I agree with Andy Hoffman that the Twain/Howells relationship deserves a full-length re-examination. I found quite a divergence between them in their approaches to U.S. imperialism after 1900. Their different approaches to the Spanish-American War is well documented in the Twain-Howells correspondence, but after 1900, when Twain opposed the Philippine-American War, it was assumed that, as William M. Gibson wrote in his 1947 article on their anti-imperialist writings, that "their common conviction stimulated their common effort." They actually had pretty different convictions (Twain not being the pacifist Howells was) and took very different approaches to the issue. As early as 1902, Howells, who had stuck with the Republican Party during the Mugwump revolt, supported the luke-warm anti-imperialism of Jacob Gould Schurman (who wrote the "blessings of civilization" Philippine plank of the 1900 Republican Party Platform that Twain blasted in "To the Person Sitting in Darkness" with his comments on the "Blessings-of-Civilization Trust") and in 1904 and 1905 he joined the anti-imperialist organizations formed in New York that compromised with the Republican position on Philippine independence. Twain's opposition to imperialism did not come primarily from opposition to war and he stuck with the uncompromising anti-imperialists after the war in the Philippines was declared over. Their very different tributes to Carl Schurz, both published in the May 26, 1906, issue of Harper's Weekly, are also very illuminating, I think. Also, a Howells letter to C. E. Norton (April 6, 1903) in the Indiana edition of Selected Letters where Howells writes, "I am amused when I meet Carl Schurz. We agree entirely, and he comes forward with both hands out and a glad 'Ah!' Then we have nothing to say." I have come to be very skeptical of statements like this ("we agree entirely") from Howells, including those he makes in regard to Twain. His letter to Norton continues, "The man I have most to say with is Mark Twain...." There is also an intriguing letter from Norton to Thomas Wentworth Higginson (Sept. 2, 1905, T.W. Higginson Papers at Harvard) where he writes: "Your account of Clemens' simplicity and unspoiledness is very pleasant, and corresponds with all I have heard of him from his friends, especially from Howells...." This was after the summer Twain and Higginson were neighbors at Dublin, N.H. That Norton attributes this condescending view of Twain to Howells is worth looking into, I think. Jim Zwick