While reading old Twain newspaper stories from Barbara
Schmidt's awesome site, www.twainquotes.com, I noticed
Twain had been "critical" of the Chinese.  Then, in
Chapter 54 of Roughing It, he seems to have been
reformed his thinking.  Twain, from my limited reading
experience, seems to have become more enlightened as
he grew older.  I wonder if calling Twain a racist is
fair, without specifying which Twain you're talking
about.  By using the same logic, everyone on this list
is a bed-wetter since we all have done it at least
once in infancy...or after a college frat party, but I
don't want to talk about that right now.

Being Irish, I have also noticed pieces by Twain that
were awfully "critical" of Irish immigrants.  I've
never come across any writings of Twain that showed a
revision of his original opinion of the Irish, but I
have faith that he was no more down on Irishmen than
he was on the human race in general.

Just one layman's opinion :)

Jim
Future visitor of Hannibal