Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910. More than just an author of wonderful books, Mark Twain is quite a man of personal conviction. His pen name came from his days of being a steamboat 'pilot' on the Mississippi for over two years. 'Mark Twain' was the cry for a measured river depth of two fathoms and is reflective of his depth of character and personality. Click on a number of the provided links and see what an 'anti-imperialist' he was as he was a serious man of thought. Yet Twain's humor never failed him, having an honesty about it expressed by his tough-in-cheek wit, which could hit home faster and stronger than any set of directly stated feelings. Once upon a request to record a Christmas message on an early gramophone he did so with this, “It is my heart-warm and world-embracing Christmas hope and aspiration that all of us, the high, the low, the rich, the poor, and admired, the despised, the loved, the hated, the civilized, the savage—every man and woman of us all throughout the whole earth—may eventually be gathered in a heaven of everlasting rest and peace and bliss, except the inventor of the telephone."
Even Twain's literary works expressed his ideals and opinions on matters. It
is of interest that of all his works, it was Huckleberry Finn that was
banned
from
a library. The reasoning seemed to stem around the fact that it was improper
for a white child to have such a relationship with a black slave as Huck had
with Jim. Social reform and what was proper was on Twain's mind, and he
expressed it. While not always in agreement with all of his views, one has
to admire the man for the manner and with what wit he expressed them.
"Humor is the great thing, the saving thing after all. The minute it crops up all our hardness yield, all our irritations and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place." - Mark Twain. You don't have to agree with a person to hear and understand their views. You don't have to believe the same way another man does to laugh with them and feel what they feel. Humor is the great communicator. It can express your feelings to another who might be otherwise antagonized by your views. Tolerance for each other exists in the humor and in the comedy of life. One of the greatest losses to man is to lose that sense of humor."
Get to know Mr. Twain from his writings and life. Browse through the various connects that are below on the net. Let me know if you find him as impressive an image of a great humorist and person as I do. Enjoy!
Riding
the Overland Stage, 1861
Mark Twain on the Philippine's Moro
The Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly ExaggeratedJim Blaine and His Grandfather's Old Ram
The Diaries of Adam and Eve - PDF
Improvement of English Spelling
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Life on the Mississippi - PDF File
Being a true blue red blooded 'Mormon', I cannot leave Mark Twain without a reflection on his self guided exposure to the Book of Mormon. Many an anti-mormon likes to quote from it, throwing hypocritical stones in their own houses of glass, as though Mark Twain was God's own voice concerning it, Himself. Mark Twain, according to the Catholic News, "did not believe in the existence of heaven and hell, the immortality of the soul nor the divinity of Jesus Christ. He was highly skeptical of the Bible's contents, and although he professed belief in God, he frequently questioned God's Motives." I'd not be so hard on Mark Twain or should I say Samuel L. Clemens. It was difficult for an honest objective man to consider any such 'Traditionally Based Christian Church' as being a Church of God. I'd rather think that Mark Twain was not accepting of any such organized religion which he considered out to profit from the use of the name of God. To this end I do find his 'self exposure' to the LDS faith interesting, but hardly would I consider it a testimony from God to be used by other such 'Christian Groups' who Mr. Twain would fault and distastefully spew out as well. His is not to be taken and quoted as to being God's own word upon the matter, though some may use selectively Twain's words to tear others down, all the time while they totally ignore any such same lines of Twain's opinioned speech against themselves as being of naught. In short, dispite Mark Twain's states of record against the Christian behaviors of churched men, I do consider that deep within himself, Mark Twain not only believed in God, but was a Christian as well. He just did not approve of how men practiced their religions.
When one considers Mark Twain's reviews of the Bible in his writings, one finds as many faults there as ever with the Book of Mormon. Twain is not very kind to organized religion. And as for the truth of God, he does not consider he needs to be.
Huck Finn ~ Mark Twain ~ and ~ The Bible
While this is an interesting observation by Twain during his time, it would be of more interest to me to hear what witticism he would come up with to disclose his personal feelings on the free speech issue now facing the Web. It wouldn't matter whether he were for it or against it, it would be a joy to hear him express it.
