Why is a writer?; Mark Twain on the Mississippi

Why radio station ws under a grant from the Educational Television and Radio Center in cooperation with the National Association of educational broadcast program on the Mississippi. The time 1881 the place the Lyceum Theatre in Boston the occasion that well-known author and humorist Mark Twain is giving a lecture at 8:00. What time is it. Five days. The inside of the Lyceum Theatre is crowded. Perhaps 2000 people are waiting for the speaker to be introduced. So part of the platform is empty but the audience seems to be quieting down. What's the time to find just I just wonder oh there's somebody.

It's probably the man who introduced a man in a white suit has come onto the stage and walked across to the speakers. Ladies and gentlemen it is my stream Brazier tonight to end a truce to your very great man and a very fine you will lose some talent of course. This man is Mark Twain and I must admit that I have always admired him more than any other three fellows I know. But since I know he hates long introduction I will not praise you many more than I have to without smiling the man in the white suit leaves the stage. Some of the people craned their necks waiting trying to catch sight of Twain. Someone is coming. But it's the man in white again. Twain you know. How should I know.

Again he's at the speaker stand. They do use in general. It is an honor to be here this evening. The man in white pauses lights up a cigar and smiles an acre wide. There is a hush in the audience and. The man in white Mark Twain himself. Some of you here may think that a writer lives somewhere apart from regular folks. Some of you here may think you when you have nothing else to do. I don't but I do like me. I makes up characters he writes about but that is not true. There are characters all over. Here All right. There are even alive characters here.

That I want to talk about the characters on the Mississippi hears tonight because they and their grand river I knew and wrote about are gone now. Only the writing about it is left but I can remember being a young lad and going down that river for the first time. I had eighteen dollars in my pocket when I was. Little. You can just make me drool.

Samuel L. Clemens is my name. Forgot to say. That's what my name was in those days. Samuel Clemens is it a good sounding name sir. It's a Missouri name. Ah yes good folks there. They come from Tennessee before that Southern folks say the best kind I always say. I've met many of them. You must travel a lot Mr. Calabash. Yes sir Mr. Clemens I have I've seen this great country of ours but I love the south the most so I'm going to New Orleans. Excellent I often go there myself. I'm going to catch a boat there for the Amazon. Ah I see you have money to travel $18. I had some more but I spent it. Adventurous sir that's the way to be when you're young. I greatly admire a young adventurer. That's why I don't travel on these new place riverboat. There is no adventure in $6. I never saw it again.

But I got to New Orleans anyway. The Amazon right here in this paper it says they need exploring the natty paper and I don't know about that but there is no boat leaves here from the Amazon. Never heard of one either. I can't well I only got $10 left try work and they want to kill you. So durn their Amazon. What idea you young folks get this country good enough for him. Oh I journal play head swim if you're pleased to get there. I'm just telling you no there ain't no boat that knows. The last time whatever your name is Clemens Sam Clemens. Well the answer is

No. No like in you know the river pilot. You don't look like you've got that head anyway but you know a little before you fall a little. Well I'm plenty strong for my size. Oh here let me try dear Cure. I seen it done you boneheaded green here any jackass can turn that wheel. It's no one wind attorney just knowing and you don't look like well how do you know unless I try. Why don't you just go away and do something else. Because there ain't no boat for the Amazon anyhow. The Amazon Caesars cough and boy you want to pilot on that Amazon you are abs are all I learned as good as anybody. I learned a subtype from my brother Ryan. Oh learn anything about this river there ever was. You are so I don't know what Mississippi you know after we reach St. Louis you'll know it. And inhumanity will

crawl off this boat on your knees. Saint Louis you don't put on a smile and that simple pacing. Mr. Pilot of the powder JONES Let me stay on LWN the ribbon for me and the snake. The reefs the shoreline the depth the channel that could take her closer to shore. I'm afraid I'll put her in the mud Mr. Bixby. Afraid that you ought to be more spirit taken a boat like this up the center of the current. Besides which as I recall I mentioned some few thousand times this boat is equipped with Legend and. The legend will calm your fears if you ask a lot of them around here. What's what the depth of the river. Homer. Oh yeah

drop in the lad Henry our young cub here a shaken up oh yeah yeah he. Oh. Well Mr. Clemens will you trust your scared self closer to shore now Mr. Bixby knew them in a compound a hundred miles about New Orleans. I bruise we did you did teach you didn't need them there's nothin you can click here is one of them. Mr. Clemens I don't quite remember well how much water would you need to pass through thick and well over the Mark Twain ought to be enough. How much water is in that bend now now now. I don't know why not. Well well not get this boat cruiser but we're still miles away. See that stump. You know I see it when it's just above water like

that. The water and walnut bend will read mark three to the Lensman. And Mr. Speed was exactly right. He you know like that. But that's what being a pilot meant a man's whole life was on the lives of regular men ate and slept in smelled it. And when some of the work was done they made music from the things they knew about him in the park down down down down and down and when I thought I had learned a good deal about piloting a boat there were good practical jokes.

You can handle the next cross and I'll go below for some coffee. Well lightning strike can and what do you think I am anyway. Well shows a little current. Plenty of water. I couldn't get a job I tried. Cause I knew I would have been. Marked three. There must be more water than that. And pretty soon I noticed the captain had come home and then some others joined him to meet me. Some of the passengers came to watch. There's nothing to see. It's it's all clear water

but the water was getting shot of them or there must be a reef around here. Maybe I made a mistake. Take the. Oh I panic. I called to the ingenue. Oh but if you love me if I care. The mole so was I was the nearest to her audience. It was all a hoax. The joke was on me. Ladies and gentleman but I can assure you it is no not a matter to be the biggest jackass in the bomb was that at any rate that his story and no I notice by my watch that it is 5 minutes of 9. The management has assured me that if only I have the view people get up about this time to

catch the last suburban train home. I have always felt that more important than you. You can read what I had to say about the Mississippi. It's you know a book called Life on the Mississippi. Good night and thank you. Mr Twain walked from the speakers stand the audience is leaving the theater. Heard in today's program or down the cafe Lauren cocking his old friend Harold Swanson and Fred Moore as were our studio engineers. Why is the write here is written by Floyd Horowitz and directed by Larry Walcott this has been another in the program series why is a writer produced by WSU. I was school of the air under

a grant from the Educational Television and Radio Center and is distributed by the National Association of educational broadcasters. This is Dave Carter speaking. This is the Radio Network.