July 4 Thursday – London. Ashcroft’s notes: “Lunched at Sir James Knowles’s; attended the banquet in celebration of Independence Day at the Hotel Cecil” [MTFWE 91].
In the morning Sam wrote letters; among those surviving are the following three. He luncheoned with Sir James Knowles editor of the Nineteenth Century. In the afternoon he was unable to attend an annual reception for Americans at the Dorchester House, the home of Ambassador Whitelaw Reid. In the evening he was at the annual banquet of the American Society in London, which took place at the Hotel Cecil. First, the letters:
At Brown’s Hotel in London Sam wrote to Andrew Carnegie.
Dear St. Andrew: / I was very sorry to miss seeing you, but glad to hear from you & Mrs. St. Andrew. B’gosh, (as St Peter used to say), dissipation is beginning to tell upon my strength a little, & I wish I could run up to Skibo & rest—but there’s no rest for me this side of sailing- day, a week & upwards hence. But Liverpool’s my last one-night stand, then I get aboard at once.
Good-bye till I see you at home—& love to you both [MTP].
In the morning Sam also wrote to daughter Jean.
Just a line, Jean dear, to say good-morning & howdjedo. I have been taking very good care of myself, in England. I do not often accept a night-invitation. When I do, (if it is a banquet) I do not go until speaking-time, & am home again by 11; if it is a private dinner I am back home by 10—which is much earlier than I like.
To-night & Liverpool (July 10) end my (public) night-engagements; the rest are all private. I go to luncheons every day, but they do not fatigue me. Yesterday the papers had the news of Clara’s sea-adventure—she probably enjoyed the excitement of the collision.
Many hugs & kisses, dear! [MTP]. Note: See IVL’s journal entry of July 1 for the collision at sea.
Sam also replied to the July 3 of George Bernard Shaw.
Between you & William Morris I find myself richer this morning than I have ever been before. For I have my vanities, & my English has been one of them, this long time, though for many a year I had my admiration of it all to myself. But you know good English, for you are a master of it; & Morris was a competent judge, too; & so, in perceiving, this morning, that I am at last discovered, I am very happy.
I never knew Morris, but I had just a glimpse of him once, in London, at the end of ’73. He was pointed out to me as he passed by, in the street; & all in thirty seconds he flitted into my life & out of it again, not to return any more.
Good-bye, & good luck, to you & Mrs. Shaw, until we meet in New York [MTP].
In his A.D. of Aug. 26, 1907, Sam wrote of the luncheon with Sir James Knowles:
I perceived that at Sir James’s I was upon familiar ground, for his house was situated just within the spacious court of the monster human hive called the Queen Anne Mansions, a caravansary which I and my family had helped to support and render prosperous during a fortnight or so, seven or eight years ago. Damn the place, I remember it well! ….
The luncheon at Sir James Knowles’s was in honor of a Prussian princess of the blood. She was young and handsome and queenly, and was quite unroyally gifted intellectually; she seemed to know a good deal about everything, and to know it well; well enough to talk about it ably and entertainingly. She was an expert with the brush, and in music, and in designing and embroidery, and in several other fine arts; in fact in the matter of accomplishments she was a wonder, considering her place in the social world. …
In his A.D. of Aug. 27, 1907, Sam wrote of missing an afternoon function:
I was not able to go to Whitelaw Reid’s afternoon reception of the American contingent, and so my ticket, (No. 2384), remained unused….Ried occupies the most palatial private residence in London, and a crush could be expected, for all the Americans would be eager to see it. It was indeed a crush, and half as many people were in it as were present at the King’s great garden party at Windsor, which was attended by a multitude somewhat exceeding eight thousand; still the big house was equal to the emergency [MTFWE 91-93]. Note: See source for Clemens’ lengthy opinion of Whitelaw Reid. The London Tribune, July 5, p.7, “INDEPENDENCE DAY” gave the humorous menu items prepared in honor of Mark Twain and America: “Filet de Sole Mark Twain,” “potage Americain,” “Volaille Farcie a l’Americaine,” “Piece de Filet de Boeuf McKinley,” “Chateaubriand Boston,” and “Bombe Washington.”
Sam arrived late, as was his preference, at the Hotel Cecil for the evening banquet celebration by the American Society in London. In his A.D. of Aug. 29, 1907, Sam wrote of the event and his speech:
The Fourth of July dinner that night was devoured in the great banquet hall of the Hotel Cecil. Every chair on the floor was occupied by men, and all the seats in the gallery by ladies. It was a fine spectacle.
….
