5 October 1875 • Hartford, Conn. (MS: MoSW, UCCL 01268)
I beg to wish the best success & a long career of usefulness to the Infant Asylum. But words are empty—deeds are what show the earnest spirit. Therefore I am willing to be one of a thousand citizens who shall agree to contribute two or more of their children to this enterprise. I do not make this offer in order that I may appear gaudy & lavish in the eyes of the world, but only to help a worthy cause to the best of my ability.1explanatory note
Mark Twain
From 6 through 11 December 1875 a fair to raise funds for the Massachusetts Infant Asylum was held in Boston’s Horticultural Hall. Clemens’s letter was included in a “Book of Autographs,” called “one of the most valuable collections of notable names ever brought together” (Boston Evening Transcript, 10 Dec 75, 4). The book, valued at a thousand dollars, was awarded to a raffle winner by the Jamaica Plain table, which was presided over by Miss Adam, Mrs. Charles L. Peirson, and Mrs. S. B. Frothingham. Mrs. Peirson or Mrs. Frothingham may have been the addressee of this letter. The fair earned fourteen thousand dollars for the Infant Asylum, which cared for forty children, and had “expanded from a private charity into a public institution.” The proceeds were to be used to “cover the expense of moving into the new building erected for the Asylum” and to “carry on the good work.” Clemens’s letter was published in several newspapers before the fair closed, including the New York Times and World, and the Boston Post (see the textual commentary; Boston Globe: “The Infant Asylum Fair,” 7 Dec 75, 8; 8 Dec 75, 5; Boston Evening Transcript: “The Fair in Aid of the Massachusetts Infant Asylum,” 6 Dec 75, 8; “Brieflets,” 13 Dec 75, 1).
MS, George N. Meissner Collection, Washington University, St. Louis (MoSW).
L6 , 549; “Mark Twain’s Contribution,” New York Times, 9 Dec 75, 2; “Letter from Mark Twain,” New York World, 10 Dec 75, 6, reprinting the Boston Post of unknown date; AAA/Anderson 1938, lot 56.
donated in about 1960 by the family of businessman and collector George N. Meissner (1872–1960). When offered for sale in 1938 the MS was part of the collection of Alfred C. Meyer.
More information on provenance may be found in Description of Provenanceclick to open link.