(1890s)
The Jews had appealed to Clemens' imagination from the time that he had attended Dawson's school in Hannibal. He later recalled, “In that school were the first Jews I had ever seen. It took me a good while to get over the awe of it. To my fancy they were clothed invisibly in the damp and cobwebby mold of antiquity. They carried me back to Egypt, and in imagination I moved among the Pharaohs and all the shadowy celebrities of that remote age.”1 He credited the Jews for generosity to others: “The Jew has always been benevolent. Suffering can always move a Jew's heart and tax his pocket to the limit.”2 In “To the Editor of the American Hebrew” (written in 1889 or 1890; see Appendix A), Clemens examined the basis of anti-Jewish prejudice and stressed the Jew's great qualities, as he did again in his essay “Concerning the Jews” (1898). This story largely avoids the patronizing tone, the didacticism, and the simplistic analysis of social attitudes that reduce the effectiveness of Clemens' essays on the topic.
Clemens used the paper of the manuscript in his correspondence in 1894, but he continued to use the ink until 1898, when, moreover, his interest in Jews was still strong. Thus, the work cannot be dated more precisely than Paine's “90's.” Mark Twain left the manuscript untitled.
Hath notⒶemendation a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us do we not bleed? if you tickle us do we not laugh? if you poison us do we not die?
—Merchant of Venice.
it was a group of elderly gentlemen. The talk had been running along in an intemperate way for some little time. The subject was a heating one—Ⓐalteration in the MSthe Jews. Clearly the Jew was well hated there. Finally old Mr. Randall, president of the Farmers' Bank,Ⓐemendation began to speak.
You have all known me a great many years, he said, but none of you has ever heard me say an ill wordⒶalteration in the MS about the Jews when I could think of a good one in place of it—and I always could. I have said the good word and suppressed the ill one for forty-four years, now; and I've done it for the sake of a Jew that I knew once, and for the sake of a thing which he did.Ⓐalteration in the MS I want to tell you about that thing. Before it happened I wasn't able to see any good thing in the JewsⒶalteration in the MS and didn't believe there was any good thing in them to see.
[begin page 285]It was in 1850. I was a brisk young man then, flying around trying to get a start in the world. I was a Marylander, and naturally full of variegated southern prides and self-complacenciesⒶalteration in the MS and aristocratic notions, and all that sort of thing, and I was feeling fine and ambitious and romantic, for I was on my first trip out into the big world. I was a long way from home, now—away down the Mississippi, passenger on a steamboat bound for New Orleans.
Among the passengers was a nigger-trader, who was also a professional gambler in his off hours, and a desperado whenⒶalteration in the MS occasion offered. I avoided his society of course.Ⓐalteration in the MS Then there was a young Jew—Rosenthal—handsome, courteous, intelligent, alert, good-hearted, but a Jew; so, naturally I kept away from him, too. Then there was a courtly old Virginian planter—Fairfax—plenty good enough to associate with me, but as he didn't offer any advances we remained apart. He had a beautiful daughter,Ⓐalteration in the MS a lovely young thing, sweet and winning.Ⓐalteration in the MS And she had a maid,—Judith—Ⓐalteration in the MSwho was almost as white andⒶalteration in the MS pretty as she was herself. These two girls had been reared together from the cradle; and although Judith had always been a servant and a slave, she and her mistress were about as affectionate toward each other as sisters.
By and by the nigger-trader—Hackett—got old Mr. Fairfax into a game of poker one night,Ⓐalteration in the MS to the surprise and distressⒶalteration in the MS of such of the passengers as were still up. This was about eleven o'clock. LuckⒶtextual note favored the trader, straight along; but the more money the simple old planter lost the more eager and excited and infatuated he became. The bystanders looked on absorbed but saying nothing. Their sympathies were with the planter, but they did not know how to interfere, or maybe did not want to risk it. Finally that young Jew asked Mr. Fairfax to let him take his place “until the luck should turn.” Hackett gave him a vicious look and said:
“Look here, young fellow, I'll thank you to keep yourself to yourself, and not meddle where you hain't got any business.”
“Excuse me, but it is my business.”
“It is, is it? How is it?”
“It's my business and it's anybody's business to interfere when an honest man is being robbed.”
The trader's face flushed, and he said, angrily:
[begin page 286]“Leave the place! I'll give you just half a minute to take yourself out of danger.”
The Jew said, mockingly:Ⓐalteration in the MS
“Thanks—many thanks. With your permission I will remain and sample the danger.”
The group of onlookers applauded, and the trader looked uncomfortable. He muttered a curse or two, and said:
“Stay as long as you want to. The thing'll keep. You'll settle with me in the morning”—and he went on with the game.
The bystanders ventured aⒶalteration in the MS derisive laugh, but the Jew merely nodded his satisfaction with the trader's proposal.
About half past threeⒶalteration in the MS o'clock there was a scene. Each player drew one card, and the betting began—with serene confidence on the part of the trader; with confidence but not serenity on the part of the planter, whose tones were hoarse and low, and whose breath came and went in gasps:
“Fifty.”
“I see it and go you a hundred better.”
“Two hundred better.”
“Three hundred better.”
And so on, the dozen spectators pressing around the players, all of them tense and excited, but no one speaking. Finally the planter pushed a bundle of notes to the pile on the table and said wearily:
“It's the last I've got.”
The trader's face lit victoriously,Ⓐalteration in the MS as he said:
“I raise you twelve hundred!”
The planter slumped back in his chair with a sort of groan. The trader smiled a smile of deep contentment, and reached for the stakes.
