January 30 Wednesday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: Tearing headache less than 3 weeks since last.
Yesterday the King gave permission to have his name used in the Eleanor Robson benefit for Bret Harte’s daughter, but today he has revoked it, for he sees through the whole thing as being mainly an advertisement for Eleanor Robson. He is so impulsive, & continually has to withdraw from propositions that he has gone into with enthusiasm [MTP TS 25].
Henry Meade Bland wrote from San Jose, Calif. to Sam, enclosing a clipping from the Overland Monthly of Jan. 1907, and a clipping from the San Jose Times. (The former in the file.) He had his artist, Miss Alice Resor, make a drawing from the photo Sam sent. He requested the honor of meeting him should Sam ever venture out West again. The article enclosed by Bland discusses the friendship between Twain and Charles Warren Stoddard, then expanded into a brief biography [MTP]. Note: after this date Sam replied to Bland, writing a note to Lyon on Bland’s letter: “not likely to ever go away from NY City again but if he comes East would be glad to see him” [MTP].
John Mead Howells wrote to Isabel Lyon enclosing “a new set of sketches embodying all the points we discussed yesterday” on the Redding house [MTP].
Jervis Langdon II wrote to Sam that the director meeting for the Hope-Jones Organ Co. on Jan 25 had issued a call for 15% on the subscription of stock. He requested Sam to send $750.00 [MTP].
Eleanor Robson wrote to Sam [MTP]. Letter is missing.
Abbott Rose wrote from NYC to Sam. She was secretary for the new organization, the Mark Twain Literary Society. She requested an autographed letter authorizing the use of his name [MTP]. Note: Lyon wrote on the letter: Answd Feb. 21, ‘08”
Harriet E. Whitmore wrote from Hartford to praise Sam for his books and to castigate those in Massachusetts library who restricted Eve’s Diary [MTP].
In his A.D. Sam referred to King Charles II as one who lowered English standards of “official and commercial morals,” which had been raised by Cromwell [Gribben 237].
Of the selections from Twain’s A.D.’s, DeVoto selected about half of the materials not chosen before by Paine to be included in Mark Twain in Eruption (1940); among DeVoto’s choices, was “The Teaching Applied,” dictated this day, which blamed Jay Gould and his successors for the corruption of the American moral system. He also accused Colorado Senator Simon Guggenheim (1867-1941) of paying for his office from the state legislature [81-3]. Also in MTE was another dictation, “The Little Tale,” of this date. It was a story of a book collector’s find of a First Folio of Shakespeare in a farmer’s house and a purchase for a price far below its value. Sam compared this to the honesty of James Hammond Trumbull. Sam likely noted the tale, told to him at the Union League Club dinner for Senator Clark, because the collector was a clergyman [91-6].
January 30 ca. – At 21 Fifth Ave, N.Y. Sam replied to the Jan. 3 from Eleanor Robson.
It might be better taste to leave me out. For the past 30 years we were not friends. In the circumstances I do not want a prominent place—never heard of any member of the family who differed much from Bret Harte. I despised him. If there are going to be a lot of names, then well & good [MTP: MS draft]. Note: may be a first draft effort for the Jan. 29 to Robson.