Perfect quote and unfortunately oh so apt relative to the surreal events of the past few daze; thanks, Steve.
- B. Clay Shannon
On Saturday, January 9, 2021, 06:06:25 AM PST, Steve Courtney <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
John, this is wonderful. So great to see the students leading the teacher. You've done your work well to make that happen.
Many of you are lucky enough to have dealt withknow Mallory Howard, the brilliant Assistant Curator at the Hartford House. Her post on Facebook this week was simply this:
"...cowards--and so you raise a yell, and hang yourselves onto that half-a-man's coat-tail, and come raging up here, swearing what big things you're going to do. The pitifulest thing out is a mob; that's what an army is--a mob; they don't fight with courage that's born in them, but with courage that's borrowed from their mass, and from their officers...Now the thing for you to do is to droop your tails and go home and crawl in a hole." -Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Steve Courtney, Curatorial Volunteer
The Mark Twain House & Museum
351 Farmington Avenue
Hartford, Connecticut 06105
860-302-8969
Even though The Mark Twain House & Museum is temporarily closed to the public, we are still offering many online programs. Visit our website<https://marktwainhouse.org/> for virtual programming, and the most up-to-date information on all things Mark Twain House & Museum. If you are able, consider making a donation<https://ci.ovationtix.com/35359/store/donations/>.
________________________________
From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of John R. Pascal <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, January 8, 2021 5:22 PM
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [External] MT & conspiracy theories?
To continue to bring this week’s events back to Mark Twain and to respond to Wolfgang’s thoughts, the students in my Writings of Mark Twain class had this exchange with me at the start of today's class; please note that I didn’t discuss this week’s political activities with them. I keep things professional as my teaching position isn’t a soapbox for my political views:
Pascal: "Good Morning, gentlemen, let’s continue with our analysis of 'Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog.'”
First student: “Hey Mr. Pascal! What’s the difference between the white mobs who tried to take over the Capitol and Pap Finn?!”
Pascal: “I don’t know.”
Student next to him: “NOTHING!”
Pascal: "Well, guys, I won’t disagree with you at all, it’s great to see that our hero Mark Twain is relevant to our times, it is—“
Third student: “Mr. Pascal! What’s the difference between the King and the Duke and the racist mobs outside the Capitol?!”
Pascal: “Umm, I would have to say—“
Fourth student: “Answer?! NOTHING!”
Pascal: “Well, heh, heh, I do like that one, yes indeed, now if we can—“
Fifth student: “Hey Mr. Pascal! What’s the difference between Trump’s MAGA hat and Pap Finn’s ‘old black slouch?’”
Pascal: “Umm, I guess this may be silly: the color and maybe the style?”
Three students in unison: “NOTHING!"
Enjoy your weekends,
John R. Pascal, M.B.A., M.A.
Teacher of 9th, 11th Grade English Honors, & The Writings of Mark Twain Honors
Moderator:
Future Lawyers Club, Future Medical Leaders Club, Future Business Leaders of America Club
Director of SHP Elementary School Tutoring Program
Seton Hall Preparatory School
Contributing Author to Mark Twain and Youth
> On Jan 8, 2021, at 1:46 PM, Matthew Seybold <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> I heartily concur, Wolfgang. To bring it back to Twain, but also as a
> response to the points Wolfgang and Hal have made, I strongly
> recommend Twain's "White House Funeral" letter, which I believe
> Greeley refused to publish, but which is a deepling entertaining
> insight into Twain's year as a Washington correspondent (fleshed out
> wonderfully by John Muller elsewhere). It also contains queasy
> resonances with the contemporary. Here's a link:
> https://marktwainstudies.com/the-white-house-funeral-by-mark-twain/
>
> On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 1:36 PM Wolfgang Hochbruck
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> ...don't tell me anybody would seriously WANT the Donald to be present
>> after the events of the last few days... I had predicted rioting
>> protestors signalling their fealty to their Leader already in December.
>> I had NOT counted on POTUS actually egging them on. Fortunately, the
>> guy himself is a coward, or else he would have led his minions in
>> person.
