Explanatory Notes
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MTPDocEd
Autobiographical Dictation, 5 September 1906 ❉ Textual Commentary

Source documents.

TS1 ribbon      Typescript, leaves numbered 1249–56, made from Hobby’s notes and revised.
TS1 carbon      Typescript carbon, leaves numbered 1249–56, revised.
NAR 19pf      Galley proofs of NAR 19, typeset from the revised TS1 carbon (the same extent as NAR 19), ViU.
NAR 19      North American Review 185 (7 June 1907), 247–51: ‘Wednesday . . . 1906’ (222 title); ‘It is . . . a friend.” ’ (222.28–225.30)

Clemens revised TS1 ribbon. Lyon transferred his revisions to TS1 carbon; Clemens then made a further round of revisions to TS1 carbon, to prepare an NAR installment. He made no marks on the galley proofs. This dictation was published in NAR with excerpts from the ADs of 21 December, 19 November, and 30 November 1906.

Marginal Notes on TS1 carbon Concerning Publication in NAR

Location on TS Writer, Medium Exact Inscription Explanation
TS1 carbon, p. 1249 SLC, ink iv
From Children’s “Record.” Use it—the whole of it.
use as the fourth section of the NAR installment
TS1 carbon, p. 1249 SLC, ink 2 Review pages. number of NAR pages
TS1 carbon, p. 1249 Munro, pencil summary paragraph deleted  
Wednesday, September 5, 1906textual note

Items from thetextual note Children’s Record,textual note showing their different characteristics.

It is years since I have examined thetextual note Children’s Record.textual note I have turned over a few of its pages this morning. This book is a record in which Mrs. Clemens and I registered some of the sayings and doings of the children, in the long ago, when they were little chapsexplanatory note. Of coursetextual note we wrote these things down at the time because they were of momentary interest—things of the passing hour, and of no permanent value—but at this distant day I find that they still possess an interest for me and also a value, because it turns out that they were registrations of charactertextual note. The qualities then revealed by fitful glimpses, in childish acts and speeches, remained as a permanency in the children’s characterstextual note in the drift of the years, and were always afterward clearly and definitely recognizable.

There is a masterful streak in Jean that now and then moves her to set my authority [begin page 223] aside for a moment and end a losing argument in that prompt and effective fashion. And here in this old book I find evidence that she was just like that before she was quite four years old.

From the Children’s Record.

Quarry Farm,
July 7, 1884.textual note

Yesterday evening our cows (after being inspected and worshipedtextual note by Jean from the shed rooftextual note for an hour,) wandered off down into the pasture, and left her bereft. I thought I was going to get back home, now, but that was an error. Jean knew of some more cows, in a field somewhere, and took my hand and led me thitherward. When we turned the corner and took the right-hand road, I saw that we should presently be out of range of call and sight; so I began to argue against continuing the expedition, and Jean began to argue in favor of it—she using English for light skirmishing, and German for “business.” I kept up my end with vigor, and demolished her arguments in detail, one after the other, till I judged I had her about cornered. She hesitated a moment, then answered up sharply:

“Wir werden nichts mehr darüber sprechen!”textual note (We won’t talk any more about it!textual note)

It nearly took my breath away; though I thought I might possibly have misunderstood. I said:

“Why, you little rascal! Was hast du gesagt?textual note

But she said the same words over again, and in the same decided way. I suppose I ought to have been outraged; but I wasn’t, I was charmed. And I suppose I ought to have spanked her; but I didn’t, I fraternized with the enemy, and we went on and spent half an hour with the cows.

That incident is followed in the Recordtextual note by the following paragraph, which is another instance of a juvenile characteristic maintaining itself into mature age. Susy was persistently and conscientiously truthful throughout her life,textual note with the exception of onetextual note interruption covering several months, and perhaps a year. This was while she was still a little child. Suddenly—not gradually—she began to lie; not furtively, but frankly, openly, and on a scale quite disproportioned to her size. Her mother was so stunned, so nearly paralysedtextual note for a day or two, that she did not know what to do with the emergency. Reasonings, persuasions, beseechings, all went for nothing; they produced no effect; the lying went tranquilly on. Other remedies were tried, but they failed. There is a tradition that success was finally accomplished by whipping. I think the Recordtextual note says so, but if it does it is because the Recordtextual note is incomplete. Whipping was indeedtextual note tried, and was faithfully kept up during two or three weeks, but the results were merely temporary; thetextual note reforms achieved were discouragingly brief.

