NordidMark’s\"geysersofprofanity\"ceasespoutingafterthesegayandyouthfuldaysinSanFrancisco。WithClemensitmaytrulybesaidthatprofanitywasanart——apyrotechnicartthatentertainednations。

\"Itwasmydutytokeepbuttonsonhisshirts，\"recalledKatyLeary，life—longhousekeeperandfriendintheClemensmenage，\"andhe’dswearsomethingterribleifIdidn’t。Ifhefoundashirtinhisdrawerwithoutabuttonon，he’dtakeeverysingleshirtoutofthatdrawerandthrowthemrightoutofthewindow，rainorshine——outofthebathroomwindowthey’dgo。Iusedtolookouteverymorningtoseethesnowflakes——anythingwhite。Outthey’dfly……Oh！he’dswearatanythingwhenhewasonarampage。He’dswearathisrazorifitdidn’tcutright，andMrs。Clemensusedtosendmearoundtothebathroomdoorsometimestoknockandaskhimwhatwasthematter。Well，I’dgoandknock；I’dsay，’Mrs。Clemenswantstoknowwhat’sthematter。’Andthenhe’dsaytome（kindoflow）inawhisperlike，’DidshehearmeKaty？’’Yes，’I’dsay，’everyword。’Oh，well，hewasashamedthen，hewasafraidofgettingscoldedforswearinglikethat，becauseMrs。

Clemenshatedswearing。\"ButhisswearingneverseemedreallybadtoKatyLeary，\"Itwassortoffunny，andapartofhim，somehow，\"shesaid。

\"Sortofamusingitwas——andgay——notlikerealswearing，’causehesworelikeanangel。\"

InhislateryearsatStormfieldMarklovedtoplayhisfavoritebilliards。\"ItwassometimesawonderfulandfearsomethingtowatchMr。

Clemensplaybilliards，\"relatesElizabethWallace。\"Helovedthegame，andhelovedtowin，butheoccasionallymadeaverybadstroke，andthenthevaried，picturesque，andunorthodoxvocabulary，acquiredinhismoreyouthfulyears，wastheonlythingthatgavehimcomfort。Gently，slowly，withnoprofaneinflexionsofvoice，butirresistiblyasthoughtheyhadtheheadwatersoftheMississippifortheirsource，camethisstreamofunholyadjectivesandchoiceexpletives。\"

Mark’svocabularyranthewholegamutoflifeitself。InParis，inhisappearancein1879beforetheStomachClub，ajollylotofgaywags，Mark’saddress，reportsPaine，\"obtainedawidecelebrityamongtheclubsoftheworld，thoughnolineofit，notevenitstitle，haseverfounditswayintopublishedliterature。\"Itisrumoredtohavebeencalled\"SomeRemarksontheScienceofOnanism。\"

InBerlin，MarkaskedHenryW。FishertoaccompanyhimonanexplorationoftheBerlinRoyalLibrary，wherethelibrarian，havinglearnedthatClemenshadbeentheKaiser’sguestatdinner，openedthesecrettreasurechestsforthefamousvisitor。OneoftheseguardedtreasureswasavolumeofgrosslyindecentversesbyVoltaire，addressedtoFredericktheGreat。\"Toomuchisenough，\"Markisreportedtohavesaid，whenFishertranslatedsomeoftheverses，\"IwouldblushtorememberanyofthesestanzasexcepttotellKrafft—EbingaboutthemwhenIgettoVienna。\"

WhenFisherhadfinishedcopyingaverseforhimMarkputitintohispocket，saying，\"Livy[Mark’swife，Olivia]issobusymispronouncingGermanthesedaysshecan’tevenattempttogetatthis。\"

