted too. And suppose that on top of all thu continually and persistently forgot to offer you a single pc or send you a copy of your mutilated book to burn one suppose all this. Let him suppose it w ith strci enough, and then he will know something about woe. St times when I read one of those additional chapters structed by John Camden Hotten, I feel as if I could go take a broom-straw and go and knock that man's brains Not in anger, for I feel none. Oh ! not in anger , but < to see, that is all. Mere idle curiosity. • And Mr Hotten says that ono norn de plume of mm " Carl Uyng." I hold that there is no afllctiou in world that makes a man so down-trodden and abuse* giving him a name that does not belong to him How we this sinful aborigine feel if I were to call him John G^i Hottentot, and conic out in the papers and say W entitled to it by divine right ? Ido honestly believ would throw him into a brain fever, if there were not insuperable obstacle in the way. Yes — to come back to the original subject, which is sorrow that is slowly but surely undermining my hcj.lt Mr Hotten prints unrcviscd, uncorrected, and in « respects, spurious books with my name to them as aut and thus embitters his customers against one of most innocent of men. Messrs George Routh and Sons are the only English publishers \ pay mo any copyright,, and, therefore, if my books ' to disseminate either suffering or crime among reader- <o^ language, I would ever so much rather they did it t^Poi that house, and then I could contemplate the spcoti calmly as tho dividends come in — I am, Sir, &c , Samuel L Clfmhns, ("MarkTw^ 1 London, September 20, 1872.

Mrsic Stools and M vnners — T lere are many trifl acts by which persons express thoir character moro plui than could be done by the most elaborate description fi their intimates. Perhaps few more searching tests could applied to the young womanly character than the mode which the lady approaches and seats herself at the piano asked to play. One young person, on being rcquestec perform, will rise deliberatoly, but not lazily w ltli an .aln disdainful curve of her neck, a long sweep, and au uluug rustic, the whole movement being not altogotbor uu tho ascent of a sky rocket. She reaches her extreme t tudc over the music stool ; a moment sho holers i pended as it were, sweetly smirking in vaoano ; t down sho comes with a swift and sudden plop, much the stick of that same exhausted rocket. Coiuiolseitis kr that at this point that lady's performance is already ov sho has made her one movement — tho only one she hv how to do gracefully — and that complotcd she has coll»: Such a lady is ineligible as a life partner, because hc™i tical performance is almost always unequal to her prom Sho starts magnificently, overpoweringly, and mvaria breaks down before sho has well entered upon her cou Another young person will riso listlessly, march fun ere: across tho room, and descend upon the stool w an air of intenso horror nnd a deep sigh. T languor, that vague defection will almost ecrtai overshadow her -whole life. A third will spring up lik rabbit bolting from a pursuing ferret, run full speed acr the room, and perhaps npsot the musio stool brfore <<he q herself safely ensconced Such an ore will bo apt to to frequent casualties of a similar kind when she has r^in tho reins of life's apple-cart. Such and some others, neec highly judicious breaking before taking; but beyond eitl the she-sky-rocket, tho dejected, or tho bolter, the girl w after sho gets to the piano stool appears to bo distressed w fleas is to bo avoiced Some girls wrigglo and fidget wl; playing as though a whole legion of policies were upon t lie They will to a certainty bo similarly annoyed all lliroi life, and what is more will inevitably communicate i awioynnee to Uicir uoavest associates.