Fortunately for Susy, an incident presently occurred which put a complete stop to all the mother’s efforts in the direction of reform. This incident was the chance discovery in Darwin of a passage which said that when a child exhibits a sudden and unaccountable disposition to forsake the truth and restrict itself to lying, the explanation must be sought away back in the past; that an ancestor of the child had had the same disease, at the same tender age; that it was irremovable by persuasion or punishment, and that it [begin page 224] had ceased as suddenly and as mysteriously as it had come, when it had run its appointed course. I think Mr. Darwin said that nothing was necessary but to leave the matter alone and let the malady have its way and perish by the statute of limitationsexplanatory note.

We had confidence in Darwin,textual note and after that daytextual note Susy was relieved of our reformatory persecutions. She went on lying without let or hindrance during several months, or a year; then the lying suddenly ceased, and she became as conscientiously and exactingly truthful as she had been before the attack, and she remained so to the end of her life.textual note

The paragraph in the Recordtextual note to which I have been leading up is in my handwriting, andtextual note is of a date so long posterior to the time of the lying-maladytextual note that she had evidently forgotten that truth-speakingtextual note had ever had any difficulties for her.

Mama was speaking of a servant who had been pretty unveracious, but was now “trying to tell the truth.” Susy was a good deal surprised, and said she shouldn’t think anybody would have to try to tell the truth.

In the Recordtextual note the children’s acts and speeches quite definitely define their characters. Susy’s indicated the presence of mentality—thought—and they were generally marked by gravity. She was timid, on her physical side, but had an abundance of moral courage. Clara was sturdy, independent, orderly, practical, persistent, plucky—just a little animal, and very satisfactory. Charles Dudley Warner said Susy was made of mind, and Clara of matter.

When Motley, the kitten, died, some one said that the thoughts of the two children need not be inquired into, they could be divined:textual note that Susy was wondering if this was the end textual note of Motley, and had his life been worth while; whereas Clara was merelytextual note interested in seeing to it that there should be a creditable funeral.

In those days Susy was a dreamer, a thinker, a poet and philosopher, and Clara——textual notewell, Clara wasn’t. In after years a passion for music developed the latent spirituality and intellectualitytextual note in Clara, and her practicality took second and, in fact, even third place, with the result that nowadays she loses purses and fans, and neglects things, and forgets orders, with a poet’s facility.textual note Jean was from the beginning orderly, steady, diligent, persistent; and remains so. She picked up languages easily, and kept them.

After ten years of unremitting labor under the best masters, domestic and foreign, Clara will make her public début as a singer on the concert stage seventeen days henceexplanatory note.textual note

Susy textual note aged eleven, Jean three. textual note Susy said the other day when she saw Jean bringing a cat to me of her own motion, “Jean has found out already that mamma loves morals and papa loves cats.”

It is another of Susy’s remorselessly sound verdicts.textual note

As a child, Jean neglected my books. When she was nine years old Will Gilletteexplanatory note invited her and the rest of us to a dinner at the Murray Hill Hotel in New York, in order that we might get acquainted with Mrs. Leslie and her daughters. Elsie Leslie was nine years old, and was a great celebrity on the stageexplanatory note. Jean was astonished and awed to see that little slip of a thing sit up at table and take part in the conversation of the grown [begin page 225] people, capably and with ease and tranquillitytextual note. Poor Jean was obliged to keep still, for the subjects discussed never happened to hit her level;textual note but at last the talk fell within her limit and she had her chance to contribute to it. “Tom Sawyer” was mentioned. Jean spoke gratefully up and said,

“I know who wrote that book—textual noteHarriet Beecher Stowe!textual note

Onetextual note evening Susy had prayed, Clara was curled up for sleep; she was reminded that it was her turn to pray now. She said “Ohtextual note one’s enough,” and dropped off to slumber.

