May 10 Friday – Annapolis: On the morning of May 10 Sam toured the Naval Academy, something he’d looked forward to. He was joined by three young ladies: Miss Carrie Warfield, and Miss Margaret Warfield, the Governor’s daughter, and niece, respectively; and Mary Foxley Tilghman, daughter of the Secretary of State. The group heard the Naval Academy Band concert and afterward visited the commanding officer. The Superintendent, Admiral James H. Sands (1845-1911), was ill so they called on Capt. George P. Colvocoresses, the Commandant of Midshipman; the Captain had been at the dinner the previous evening.
Nolan and Tomlinson write:
When Mrs. Warfield arrived, there was a ride around the yard and a stop at Bancroft Hall, the largest building at the Academy and, among other things, the residence of the midshipmen. The group was shown the lead casket of John Paul Jones. “Here are the remains of John Paul Jones, lying right here in this casket,” the Sun reported someone’s exclaiming to Twain. “Is it possible,” he commented flatly, confusing even the ever-present reporters about whether or not he mean to be funny.
In the afternoon there was a parade in Twain’s honor, which he watched from the porch of the Superintendent’s temporary quarters [see insert], a house which still stands at the corner of Worden Field, where today as in the past midshipmen parade regularly. The whole brigade did not march, but the Teddy Bears (so named because they were the guard when Theodore Roosevelt attended President’s Day at the Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition). Looking at the drill, Twain remarked: “That is a sight somewhat incongruous with the principles of the Peace Congress” (American 11 May: 15). Whatever his reservations, they did not deter his enjoyment of the spectacle. The Academy band played, and the Evening Capital reporter discovered Twain pretending to march in time with the music (11 May: 1).
He smoked his cigar on the Superintendent’s porch, having received permission to do so from Mrs. Sands; but earlier in the day he had run afoul of the stringent Academy regulation banning all smoking in the yard, even by visitors [5]. Note: editorial emphasis on names. Sam referred to the National Arbitration and Peace Conference, which was held on April 14-17, 1907 at Carnegie Hall. See also the interview (which took place on May 10) of the Baltimore American, May 11, “As Mark Twain Watched Drill,” p.15, in Scharnhorst p. 595-600; also other interviews and articles in source.
The New York Times, May 11, p.1 ran a special datelined Annapolis, Md. May 10:
OXFORD DEGREE FOR TWAIN.
———
University Will Make Humorist a Bachelor of Letter.
Special to The New York Times.
ANNAPOLIS, May 10.—Samuel L. Clemens, Mark Twain, who is a guest here of Gov. Warfield, announced today that he was going to England to be honored by a degree.
“I got a cablegram from the other side telling me that if I went over to Oxford University, the degree of Bachelor of Letters would be conferred on me,” he said. I wrote a telegram accepting the honor, and saying that I would said in the latter part of June.”
The humorist visited the Naval Academy today in company with Mrs. Warfield and a party of friends.
The party went through the hall to where the body of Paul Jones lies flanked on one side by a pointing of the Revolutionary hero by Miss Cecilia Beaux.
“That,” said Commander Dayton, “is the body of Paul Jones.”
“Is it possible?” exclaimed Twain innocently. I know Miss Beaux, who made the painting, very well, and remember perfectly the day Jones sat for this picture. I met here later in London, and on the other side of the table—I was always eating in those days—was Whistler, the great painter. I was talking thirteen words to the dozen and Whistler was talking fourteen. Finally I got tired of his interruptions, and, turning to Miss Beaux, I said, ‘Who is that noisy person over there?’ ‘That’s funny,’ she replied, ‘he just asked me the same thing about you.”
While puffing a cigar and looking at two cannons captured from the French, the guard warned the humorist of rules against smoking.
“Arrested again!” Twain exclaimed, but he clung to his cigar behind his back. “Constituted constabulary will run this country yet.” Then, as he thought it over, he said: “Still, that’s right. I might set fire to this place, smoking around this stone and cannon and inflammable stuff.”
Note: the May 3 cable from Whitelaw Reid that informed Sam of his Oxford degree nomination was sent in care of Harper & Brothers, N.Y. It may be that the cable was not opened or disclosed to Sam’s publisher at that time, or that he swore them to silence so he might announce the news in Annapolis.
At 8:20 p.m. Sam arrived 20 minutes late and gave a talk at the Government House, Annapolis Maryland. Fatout writes:
In Annapolis to deliver a benefit lecture, probably a series of anecdotes, Mark Twain spent part of his leisure time rambling around the Naval Academy and getting caught smoking in a sector where, as sailors put it, the smoking lamp was out. Then he was feted at dinner by the governor, assorted politicos and other important people at the official residence. Called upon to speak, naturally the guest of honor responded in good form [MT Speaking 550]. Note: italics are Fatout’s.
Nolan and Tomlinson confirm Fatout’s above phrase, that Sam gave a “series of anecdotes,” including a variation on the watermelon story. He also told of memories of going fishing as a boy, the story of the corpse in his father’s office, the Mexican plug tale, and Grandfather’s Old Ram [6]. Note: See also NY Times, May 12, p.4, “Mighty Mark Twain Overawes Marines”. In his May 14 to Jean Sam gives the audience at 1000 to 1,200 people at $2 per head, “no expenses & not a word of advertising.”
Afterward there was “an informal reception in the west parlor and drawing room of the Government House” and “he greeted visitors; at the end of the line were three girls who were house guests of the Governor and Mrs. Warfield. ‘So entranced was he with their beauty,” the Sun reported, ‘that the humorist tried to hug all of them at the same time.’ When they sat down, he gathered them about him on a small settee and told them funny stories (11 May: 10)” [ibid.] Note: Sam put the crowd here to 200 and bragged of kissing “a few girls” [May 14 to Jean].
Isabel Lyon’s journal: “When I went to the King’s room at onc o’clock, after the morning, he was in despair & said we’ve got to get away from here. I never could say until Monday” [MTP TS 56]. Note: it’s possible that with all the newspaper men following his every move, Sam became over-tired. In his May 14 to Jean, he claimed he was “dead with fatigue.” Perhaps he also did not look forward to being back in a Presbyterian pew.