Inhisletters，too，Howellsobserved，\"HehadtheSouthwestern，theLincolnian，theElizabethanbreadthofparlance，whichIsupposeoneoughtnottocallcoarsewithoutcallingone’sselfprudish；andIwasoftenhidingawayindiscreetholesandcornersthelettersinwhichhehadloosedhisboldfancytostooponranksuggestion；Icouldnotbeartoburnthem，andIcouldnot，afterthefirstreading，quitebeartolookatthem。IshallbestgivemyfeelingonthispointbysayingthatinithewasShakespearean。\"

\"Withaniggersquatonhersafety—valve\"

JohnHay，PikeCountyBallads。

\"Isthereanyotherexplanation，\"asksVanWyckBrooks，\"’ofhisElizabethanbreadthofparlance？’Mr。HowellsconfessesthathesometimesblushedoverMarkTwain’sletters，thatthereweresomewhich，totheverydaywhenhewrotehiseulogyonhisdeadfriend，hecouldnotbeartoreread。Perhapsifhehadnotsoinsisted，informeryears，whilegoingoverMarkTwain’sproofs，upon’havingthatswearingoutinaninstant，’hewouldneverhadhadcausetosufferfromhishaving’loosedhisboldfancytostooponranksuggestion。’MarkTwain’sverbalRabelaisianismwasobviouslytheexpressionofthatvitalsapwhich，nothavingbeenpermittedtoinformhiswork，hadbeendriveninwardandlefttheretoferment。Nowonderhewasalwaysindulginginorgiesofforbiddenwords。Considerthefamousbook，1601，thatfiresideconversationinthetimeofQueenElizabeth：isthereanyobsoleteverbalindecencyintheEnglishlanguagethatMarkTwainhasnotpainstakinglyresurrectedandassembledthere？He，whosebloodwasinconstantfermentandwhocouldnotcontainwithinthenarrowbondsthathadbeensetforhimtheroitousexuberanceofhisnature，hadtohaveanescape—valve，andhepouredthroughitafetidstreamofmeaninglessobscenity——thewasteofapricelesspsychicmaterial！\"Thus，Brookslumps1601withMarkTwain’s\"bawdry，\"andinterpretsitsimplyasanotherindicationoffrustration。

FIGSFORFIGLEAVES！

Ofcourse，thewritingofsuchapieceas1601raisedthequestionoffreedomofexpressionforthecreativeartist。

Althoughlittlediscussedatthattime，itwasaquestionwhichintenselyinterestedMark，andforafullerappreciationofMark’spositiononemustkeepinmindtheyearinwhich1601waswritten，1876。TherehadbeennothinglikeitbeforeinAmericanliterature；therehadappearednoCaldwells，noFaulkners，noHemingways。VictorianEnglandwasgushingTennyson。IntheUnitedStatespoliteletterswasacultoftheBrahminsofBoston，withWilliamDeanHowellsatthehelmoftheAtlantic。LouisaMayAlcottpublishedLittleWomenin1868—69，andLittleMenin1871。In1873MarkTwainledthevanofthedebunkers，scrapingthegiltoffthelilyintheGildedAge。

In1880MarktookafewpotshotsatlicenseinArtandLiteratureinhisTrampAbroad，\"Iwonderwhysomethingsare？Forinstance，Artisallowedasmuchindecentlicenseto—dayasinearliertimes——buttheprivilegesofLiteratureinthisrespecthavebeensharplycurtailedwithinthepasteightyorninetyyears。FieldingandSmolletcouldportraythebeastlinessoftheirdayinthebeastliestlanguage；wehaveplentyoffoulsubjectstodealwithinourday，butwearenotallowedtoapproachthemverynear，evenwithniceandguardedformsofspeech。

ButnotsowithArt。Thebrushmaystilldealfreelywithanysubject；

howeverrevoltingorindelicate。Itmakesabodyoozesarcasmateverypore，togoaboutRomeandFlorenceandseewhatthislastgenerationhasbeendoingwiththestatues。Theseworks，whichhadstoodininnocentnakednessforages，areallfig—leavednow。Yes，everyoneofthem。

