November 2 Monday – Gribben gives us a nugget from Sam’s A.D. for the day regarding George Bernard Shaw: “Mark Twain was aghast that Shaw’s biographer ‘wildly imagined a lot of resemblances’ between Shaw’s philosophy and Twain’s ‘What is Man?’ (2 November 1908 AD, MTP)” [638].
Isabel Lyon’s journal: This morning a letter from Mr. Norris telling of his sending “What is Man?” to David Grayson and Tolstoy has inspired the King to dictation. He came into my room in his red silk gown, and seated by the window said that his head was bursting with fancies that he had no physical ability to give birth to. Oh why couldn’t he live until the time when a man’s thoughts could be taken down by the wonderful, the simple machine that is to be invented— perhaps is invented and all you have to do is to turn the crank of it and the grey cloud of thought will come back to you visualized, verbalized as it existed in the brain, before the machine delivered it. There he sat, with eyes flashing and deploring the fact that the great giant within him would be strangled at birth, and its force expended in disrupted temper. The King regrets so that Tolstoy is a Christian—“A Hell of a Christian” [MTP: IVL TS 77]. Note: Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828-1910).
Doubleday, Page & Co. wrote to advise they were sending a set of Little Masterpieces of Autobiography, edited by George Iles. No obligation, but they’d appreciate any statement [MTP; not in Gribben]. Note: “Ans. Nov. 6 MLH”
Frederick A. Duneka wrote to accept an invitation for him and wife to visit next weekend [MTP].
George P. Mains for Methodist Book Concern, NYC wrote to invite Sam to address “a very large rally of Methodists” on Nov. 18 [MTP]. Note: “Ans. Nov. 3 MLH”
Gladys West, a sixteen year old wrote from York, England to ask an autograph; also one for a friend [MTP]. Note: “2 autographs sent Nov 13 MLH”