"If we would learn what the human race really is at bottom, we need only
observe it at election times."  Mark Twain found a great deal of amusement
in observing the human race.  Some of his observations along the political
line:

     "All Democrats are insane, but not one of them knows it.  None but the
Republicans.  All the Republicans are insane, but only the Democrats can
perceive it.  The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries
are insane."

     "In religion and politics people's beliefs and convictions are in
almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from
authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have
taken them at second -hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about
them are not worth a brass farthing."

     Today Twain's observation regarding politics can also be applied to a
good deal of modern scholarship.  One can easily say that some scholars
information is usually "begotten at second-hand, and without examination,
from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but
have taken them at second -hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions
about them are not worth a brass farthing."

 In 1870 Mark Twain wrote about the susceptibility of mankind, ".Mere simple
mistakes often beget fallacies.  The great cause of common error is the
credulity of men; that is, giving an easy assent unto things without an
examination. For this reason men swallow falsities for truth, dubiosities
for certainties, feasibilities for possibilities, and things impossible as
possibilities themselves.  This is all wrong; search for the truth and
search for it where you can find it."


1.  Mark Twain won the election.

2.  Martin Zehr is absolutely right on the money.  Extraordinary claims
require extraordinary proof.  This guitar has no legitimate proof, & the
evidence sheds light pointing towards it never belonged to Twain.  I spoke
with the owner of the guitar when the magazine article first appeared about
the provenance & listened to his story.  It didn't fit the historical record
of Twain's life.  I asked for a copy of the inscription so I could see if it
even resembled Twain's writing.  He refused.  The owner did tell me, though,
that he thought it was by far &
away the most valuable guitar on the planet!  He then told me the
inscription was authenticated by Twain experts & then when I contacted them
I was told NO, was not authenticated, but rejected, "unimpressed" was the
specific word.

3. Not only do people put words in Twain's mouth all the time, crediting him
with quotes of other people, but  untrue stories about him also exist.  This
happened during Twain's lifetime & still continues today.  The quote
mentioning Twain's playing a guitar & praising the ability to do so in the
1860s needs to be placed in perspective.  It came from a very old man a
dozen years after Twain died & who was recalling his aged memory from sixty
years past.  It is entirely possible his ancient recollection was
inaccurate, confusing Twain with someone else. All evidence points in this
direction.  Paine mentioned a time in Keokuk Twain picked up a guitar & got
fisted in the mouth for doing so, but we all know about the reliablity of
this source.

 4, 5,6,7, etc... Posters to this forum please heed Twain's words:  "No
circumstance, however dismal, will ever be considered a sufficient excuse
for the admission of that last & saddest evidence of intellectual poverty,
the Pun."

Another observer of the human race,
Twainiac Bob