Nobodynoticedtheirnakednessbefore，perhaps；nobodycanhelpnoticingitnow，thefig—leafmakesitsoconspicuous。Butthecomicalthingaboutitall，is，thatthefig—leafisconfinedtocoldandpallidmarble，whichwouldbestillcoldandunsuggestivewithoutthisshamandostentatioussymbolofmodesty，whereaswarm—bloodedpaintingswhichdoreallyneedithaveinnocasebeenfurnishedwithit。

\"AtthedooroftheUfizzi，inFlorence，oneisconfrontedbystatuesofamanandawoman，noseless，battered，blackwithaccumulatedgrime——theyhardlysuggesthumanbeings——yettheseridiculouscreatureshavebeenthoughtfullyandconscientiouslyfig—leavedbythisfastidiousgeneration。Youenter，andproceedtothatmost—visitedlittlegallerythatexistsintheworld……andthere，againstthewall，withoutobstructingragorleaf，youmaylookyourfilluponthefoulest，thevilest，theobscenestpicturetheworldpossesses——Titian’sVenus。Itisn’tthatsheisnakedandstretchedoutonabed——no，itistheattitudeofoneofherarmsandhand。IfIventuredtodescribetheattitude，therewouldbeafinehowl——buttheretheVenuslies，foranybodytogloatoverthatwantsto——andthereshehasarighttolie，forsheisaworkofart，andArthasitsprivileges。Isawyounggirlsstealingfurtiveglancesather；Isawyoungmengazelongandabsorbedlyather；Isawaged，infirmmenhanguponhercharmswithapatheticinterest。HowIshouldliketodescribeher——justtoseewhataholyindignationIcouldstirupintheworld——justtoheartheunreflectingaveragemandeliverhimselfaboutmygrossnessandcoarseness，andallthat。

\"IneverygalleryinEuropetherearehideouspicturesofblood，carnage，oozingbrains，putrefaction——picturesportrayingintolerablesuffering——

picturesalivewitheveryconceivablehorror，wroughtoutindreadfuldetail——andsimilarpicturesarebeingputonthecanvaseverydayandpubliclyexhibited——withoutagrowlfromanybody——fortheyareinnocent，theyareinoffensive，beingworksofart。Butsupposealiteraryartistventuredtogointoapainstakingandelaboratedescriptionofoneofthesegrislythings——thecriticswouldskinhimalive。Well，letitgo，itcannotbehelped；Artretainsherprivileges，Literaturehaslosthers。Somebodyelsemaycipheroutthewhysandthewhereforesandtheconsistenciesofit——Ihaven’tgottime。\"

PROFESSORSCENTSPORNOGRAPHY

Unfortunately，1601hasrecentlybeentaggedbyProfessorEdwardWagenknechtas\"themostfamouspieceofpornographyinAmericanliterature。\"Likemanyanotheruninformed，Prof。W。islikethelittleboywhoisshockedtosee\"naughty\"wordschalkedonthebackfence，andthinkstheyarepornography。Theinitiated，afteryearsofwadingthroughthemire，willrecognizeinstantlythesignificantdifferencebetweenfilthyfilthandfunny\"filth。\"Dirtfordirt’ssakeissomethingelseagain。Pornography，aneminentAmericanjuristhaspointedout，isdistinguishedbythe\"leerofthesensualist。\"

\"Thewordswhicharecriticisedasdirty，\"observedjusticeJohnM。

WoolseyintheUnitedStatesDistrictCourtofNewYork，liftingthebanonUlyssesbyJamesJoyce，\"areoldSaxonwordsknowntoalmostallmenand，Iventure，tomanywomen，andaresuchwordsaswouldbenaturallyandhabituallyused，Ibelieve，bythetypesoffolkwhoselife，physicalandmental，Joyceisseekingtodescribe。\"Neitherwasthere\"pornographicintent，\"accordingtojusticeWoolsey，norwasUlyssesobscenewithinthelegaldefinitionofthatword。