>>
>> Btw, why hasn't Rudy Giuliani been arrested yet? Why were hundreds of
>> people allowed to leave & walk away from the Capitol, some with
>> 'souvenirs'?
>> Okay, this does not have a lot to do with Twain, so moderators might
>> decide this is off topic, and i excuse myself for having brought this
>> up.
>>
>> w
>>
>>
>> On Fri, 8 Jan 2021 18:09:01 +0000
>> Hal Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>> For MS: Speaking of Johnson and the "defilement of the presidency": I
>>> just heard today that AJ was the last president to refuse to attend
>>> the next inauguration. (Ford was not inaugurated, of course)
>>>
>>> To JPZ: those details from HF are intriguing but I'll need a little
>>> more than that... & ps: does HF actually compare someone to Stanton??
>>> Don't recall that nugget...
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
>>>
>>>
>>> Dr. Hal Bush
>>>
>>> Professor of English &
>>>
>>> Director of the Undergraduate Program
>>>
>>> Saint Louis University
>>>
>>> [log in to unmask]
>>>
>>> 314-977-3616
>>>
>>> http://halbush.com
>>>
>>> author blog:
>>>
>> https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualcoffee<https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualcoffee/2020/08/spiritual-coffee-and-the-path-toward-wokeness/>
>>> ________________________________
>>> From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of John Peter
>>> Zavez <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Sent: Friday, January 8, 2021 11:36 AM
>>> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Subject: Re: [External] Re: MT & conspiracy theories?
>>>
>>> To MS, wasn't the issue with Johnson/Stanton whether the President had
>>> the constitutional power to remove a cabinet officer approved by
>>> Congress, so MT may have been motivated more by balance-of-power
>>> concerns than the actual persons involved.
>>>
>>> To HB, is it a coincidence that Huck Finn has: a Wilks Family, a
>>> Booth's Landing, an actor who (physically) resembles John Wilkes
>>> Booth, and his mentor who (physically) resembles Stanton?
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Matthew Seybold
>>> Sent: Friday, January 08, 2021 12:07 PM
>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>> Subject: Re: [External] Re: MT & conspiracy theories?
>>>
>>> Don't have time at the moment to follow up in more detail, but I can
>>> say with certainty, having read about it just recently, that in
>>> 1868-69, Twain considered Johnson's decision to remove Stanton as
>>> Secretary of War one of his many defilements of the Presidency. This,
>>> of course, doesn't preclude him from buying into the Stanton
>>> conspiracy at some other juncture, but it does complicate it. - MS
>>>
>>> On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 11:59 AM Hal Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> That's an interesting idea: I wonder what makes you think MT
>>> believed this scenario? The conspiracy theory about Stanton (which no
>>> historians have bought into) did gain some steam immediately in 1865,
>>> but really was popularized much later, well after the end of Twain's
>>> life ... I'd be interested in hearing more about this connection. MT
>>> did write a few things about AL, by the way, much later.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Dr. Hal Bush
>>>>
>>>> Professor of English &
>>>>
>>>> Director of the Undergraduate Program
>>>>
>>>> Saint Louis University
>>>>
>>>> [log in to unmask]
>>>>
>>>> 314-977-3616
>>>>
>>>>
>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://halbush.com__;!!K543PA!YvFPFg3nhs0JoTcX9GU97jh4uCJjfys4MEq0lRZDv76p8LIm5_1S-wRfSghYEw$
>>>>
>>>> author blog:
>>>>
>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualcoffee__;!!K543PA!YvFPFg3nhs0JoTcX9GU97jh4uCJjfys4MEq0lRZDv76p8LIm5_1S-wQE6tVygA$
>>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.patheos.com/__;!!K543PA!YvFPFg3nhs0JoTcX9GU97jh4uCJjfys4MEq0lRZDv76p8LIm5_1S-wS_SGZchQ$
>>>>
>>> blogs/spiritualcoffee/2020/08/spiritual-coffee-and-the-path-toward-wok
>>>> eness/>
>>>> ________________________________
>>>> From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of John Peter
>>>> Zavez <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> Sent: Friday, January 8, 2021 10:30 AM
>>>> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> Subject: Re: [External] Re: MT & conspiracy theories?