Clara five years old. textual note We were in Germany. The nurse, Rosaexplanatory note, was not allowed to speak to the children otherwise than in German. Clara grew very tired of it; by and by the little creature’s patience was exhausted, and she said “Aunt Clara,textual note I wish textual note God had made Rosa in English.”

November 30, 1878. textual note Clara four years old, Susy six. textual note This morning when Clara discovered that this is my birthday, she was greatly troubled because she had provided no gift for me, and repeated her sorrow several times. Finally she went musing to the nursery and presently returned with her newest and dearest treasure, a large toy horse, and saidtextual note “You shall have this horse for your birthday, papa.”

I accepted it with many thanks. After an hour she was racing up and down the room with the horse, when Susy said,

“Why Clara, you gave that horse to papa, and now you’ve tooken it again.”

Clara. textual note “Itextual note never give it to him for always textual note; I give it to him for his birthday textual note.”

In Geneva, in September, I lay abed late one morning,textual note and as Clara was passing through the room I took her on my bed a moment. Then the child went to Clara Spaulding and said,

“Aunt Clara, papa is a good deal of trouble to me.”

“Is he? Why?”

“Well, he wants me to get in bed with him, and I can’t do that with jelmulstextual note (gentlemen)textual note—I don’t like jelmulstextual note anyway.”

“What, you don’t like gentlemen! Don’t you like Uncle Theodore Crane?”

“Oh yes, but he’s not a jelmultextual note, he’s a friend.”