…there were but four regular toasts and four speeches in response to them, and the function was over by about eleven o’clock. First the King’s health was drunk, standing, and in silence, in accordance with ancient and invariable custom; next the health of the President of the United States was drunk. Sir Mortimer Durand, late ambassador to the United States, responded to it in a happy speech of considerable length; next, in a good and elaborate speech, Whitelaw Reid proposed “The Day we Celebrate.” By appointment, I responded. … [Here are a few excerpts:]
Once more it happens, as it has happened so often since I arrived in England a week or two ago, that instead of celebrating the Fourth of July properly as has been indicated, I have to first take care of my personal character. Sir Mortimer Durand still remains unconvinced. Well, I tried to convince these people from the beginning that I did not take the Ascot Cup, and as I have failed to persuade anybody that I did not take it, I might as well confess that I did take it, and be done with it. I don’t see why this uncharitable feeling should follow me everywhere, and why I should have that crime thrown up to me on all occasions. The tears that I have wept over it ought to have created a different feeling than this—and besides, I don’t think it is very right or fair that, considering England has been trying to take a Cup of ours for forty years [America’s Cup; challenges by Sir Thomas Lipton and others], they should make so much trouble when I try to go into the business myself. …
Our Ambassador has spoken of our Fourth of July and the noise it makes. We have a double Fourth of July; a daylight Fourth and a midnight Fourth. During the day in America, as our Ambassador has indicated, we keep the Fourth of July properly in a reverent spirit. We devote it to teaching our children patriotic things…. We honor the day all through the daylight hours, and when night comes we dishonor it. Two hours from now, on the Atlantic coast when night shuts down, that pandemonium will begin and there will be noise, and noise, and noise, all night long…there will be people crippled, there will be people killed, there will be people who will lose their eyes, and all through that permission which we give to irresponsible boys to play with firearms and firecrackers and all sorts of dangerous things. We turn that Fourth of July alas! over to rowdies to drink and get drunk and make the night hideous, and we cripple and kill more people than you would imagine [MTFWE 97-101].
Samuel F.G. Whitaker inscribed a copy of Abbey Brueys’ L’Avocat Patelin: A Comedy in Three Acts, and translated by Whitaker: “To Mark Twain, this slight attempt at a presentation of 15th -18th century humor, with the Translator’s profound yet affectionate respect. Independence Day, 1907” [Gribben 107].
Isabel Lyon’s journal (Halifax): “Today Mr. McCurdy walked us through the Public Gardens and up over the Citadel. A young British soldier took us about, and it was interesting and peaceful and very warless. The gardens are beautiful. I made a lot of photos of Santa” [MTP 80].
American Society in London sent an 8 & ½ x 6 thick card, engraved invitation to the “Independence Day Banquet” Hotel Cecil [MTP].
Sydney Brooks wrote on Tarbat House stationery to thank Clemens for two photographs, some old talks and for his appreciation of the article Brooks wrote in the London Daily Chronicle upon Sam’s arrival [MTP].
Graham Buckley wrote from London, hoping for a reply to his previous letter before Sam left England [MTP].
J. Cooke sent a begging letter, asking him to buy the enclosed so she might help support her delicate daughter [MTP].
Frederick Dixon wrote from Chelsea, England to ask to see Sam and “meet the representative of those you have attacked” in his CS book [MTP].
Fanny M. Elbourn wrote from Welborn near Royston to ask if Clemens “could possibly come down to this little village and give us an hour or so” [MTP].
John Japp wrote from Liverpool thanking him for Ashcroft’s letter “approving and confirming my arrangements.” He gave train times and the dinner schedule, etc. [MTP].
Blanche Lindsay wrote again from Kensington with “warmest thanks for the book which you so kindly sent…& perhaps most of all for your very welcome & much valued, though too flattering, words within the cover” [MTP].
John Y. W. MacAlister wrote from London that he’d just rec’d a wire from Bergheim in Vienna to say that “he is coming back to meet us on Monday, so now everything is fixed up, and for your convenience I am arranging that we shall lunch quietly in a private room at the Bath Club opposite. There will only be Sir Montague Nelson, Bergheim and Hoare, —I am not asking the others, and shall expect you and Ashcroft at 1.30 if that will suit you” [MTP].
E. Newell Marshall wrote from London: “Will you see for a few moments a young American artist who has struggled desperately and alone against the Christian Scienc Organization who needs a word of help…” [MTP].
Annie Colt McCook wrote from London: “I was so disappointed when I returned home & found you had been here! It was indeed kind of you…and this afternoon at the Ambassador’s, I looked for you, but in vain…I hoped we might have a little talk together, and you would tell me, who the young girl who accompanied you here, when you came—was!” [MTP].
Whitelaw Reid sent Sam an “At Home” engraved invite for Thursday, July 4, 4 to 6 p.m. [MTP].
Mrs. K. Suart wrote from London enclosing articles for him to read. Would they see him before he left? [MTP].
W.M. Treherne, “an old newspaperman” who used to report on Twain’s speeches, wrote from London, enclosing a maxim of Abe Lincoln [MTP].
Charles S. Walker wrote on a post card sent from Worcester, “Thanks / C.S. Walker / Independence Day / 1907” [MTP].
Samuel F.G. Whitaker inscribed his translated book, L’avocat Patelin, “The Famous Fifteenth Century Farce” : “To Mark Twain /this slight attempt at a presentment of 15th -18th Century humour, with the translator’s profound yet affectionate respect. / Independence Day, 1907” [MTP].
John Whitehead sent a curious pasted up chart titled “To the Glory of God And in Honour of the King” On a notecard he wrote: “Dr. Sir Kindly study enclosed chart & any good American can have it with great pleasure” [MTP].