>>>>
>>>> The biggest conspiracy theory of MT's time, which I believe he
>>> believed, was that Secretary or War Stanton was behind Lincoln's
>>> assassination.
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Hal Bush
>>>> Sent: Friday, January 08, 2021 10:49 AM
>>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>>> Subject: Re: [External] Re: MT & conspiracy theories?
>>>>
>>>> The Murrell myth, especially when Matt mentioned the how the Mystic
>>> Clan's plots & conspiracy theory synthesized "anti-Black, anti-Semite,
>>> anti-Catholic, and several other common antebellum prejudices,"
>>> reminded me of a much larger group doing similar things: the
>>> Freemasons, of which MT was a member, as were many riverboat pilots
>>> and others, right here in St. Louis in fact! I could say much mora
>>> about freemasonry, but some would certainly include them, and other
>>> mysticl brotherhoods in C19, as often provoking conspiracy theories,
>>> to say the least.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://psrh79.org/?page_id=94__;!!K543PA!e
>>>> 9LG-7ltv5LzhMJVQ9InebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsKN4anPgQ$
>>>> Polar Star Lodge No. 79 History – Polar Star Rose Hill Lodge No
>>>>
>>> 79<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://psrh79.org/?page_id=94__;!!K543P
>>>> A!e9LG-7ltv5LzhMJVQ9InebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsKN4anPgQ$ >
>>> A
>>>> Brief History ~ Polar Star Lodge No. 79, St. Louis Written by
>>> PSRH#79
>>>> Member Worshipful Brother Richard B. Ramage, Appearing in The
>>> Missouri
>>>> Freemason Fall 2004 (Volume 49, No. 4)
>>>>
>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://psrh79.org__;!!K543PA!e9LG-7ltv5Lzh
>>>> MJVQ9InebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsJ3F54WcQ$
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Dr. Hal Bush
>>>>
>>>> Professor of English &
>>>>
>>>> Director of the Undergraduate Program
>>>>
>>>> Saint Louis University
>>>>
>>>> [log in to unmask]
>>>>
>>>> 314-977-3616
>>>>
>>>>
>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://halbush.com__;!!K543PA!e9LG-7ltv5Lz
>>>> hMJVQ9InebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsI8mihYhQ$
>>>>
>>>> author blog:
>>>>
>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualcof
>>>>
>>> fee__;!!K543PA!e9LG-7ltv5LzhMJVQ9InebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsL
>>>> Ji1KX9w$
>>>>
>>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualco
>>>>
>>> ffee/2020/08/spiritual-coffee-and-the-path-toward-wokeness/__;!!K543PA
>>>> !e9LG-7ltv5LzhMJVQ9InebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsI5D7ABoA$ >
>>>> ________________________________
>>>> From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Wolfgang
>>>> Hochbruck <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> Sent: Friday, January 8, 2021 9:32 AM
>>>> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> Subject: [External] Re: MT & conspiracy theories?
>>>>
>>>> ...Murrell and his gang even more openly get featured in _Tom
>>> Sawyer_, i thought, when Tom & Huck find the treasure ... William G.
>>> Simms wrote more about Murrell in _Richard Hurdis, or the Avenger of
>>> Blood_, and there was a melodrama _Murrell, the Pirate_ (1835),
>>> originally written by Nathaniel Harrington Bannister and popularized
>>> by Charles Burke, both in their turn inspiring German immigrant
>>> Friedrich Gerstäcker who then became they German Simms after his
>>> remigration in 1844 with _Die Flusspiraten des Mississippi_ and
>>> _Regulatoren in Arkansas_, both loosely based on the Murrell story --
>>> This conspiracy myth must have had a lot more traction in the 1840s
>>> through the Civil War period than i usually suspected.