Textual Notes Wednesday, September 5, 1906
  Wednesday, September 5, 1906 ●  Wednesday, Sept. 5, 1906. (TS1 ribbon)  Wednesday Dictated, Sept. 5, 1906. dateline marked to precede ‘It is’ at 222.28 (TS1 carbon-SLC)  [Dictated September 5, 1906.] placed before ‘It is’ at 222.28 (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  the ●  “The (TS1 ribbon, TS1 carbon) 
  Record, ●  Book Record,” (TS1 ribbon-SLC, TS1 carbon-Lyon) 
  the ●  “The (TS1 ribbon, TS1 carbon, NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  Record. ●  Book Record.” (TS1 ribbon-SLC)  Book.” Record.”  (TS1 carbon-Lyon)  Record.” (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  course ●  course (TS1 ribbon)  course,  (TS1 carbon-Munro)  course, (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  registrations of character  ●  registrations of character (TS1 ribbon)  registrations of character ‘registrations of character’ underscored  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  registrations of character  (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  permanency in the children’s characters in the drift of the years, ●  permanency, in the children’s characters in the drift of the years,  (TS1 ribbon-SLC, TS1 carbon-Lyon)  permanency in the children’s characters in the drift of the years, (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  From the Children’s Record. | Quarry Farm, | July 7, 1884. ●  From The Children’s Book Record. | Quarry Farm. , | July 7, 1884. (TS1 ribbon-SLC)  From The Chidren’s Book Record. | Quarry Farm. | July 7, 1884. revised by Lyon; dateline marked to precede ‘Yesterday’ at 223.7 by SLC; ‘From The Children’s Record.’ underscored by Munro  (TS1 carbon-Lyon + SLC + Munro)  From The Children’s Record. Quarry Farm, July 7, 1884.placed to precede ‘Yesterday’ at 223.7  (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  worshiped ●  worshiped (TS1 ribbon)  worshipped (TS1 carbon-Munro)  worshipped (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  roof ●  roof  (TS1 ribbon-SLC)  not in  (TS1 carbon, NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  “Wir werden nichts mehr darüber sprechen!” ●  “Wir werden kein nichtsmehr daru über sprechen!” umlaut added  (TS1 ribbon-SLC)  “Wir werden kein nichts mehr daru ü ber sprechen!” revision by Lyon, umlaut added; ‘ “Wir . . . sprechen!” ’ underscored by Munro  (TS1 carbon-Lyon + Munro)  “Wir werden nichts mehr darüber sprechen!” (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  it! ●  it. (TS1 ribbon)  it. ! period mended to an exclamation point  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  it! (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  Was hast du gesagt? ●  Was hast du gesagt? (TS1 ribbon)  Was hast du gesagt? ‘Was hast du gesagt?’ underscored  (TS1 carbon-Munro)  Was hast du gesagt?  (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  Record ●  “Record” (TS1 ribbon, TS1 carbon, NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  life, ●  life,  (TS1 ribbon-SLC)  life (TS1 carbon, NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  one ●  a (TS1 ribbon)  a one  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  one (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  paralysed ●  paralyzed (TS1 ribbon, TS1 carbon, NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  Record ●  “Record” (TS1 ribbon)  Record  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  Record (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  Record ●  record (TS1 ribbon)  r Record (TS1 carbon-SLC)  Record (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  indeed ●  indeed  (TS1 ribbon-SLC, TS1 carbon-Lyon)  indeed (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  temporary; the ●  temporary; . T the period mended to a semicolon  (TS1 ribbon-SLC, TS1 carbon-Lyon)  temporary; the (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  Darwin, ●  Darwin,  (TS1 ribbon-SLC, TS1 carbon-Lyon)  Darwin, (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  day ●  day  (TS1 ribbon-SLC, TS1 carbon-Lyon)  day (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  end of her life. ●  end. (TS1 ribbon)  end. of her life.  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  end of her life. (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  Record ●  “Record,” (TS1 ribbon)  Record,  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  Record (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  is in my handwriting, and ●  not in  (TS1 ribbon)  is in my handwriting, and  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  is in my handwriting, and (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  lying-malady ●  lying-malady (TS1 ribbon-SLC)  lying malady (TS1 carbon, NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  truth-speaking ●  truth-speaking (TS1 ribbon-SLC, TS1 carbon-Lyon)  truth-speaking (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  Record ●  “Record” (TS1 ribbon)  Record  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  Record (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  divined: ●  divined— (TS1 ribbon)  divined :  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  divined: (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  end  ●  end ‘end’ underscored  (TS1 ribbon-SLC, TS1 carbon-Lyon)  end  (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  merely ●  merely  (TS1 ribbon-SLC, TS1 carbon-Lyon)  merely (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  Clara—— ●  Clara—— (TS1 ribbon, TS1 carbon)  Clara— (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  and intellectuality ●  not in  (TS1 ribbon)  and intellectuality  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  and intellectuality (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  place, with the . . . poet’s facility. ●  place, with the . . . poet’s facility. (TS1 ribbon)  place, with the . . . poet’s facility.  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  place. (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  After ten . . . masters, domestic and foreign, . . . days hence. ●  After ten . . . masters, . . . days hence. (TS1 ribbon)  After ten . . . masters, domestic and foreign, . . . days hence. revised, then deleted, then marked for restoration with the instruction ‘STET’, and then deleted again  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  not in  (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  [¶] Susy  ●  From the Children’s Record. [¶] Susy  (TS1 ribbon)  From the Children’s Record. [¶] Susy  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  [¶] Susy  (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  three.  ●  three.  (TS1 ribbon, TS1 carbon)  three.—  (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  [¶] It is another of Susy’s remorselessly sound verdicts. ●  not in  (TS1 ribbon)  ¶ It is another of Susy’s remorselessly sound verdicts.  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  [¶] It is another of Susy’s remorselessly sound verdicts. (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  tranquillity ●  tranquility (TS1 ribbon)  tranquillity (TS1 carbon-Munro)  tranquillity (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  level; ●  level, ; comma mended to a semicolon  (TS1 ribbon-SLC)  level, (TS1 carbon, NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  book— ●  book,  (TS1 ribbon-SLC, TS1 carbon-Lyon)  book— (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  Stowe! ●  Stowe. (TS1 ribbon)  Stowe. ! period mended to an exclamation point  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  Stowe! (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  [¶] One ●  From the Children’s Record. [¶] One (TS1 ribbon)  From the Children’s Record. [¶] One (TS1 carbon-SLC)  [¶] One (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  Oh ●  Oh (TS1 ribbon)  Oh!  (TS1 carbon-Munro)  Oh! (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  old.  ●  old.  (TS1 ribbon, TS1 carbon)  old.—  (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  Clara, ●  Clara (TS1 ribbon)  Clara,  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  Clara, (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  wish  ●  wish ‘wish’ underscored  (TS1 ribbon-SLC)  wish (TS1 carbon, NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  November 30, 1878.  ●  November 30, 1878.  (TS1 ribbon)  November 30, 1878.  (TS1 carbon-SLC)  not in  (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  six.  ●  six.  (TS1 ribbon, TS1 carbon)  six.—  (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  said ●  said (TS1 ribbon)  said,  (TS1 carbon-Munro)  said, (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  Clara.  ●  Clara.  (TS1 ribbon, TS1 carbon)  Clara.—  (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  “I ●  I (TS1 ribbon)  I (TS1 carbon-Munro)  “I (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  always  ●  always ‘always’ underscored  (TS1 ribbon-SLC)  always (TS1 carbon, NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  birthday  ●  birthday ‘birthday’ underscored  (TS1 ribbon-SLC)  birthday (TS1 carbon, NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  morning, ●  morning,  (TS1 ribbon-SLC, TS1 carbon-Lyon)  morning, (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  jelmuls ●  gelmuls (TS1 ribbon)  g jelmuls (TS1 carbon-SLC)  jelmuls (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  (gentlemen) ●  (gentlemen) (TS1 ribbon, TS1 carbon)  [gentlemen] (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  jelmuls ●  gelmuls (TS1 ribbon)  g jelmuls (TS1 carbon-SLC)  jelmuls (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
  jelmul ●  gelmul (TS1 ribbon)  g jelmul (TS1 carbon-SLC)  jelmul (NAR 19pf, NAR 19) 
Explanatory Notes Wednesday, September 5, 1906
 

