On the level of comedy, OK I can see that. On the social commentary level: I'd nominate George Carlin (who Twain's non-existent God took too soon). Among the living? Jon Stewart or S Colbert DDD On Sun, Jun 30, 2019 at 10:11 AM Clay Shannon <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Dave, that is an awesome quote. > > I wonder how closely this Van Dyke is related to Dick, whom I consider the > most Twain-like "comedian" of our time. > > - B. Clay Shannon > > > On Sunday, June 30, 2019, 06:53:01 AM PDT, Dave Davis < > [log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > A quick search uncovers this lead: > > "Untitled <http://twain.lib.virginia.edu/sc_as_mt/obitap3.html>," Henry > Van Dyke on Mark Twain > > When Mark Twain turned 67, his longtime friend and advisor Henry Van Dyke read > a poem for him > <https://books.google.com/books?id=fmlCBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT1528&dq=%22henry+van+dyke%22+%22mark+twain%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=MMC-VO7rE8aoNpHhg5gM&ved=0CDUQ6AEwBTgK#v=onepage&q=%22henry%20van%20dyke%22%20%22mark%20twain%22&f=false> > at the Metropolitan Club in New York City. Its last line was, "Long life to > you, Mark Twain." Just seven years later, he'd be delivering the eulogy at > Twain's funeral in New York City. In it, he provides a working definition > of quality humor that everyone would be wise to remember: "But the mark of > this higher humor is that it does not laugh at the weak, the helpless, the > true, the innocent; only at the false, the pretentious, the vain, the > hypocritical...we may say without doubt that [Twain] used his gift, not for > evil, but for good." > > A *Times* report from that day <http://www.twainquotes.com/19100424a.html> > wrote, "Throughout it was evident that the speaker was making a strong > effort to keep down his emotion and control his voice. > http://mentalfloss.com/article/61227/11-eulogies-writers-written-writers > > On Sun, Jun 30, 2019 at 9:42 AM Clay Shannon <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Are there any surviving writings about Twain by those who actually knew > him, other than those by Susy, Clara, Howells, Katy Leary, Dorothy Quick > (the Angelfish), and Paine? > I would be especially interested in what the Clemens family themselves > said/wrote about him (his mother and siblings) and the Moffett family; but > also Harte, Goodman, Redpath, Keller, Kipling, Bixby, Howland, Paige, > Twichell, Aldrich, Gilder, Joel C. Harris, &c &c. > I do know that Kipling wrote about his "pilgrimage" to meet Twain. > Do such writings exist? Even better would be if they were all collected > together in a volume (excluding the writings which are already of book > length - those alluded to in the first paragraph). Has anybody done this > yet? > - B. Clay Shannon > >