>>>>
>>>> best
>>>> w
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, 8 Jan 2021 09:37:25 -0500
>>>> Matthew Seybold <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>>>> That's a great question, Hal.
>>>>>
>>>>> When I wrote my dissertation on the figure of the con-artist, I
>>> spent
>>>>> a little time on conspiracy theories, which are often created
>>> and/or
>>>>> amplified by con-artists. One of the most extraordinary conspiracy
>>>>> theories of the 1830s circulated around "the Mystic Clan." This
>>> was,
>>>>> supposedly, a secret society led by a notorious outlaw, John
>>> Murrell,
>>>>> and thanks in large part to Virgil Stewart, who published a series
>>> of
>>>>> books and pamphlets claiming to expose the Mystic Clan's plots,
>>> they
>>>>> were planning to start slave insurrections as a distraction while
>>>>> they raided banks in major Gulf Coast cities. The conspiracy theory
>>>>> synthesizes anti-Black, anti-Semite, anti-Catholic, and several
>>> other
>>>>> common antebellum prejudices.
>>>>>
>>>>> Twain was definitely aware of Murrell, whose real (and fictional)
>>>>> operations had been in the trade corridor where Twain was later a
>>>>> pilot. He refers to "Murel" in LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI as a
>>> criminal
>>>>> "genius" who made Jesse James look like a "retail rascal." In this
>>>>> passage, Twain mentions several details from the Mystic Clan
>>>>> conspiracy theory and seems to be treating it as accurate history,
>>>>> although he also acknowledges in the same paragraph that "cheap
>>>>> histories" of romantic outlaws were for sale at train stations and
>>>>> steamboat landings. Melville alludes to the same market for
>>> specious
>>>>> criminal biography in the opening chapter of THE CONFIDENCE-MAN,
>>>>> specifically naming Murrell its most profitable topics. I haven't
>>> dug
>>>>> into whether Twain refers to this conspiracy elsewhere later in his
>>> career.
>>>>>
>>>>> Like you, I'd love to know what others C19 conspiracies people have
>>>>> encountered in Twain's life and work. There are, of course, several
>>>>> alluded to in Richard Hofstadter's THE PARANOID STYLE IN AMERICAN
>>>>> POLITICS.
>>>>>
>>>>> Stay safe, everybody.
>>>>>
>>>>> - MS
>>>>>
>>>>> On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 8:42 AM Hal Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dear friends: what a week. Can I tie these horrific events into
>>> C19
>>>>> & MT?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> A friend has passed on his terrifying essay on a conspiracy
>>> theory
>>>>> way back in 1860, see below. I think we need reminding that
>>>>> conspiracy theories have a very long history in our nation, and
>>> that
>>>>> they can be deadly and incendiary.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Q; has anyone looked into MT's encounter with and understanding/
>>>>> critique of conspiracy theory--pro and con?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://baptistnews.com/article/how-300-c
>>>>> hi
>>>>
>>>> ldren-lost-their-fathers-to-lynching-on-a-single-day-because-of-a-con
>>>>> sp
>>>>
>>>> iracy-theory/?fbclid=IwAR2RtPG7DEJx-D7WiusYA9h8YLeIY-iLksb99CWAQqNIOT
>>>>> 7J
>>>>
>>>> fcGVtuRJBJY*.X_hexOBMFTZ__;Iw!!K543PA!bqFn8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9
>>>>> Fg
>>>>> svDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz0Kt6vHUA$
>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> [https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://1648o73kablq2rveyn64glm1-wpengine.