It is years . . . little chaps] Clemens and Olivia began “the Children’s Record,” which Clemens titled “A Record of the Small Foolishnesses of Susie & ‘Bay’ Clemens (Infants),” in August 1876, when Susy was four years old and Clara was two; Jean was not yet born. The last entry was dated 7 June 1885 (SLC 1876–85). The seven anecdotes given in this dictation, however, are not all from the “Record”: two closely follow an 1884 manuscript headed “At the Farm” (CU-MARK), while one other has not been found in any document.

 

Mr. Darwin said that nothing was necessary . . . statute of limitations] Darwin, in his “Biographical Sketch of an Infant,” described his young son’s beginning to lie:

I met him coming out of the same room, and he was eyeing his pinafore which he had carefully rolled up; and again his manner was so odd that I determined to see what was within his pinafore, notwithstanding that he said there was nothing and repeatedly commanded me to “go away,” and I found it stained with pickle-juice; so that here was carefully planned deceit. As this child was educated solely by working on his good feelings, he soon became as truthful, open, and tender, as anyone could desire. (Darwin 1877, 292)

 

Clara will make her public début as a singer . . . seventeen days hence] See the Autobiographical Dictations of 3 October and 4 October 1906.

 

Will Gillette] The actor and dramatist, brother of Lilly Gillette Warner (see AutoMT1 , 336, 584 n. 336.18).

 

Mrs. Leslie and her daughters. Elsie Leslie . . . a great celebrity on the stage] Evelyn Lyde (b. 1849) became known as Mrs. Leslie after her daughters’ stage names, Elsie and Dora Leslie. Elsie Leslie Lyde (1879–1966) and her sister Eda (Dora) O. Lyde (b. 1873) joined the theatrical company of Joseph Jefferson, a family friend, in 1885 after the failure of their father’s business. Jean met Elsie sometime in 1889; by that time Elsie had become famous for her role in Editha’s Burglar (1887), which she first played on Broadway and then (with William Gillette as the burglar) in the traveling company; and for her lead role in Little Lord Fauntleroy (1888). She became a friend of the Clemens family’s and in early 1890 appeared on Broadway in the dual role of the Prince and Tom Canty in Abby Sage Richardson’s dramatization of The Prince and the Pauper, in which her sister also appeared as Princess Elizabeth (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration 1795–1905, Roll 468, passport applications for Evelyn and Eda Lyde, issued 26 May 1896; Newark Census 1880, 779:224C; Lyde 1889, 372, 374; RGB/CL 2011; Odell 1927–49, 14:263–64).

 

Rosa] Rosina Hay.