\"Themeaningoftheword’obscene，’\"theJusticeindicated，\"aslegallydefinedbythecourtsis：tendingtostirtheseximpulsesortoleadtosexuallyimpureandlustfulthoughts。

\"Whetheraparticularbookwouldtendtoexcitesuchimpulsesandthoughtsmustbetestedbythecourt’sopinionastoitseffectonapersonwithaveragesexinstincts——whattheFrenchwouldcall’l’hommemoyensensuel’——whoplays，inthisbranchoflegalinquiry，thesameroleofhypotheticalreagentasdoesthe’reasonableman’inthelawoftortsand’thelearnedmanintheart’onquestionsofinventioninpatentlaw。\"

Obviously，itisridiculoustosaythatthe\"leerofthesensualist\"

lurksinthepagesofMarkTwain’s1601。

DROLLSTORY

\"Inaway，\"observedWilliamMarionReedy，\"1601istoTwain’swholeworkswhatthe’DrollStories’aretoBalzac’s。ItisbetterthantheprivatelycirculatedribaldryandvulgarityofEugeneField；is，indeed，anessayinasortofprimordialhumorsuchaswefindinRabelais，orintheplaysofsomeofthelesserstarsthatdrewtheirlightfromShakespeare’surn。Itishumororfunsuchasoneexpects，letussay，fromthepeasantsofThomasHardy，outsideofHardy’sbooks。And，thoughitbefilthy，ityethathasplendorofmereanimalismofgoodspirits……

Iwouldsayitisscatalogicalratherthanerotic，saveforonetouchtowardtheend。Indeed，itseemsmoreofRabelaisthanofBoccaccioorMasuccioorAretino——isbrutallyBritishratherthanlasciviouslylatinate，astothesubjects，butsumptuousasregardsthelanguage。\"

Immediatelyuponfirstreading，JohnHay，laterSecretaryofState，hadproclaimed1601amasterpiece。AlbertBigelowPaine，MarkTwain’sbiographer，likewiseacknowledgeditsgreatness，whenhesaid，\"1601isagenuineclassic，asclassicsofthatsortgo。ItisbetterthanthegrossobscenitiesofRabelais，andperhapsinsomedaytocome，thetastethatjustifiedGargantuaandtheDecameronwillgivethisliteraryrefugeeshelterandsettingamongthemoreconventionalwritingofMarkTwain。Humantasteisacuriousthing；delicacyispurelyamatterofenvironmentandpointofview。\"

\"Itdependsonwhowritesathingwhetheritiscoarseornot，\"wroteClemensinhisnotebookin1879。\"Ibuiltaconversationwhichcouldhavehappened——Iusedwordssuchaswereusedatthattime——1601。Isentitanonymouslytoamagazine，andhowtheeditorabuseditandthesender！

ButthatmanwasapraiserofRabelaisandhadbeensaying，’OthatwehadaRabelais！’IjudgedthatIcouldfurnishhimone。

\"ThenItookittooneofthegreatest，bestandmostlearnedofDivines[Rev。JosephH。Twichell]andreadittohim。Hecamewithinanaceofkillinghimselfwithlaughter（forbetweenyouandmethethingwasdreadfullyfunny。Idon’toftenwriteanythingthatIlaughatmyself，butIcanhardlythinkofthatthingwithoutlaughing）。ThatoldDivinesaiditwasapieceofthefinestkindofliteraryart——andDavidGrayoftheBuffaloCouriersaiditoughttobeprintedprivatelyandleftbehindmewhenIdied，andthenmyfameasaliteraryartistwouldlast。\"

FRANKLINJ。MEINE

THEFIRSTPRINTING

VerbatimReprint[Date，1601。]

CONVERSATION，ASITWASBYTHESOCIALFIRESIDE，INTHETIMEOFTHE

TUDORS。