>>>>
>>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/
>>>>
>>>> 2020/12/Great_Hanging_at_Gainesville___;!!K543PA!e9LG-7ltv5LzhMJVQ9In
>>>>> ebE2ADS_QP57C4hzKEDmXWl6dydt_dqxvsKYg8NpmA$
>>>>
>>>> Texas_-_1862.jpg__;!!K543PA!bqFn8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5i
>>>>> au
>>>>> vlDnAusm7tz2jkRkW2g$
>>>>
>>>> ]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://baptistnews.com/article/how-300
>>>>> -c
>>>>
>>>> hildren-lost-their-fathers-to-lynching-on-a-single-day-because-of-a-c
>>>>> on
>>>>
>>>> spiracy-theory/?fbclid=IwAR2RtPG7DEJx-D7WiusYA9h8YLeIY-iLksb99CWAQqNI
>>>>> OT
>>>>
>>>> 7JfcGVtuRJBJY*.X_hexOBMFTZ__;Iw!!K543PA!bqFn8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0
>>>>> n9
>>>>> FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz0Kt6vHUA$ >
>>>>>> How 300 children lost their fathers to lynching on a single day
>>>>> because of a conspiracy theory – Baptist News
>>>>
>>>> Global<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://baptistnews.com/article/ho
>>>>> w-
>>>>
>>>> 300-children-lost-their-fathers-to-lynching-on-a-single-day-because-o
>>>>> f-
>>>>
>>>> a-conspiracy-theory/?fbclid=IwAR2RtPG7DEJx-D7WiusYA9h8YLeIY-iLksb99CW
>>>>> AQ
>>>>
>>>> qNIOT7JfcGVtuRJBJY*.X_hexOBMFTZ__;Iw!!K543PA!bqFn8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy
>>>>> _d sP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz0Kt6vHUA$ >
>>>>>> There is nothing new about conspiracy theories. Recently, while
>>>>> doing some research on the history of lynching, I learned that
>>>>> Anthony Bewley, a Methodist minister, was lynched in Fort Worth,
>>>>> Texas, back in 1860. Bewley was the victim of a bizarre conspiracy
>>> theory.
>>>>>>
>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://baptistnews.com__;!!K543PA!bqFn8
>>>>>> R7 9de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz2J_sdTMg$
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dr. Hal Bush
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Professor of English &
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Director of the Undergraduate Program
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Saint Louis University
>>>>>>
>>>>>> [log in to unmask]
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 314-977-3616
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://halbush.com__;!!K543PA!bqFn8R79d
>>>>>> e9 Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz1AN7IhRg$
>>>>>>
>>>>>> author blog:
>>>>>
>>>>
>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualcof
>>>>
>>> fee__;!!K543PA!bqFn8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz3
>>>> yog7CsA$
>>>>
>>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritualco
>>>>
>>> ffee/2020/08/spiritual-coffee-and-the-path-toward-wokeness/__;!!K543PA
>>>> !bqFn8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz2ta9_2aA$ >
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Matt Seybold
>>>>> Assistant Professor of American Literature & Mark Twain Studies
>>>>> Elmira College Editor,
>>>>
>>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://MarkTwainStudies.org__;!!K543PA!bq
>>>>> Fn 8R79de9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz05Rij2bQ$
>>>>
>>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://MattSeybold.com__;!!K543PA!bqFn8R7
>>>>> 9d e9Vzns52b-hITjy_dsP0n9FgsvDNZP5iauvlDnAusm7tz3j84_nCw$
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hochbruck
>>>> Dept. of English
>>>> Centre for Security and Society
>>>> Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg
>>>> Rempart St. 15
>>>> D-79098 Freiburg
>>>> Germany
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Matt Seybold
>>> Assistant Professor of American Literature & Mark Twain Studies Elmira
>>> College Editor,
>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://MarkTwainStudies.org__;!!K543PA!YvFPFg3nhs0JoTcX9GU97jh4uCJjfys4MEq0lRZDv76p8LIm5_1S-wR8LVnnlg$
>>>
>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://MattSeybold.com__;!!K543PA!YvFPFg3nhs0JoTcX9GU97jh4uCJjfys4MEq0lRZDv76p8LIm5_1S-wQh4xkDdg$
>>
>>
>> Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hochbruck
>> Dept. of English
>> Centre for Security and Society
>> Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg
>> Rempart St. 15
>> D-79098 Freiburg
>> Germany
>
>
>
> --
> Matt Seybold
> Assistant Professor of American Literature & Mark Twain Studies
> Elmira College
> Editor, MarkTwainStudies.org
> MattSeybold.com
|