“Wait! Give me one more chance, for God's sake. Let me put up my girl Judith at twelve hundred and call you.”
“Done! WhatⒶalteration in the MS have you got?”
“Four kings.”
The trader laid down four aces and gathered in his spoil; then he said:
“The girl must be delivered now—on the spot.”
The old planter struggled feebly to his feet, moaning, and muttering [begin page 287] “Ah, my God, what have I done, what have I done!” and wandered away. All stood mute; no one thought of anything to say, but all pitied that old man. Presently he brought the slave girl, and she was crying and sobbing; and she looked timidly from face to face, asⒶalteration in the MS if hoping she might in her extremity find a friend and savior there. It was a pitiful thing to see. The traderⒶalteration in the MS took her by the wrist, saying “You will come with me, wench—you have a new master, now”—and tried to drag her away, she holding back and crying. The JewⒶalteration in the MS said, as if to himself:
“It is inhuman. By God it is fiendish. The man has no heart in his body.”
At this moment that young white girl burst among us like an angel out of heaven, and flung herself upon the other girl, crying passionately and winding her arms about her in a clinging embrace, and pouring out endearing names upon her, and saying she should not be taken away, she should not be tornⒶalteration in the MS from her home, she should not suffer this shame, this indignity; and oh, oh, oh, was there nobody to help, was there nobody to do anything?—and then she looked around, begging and pleading, just as the other had done.
Then the Jew said again, as if to himself, “It is enough to break a person's heart—Ⓐalteration in the MSit is a shame that such a thing can be.” Then he said to the poor old distressed planter:
“It is a bad business, but do not trouble about it. It can be made all right. I will buy the girl back and you can pay me another time, when it is convenient.”
Then they raised a cheer, the bystanders! And the young lady turned her thankful eyes upon him and was going to put her thankfulness into words, butⒶalteration in the MS before she could begin the trader fired up and shouted:
“Oh, you had your turn a while back, young man,Ⓐalteration in the MS and you thought you came out of it in great style, didn't you! But it's my turn, this time. Let's see you buy her back.”
The lights burned dim, now; the day was breaking. The Jew wasⒶalteration in the MS pale; well, he looked gray in that light; pale and gray; and it was from good wholesome anger, as it seemed to me.Ⓐalteration in the MS But he was a self-contained fellow. He didn't raise his voice or make any gestures. What he said he said in a persuasive way:
“Yes, it was my turn, and perhaps I didn't make the best use of it; [begin page 288] but that was between you and me and can be settled in another way—you won't let it prejudice the case of these others, who have not done you any harm or wanted to. Come, be fair; let the girl stay where she belongs; I will pay you the twelve hundred dollars.”
“N-no, sir!”—and the trader laughed at the young fellow. But the Jew was not disturbed. He kept his temper down, and said:
“I will give you fifteen hundred.”Ⓐalteration in the MS
The crowd cheered—it was a crowd by this time, for the passengers were flocking to the spot from everywhere down the long cabin, some of the male part of it putting their last things on as they came.
“Come—say you'll take fifteen hundred.”
“No, I won't. And that's the word with the bark on it.”
Then the Jew took a couple of steps and stood in front of the trader, and said:
“I've started in to get the girl back, and I will not fail.Ⓐalteration in the MS I've offered money twice, now I will offer something else. You shall have choice of arms, by virtue of—this!”Ⓐalteration in the MS
And he hit the trader a sounding blow on the mouth with the back of his hand. Then he turned, and said:
“Gentlemen, who of you will be my second?”
They all jumped for the chance, but I was in ahead. And they cheered that young Jew, and kept on cheering him till you would have thought itⒶalteration in the MS would raise the roof. The boat was landed straight off, and weⒶalteration in the MS four went ashore and entered the woods—the principals and their two seconds. It was a brief matter. There was a couple of sharp reports, then silence.
When the boat backed out and started away, we were all aboard again—Ⓐalteration in the MSexcept the nigger-trader. The slave girlⒶemendation was all right, now, and safe;Ⓐalteration in the MS for there was no bill of sale to tell tales; and the deadⒶalteration in the MS trader's heirs, if there wereⒶalteration in the MS any, would not get any information out of our passengers.
Now there are two or three things about that transaction which are fine, as I look at it. All those men present there, felt a deep pity for that young slave girl and a sincere desire to save her; but the Jew went further—he materialized his pity—put up his money to try to save her; he had a bigger heart than those others. There was one other way left, to [begin page 289] save the girl,Ⓐalteration in the MS but only the Jew was bright enough to think of it—he had the better head, you see. To kill the trader would leave everything as it was before the poker-game; so it was a neat idea to spring a duel on that fellow. If the others had thought of that plan, would they have materialized it? Would they have risked their lives on it? Well, the Jew did it. So heⒶemendation Ⓐalteration in the MS held over those others in pluck you seeⒶalteration in the MS. If he had killed his man in a mere fight, the courts would have taken the matter up; but in those days he could kill him in a duel and go free. He was smart—smart all around—perfectly level-headed and in hisⒶalteration in the MS right mind all the time, you see—a very superior man. And the finest thing of all was his risking his life out of pure humanity onⒶalteration in the MS such unequal terms: his life—a man's life—against a mere animal's life, a mere brute's life—for nobody in the South considered a nigger-trader a man.
In my opinion—said Mr. Randall in conclusion—he was a man; an all-around man; a man cast in a large mould; and for his sake, and in memory of that thing which he did, I have weighed his people ever since in scales which are not loaded.
The manuscript is copy-text. No ambiguous compound is hyphenated at the end of a line in the manuscript.