I'm only too glad to receive corrections and another other suggestions. I'm only an aficionado not a scholar. I don't have the letters. I got that reference from Cardwell. I need to clean up some of the references on that page. Given that overall the review was very positive, especially in regards to Twain, I was wondering the same thing. Given that it was only the third stop on the tour and that he had decided to diverge from the program, perhaps he was self-conscious about the show. On Fri, 2015-03-13 at 12:28 +0000, Sharon McCoy wrote: > Scott, > > Your transcriptions are wonderful, as are the reviews you're sharing -- I d= > idn't mean to make you self-conscious. But, by all means, everyone interes= > ted should visit the site! I deeply enjoy it and appreciate your work. > > I have a quick question, because several points in the review pertain direc= > tly to some things I've been working on lately. On the site you cite the L= > ove Letters, saying that Clemens wrote to his wife concerned that it was a = > "poor reading" and that the program was "experimental." I don't have a cop= > y of Love Letters handy, and was wondering if you (or any one else) would p= > lease share that passage. What, specifically, did he feel made it a "poor = > reading," aside from the distracting street noise? > > Many, many thanks, > Sharon > > > PS -- And, again -- sorry if I made you self conscious about the transcript= > ion; I was simply self conscious about what seemed to be my own error. I i= > ntended nothing more. > > > ________________________________________ > From: Mark Twain Forum [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Scott Holmes [scott@= > BSCOTTHOLMES.COM] > Sent: Friday, March 13, 2015 4:31 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Twain and Cable in Springfield MA, Nov 7, 1884 > > Maggie Humberston of the Springfield Museums was of great help to me by > locating and sending me material from the Springfield Republican, > notices from November 2nd and 5th and a review of the show from the > November 8 edition. The announcements are jpg and the review is a pdf. > It is not of the best quality but I've made an attempt at transcribing > it. As has been demonstrated previously, I am capable of making > mistakes in transcription so by all means go to my Springfield page and > download your own copies of these documents. > > Springfield Republican, Nov. 8, 1884 page 4. > > > The Twain-Cable Evening > > > "The joint venture of Mr. Cable and Mr. Clemens at the Opera House last > evening was greeted by a very considerable audience, and bothered by the > very considerable noise on the streets, to a degree. But it was a > successful entertainment, the principal regret felt being that Mr. Cable > did not appear in such variety of effects as [??] previous visits here, > and as the program [promised?]. He presented himself first and impressed > every one as a romantic figure, a sort of knightly ideal, with his broad > and over[bear?]ing forehead, his brilliant eyes and his long moustache > over his full [brown?] beard. He was warmly cheered, and after > gracefully [???]ing the "[???] of Place Congo" in deference to the > superabundant music outside, he [re?lied] the story of "Possou June." It > was done with far greater elocutionary effect than when he first read it > here, but he has introduced into the text certain little variations (to > make it more intelligible to his audience, perhaps,) which hurt the > artistic quality. Mr. Cable's voice has strengthened by practice, and he > is now able to fill the house with his slenderest tone, and to produce > what effect he will by a development of his dramatic power. After he had > concluded the narrative of the Florida parson he gave the specimen of > the music of "Place Congo", and sang it with such fine expression and so > good a voice that the audience felt defrauded to hear no more of it. > When "Mark Twain" appeared there was a hearty welcoming applause, as > there must always be for one whose humor has delighted more people than > that of any other man. Mr. Clemens, in evening dress rather more > pronounced than Mr. Cable's, and with a fine exaggerated air of fluidity > at his entrance upon the stage, was a great contrast to his associate. > He can hardly be described, with his head of roughened curling hair, his > vigorous nose, his sardonic moustache and cleft chin, - but he looked > the humorist, as he no doubt he intended to. He at once informed the > audience that the programs which had been distributed at great cost for > their convenience were of no particular use, and he explained why they > were not, at some length. Then he proceeded to prove that he was right > about it by giving a number of readings not one of which was mentioned > on the program. He gave a discussion between "Huckleberry Finn" and the > negro boy Joe (in the new book): he narrated and illustrated his > struggles with the German language and its unreasonable genders; he > related one of Col Sellers[?] projects--there were millions in it--and > slightly adapted it to the immediate exigencies of the political > situation; he described his adventure with the young woman whom he > pretended to know and didn't, and who came up with him so [handsomely], > and he wound up with telling a ghost story after the manner of an old > negro. He positively convulsed his hearers with the deliberate fashion > of his speech and the peculiar ways in which he indicated their proper > emotions by the inflections of his voice. Mr. Clemens is undoubtedly as > much a humorist in the reading as in the writing of his extraordinary > contributions to our literature, and he gave to the familiar narratives > an added touch of character." > > http://bscottholmes.com/content/gilmores-opera-house-springfield-ma > > http://bscottholmes.com/content/promoting-huck-finn-twain-cable-tour-188485 > > > -- > There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of > in your philosophy. > http://bscottholmes.com