ABSTRACT
MarkTwain'smemorymaysufferfromacertainparadoxicalhabit wehavefallenintowhenpassingjudgmentontheillustriousdead. Thehabitconsistsinpickingoutforparticularcommendationinthe manwhatoneleastexpects.Iftheworldthinksofhimasagreat humorist,thepointtomakeisthatatbottomhewasreallyaphilosopher.Ifhisshaftsstruckateverybodyandeverything,thethingto say'isthathelikedbestwhathehithardest.Ifoneofhisbookssold fivethousandcopies,theattemptismadetobasehisfuturefameon thecomparativelyunknownbook.Themotivebehindsuchreasoning iscommendableenough.Itisthedesirenottojudgesuperficially, thedesiretogetatthe'real'manbehindthemaskwhichallofus, accordingtotradition,wearinlife.Itisapraiseworthypurpose,but, inthehandsoftheunskilledorthecareless,aperilousone.Andworse thaneitherintheintellectualsnobwhosebusinessitisconstitutionally todisagreewiththeobvious.Wemakenoattempttoclassifythe writerwhohasdeclaredthatMarkTwain,whenhewroteInnocents Abroad,wasterriblyinearnest;thathesetouttosatirizeandwas funnyonlybecausehecouldnothelpit.ThisrepresentstheeXtreme
of a tendency that is made manifest on every side, to turn Mark Twain into everything but what he was-a great compeller of laughter.
