Adam Monument Proposal—Documents
The petition is written in ornate calligraphy on two sheets of legal paper and is attached with brads to a legal-style folder, on which is written “Petition of F. G. Hall and others of Elmira N.Y. relating to the proposed monument to Adam.” Since the petition is not in Mark Twain's hand, errors in spelling and punctuation have been silently corrected. The list of the 94 signatures it bears is not included here but may be found in Paine's biography.1
Petition to the Honorable Senate and House
To the Honorable Senate and
House of Representatives
of the United States in
Congress Assembled:
Whereas A number of citizens of the City of Elmira in the State of New York, having covenanted among themselves to erect in that city a monument in memory of Adam the father of mankind, being moved thereto by a sentiment of love and duty, and these having appointed the undersigned to communicate with your honorable body, we beg leave to lay before you the following facts and append to the same our humble petition
[begin page 450] 1. As far as is known, no monument has ever been raised in any part of the world, to commemorate the services rendered to our race by this great man, whilst many men of far less note and worship have been rendered immortal by means of stately and indestructible memorials.2. The common father of mankind has been suffered to lie in entire neglect, although even the Father of our Country has now and has had for many years, a monument in course of construction.
3. No right feeling human being can desire to see this neglect continued, but all just men, even to the farthest regions of the globe, should and will rejoice to know that he to whom we owe existence is about to have reverent and fitting recognition of his works at the hands of the people of Elmira. His labors were not in behalf of one locality but for the extension of humanity at large and the blessings which go therewith; hence all races and all colors and all religions are interested in seeing that his name and fame shall be placed beyond the reach of the blight of oblivion by a permanent and suitable monument.
4. It will be to the imperishable credit of the United States if this monument shall be set up within her borders, moreover, it will be a peculiar grace to the beneficiary, if this testimonial of affection and gratitude shall be the gift of the youngest of the nations that have sprung from his loins, after 6000 years of unappreciation on the part of its elders.
5. The idea of this sacred enterprise having originated in the City of Elmira, she will be always grateful if the general government shall encourage her in the good work by securing to her a certain advantage through the exercise of its great authority.
Therefore, your petitioners beg that your honorable body will be pleased to issue a decree restricting to Elmira the right to build a monument to Adam, and inflicting a heavy penalty upon any other community within the United States that shall propose or attempt to erect a monument or other memorial to the said Adam, and to this end we will ever pray.
The petition bears 94 signatures, some of which are identifiable as those of Elmira residents.
Mrs. Hawley's letter was enclosed with the returned petition in an official House of Representatives envelope addressed to Clemens in Elmira, N.Y.
Letter, Harriet W. Hawley to Clemens, 25 June 1880
Guilford, Conn.
June 25th, 80
Dear Sir—
Just as he was leaving for England, my husband gave me this petition, requesting me to return it to you. He said he was sorry not to present it to Congress, but, on showing it to several of the Members both of the House and Senate, they unanimously advised against it, saying that they thought “it would not do”—and at last he decided to return it to you. I may be permitted to beg for myself, that I am very sorry, for I really think it would have been a good thing for Congress in various ways! However, I suppose it can go into the papers just as well, and perhaps be just as much of an advertisement.—
I was sorry not to see Mrs Clemens when I was in Hartford last week, but I hope she is “cool and comfortable” in Elmira, which is much better than Hartford in such weather as this. Please give my love to her, and believe me
Sincerely your friend
Harriet W. Hawley.
Mark Twain rejected the manuscript by tearing it in two lengthwise.
Proposal for Renewal of the Adam Monument Petition
Now that the Presbytery has turned down a pair of young applicants for places in the ministry because they believed Adam to be a myth, I feel encouraged to resume my effort of twenty years ago and try once more to get justice done to our common ancestor—justice in the form of a monument. We have raised monuments to less worthy men, and it is no credit to us that we have so long neglected this one, to whom we owe so much. Putting aside his other merits and distinctions, we should build him a costly and noble monument to mark our recognition of his intellectual greatness. We [begin page 452] cannot blind ourselves to the plain fact that his was incomparably the greatest brain the world has ever produced. We pay a due and willing homage to certain splendid names: Socrates, Aristotle, Homer, Alexander, Caesar, Cicero, Shakspeare, Napoleon, Humboldt, Darwin, Herbert Spencer—intellectual giants we call them, and rightly; yet in mental stature the best of them was but a dwarf by contrast with Adam.
These great men knew all that men can know—it was their limit; but Adam knew more. He knew all things, and more than all.