This chapter is important in terms of Twain's dealing with culture shock and his early perception of what was at one time referred to as "the Ugly American". Of particular interest is Twain's description of the dungeons of the heroes of Dumas. On a lighter side is a description of dining in France and the friendship between and elephant and a cat.
"...Even the Church, which is credited with having spilt more innocent blood, since the beginning of its supremacy, than all the political wars put together have spilt, has observed a limit. A sort of limit. But you notice that when the Lord God of Heaven and Earth, adored Father of Man, goes to war, there is no limit. He is totally without mercy -- he, who is called the Fountain of Mercy. He slays, slays, slays!
"... that is to say, he became sweet, and gentle, merciful, forgiving, and all harshness disappeared from his nature and a deep and yearning love for his poor human children took its place. Whereas it was as Jesus Christ that he devised hell and proclaimed it!
" If that is true, he foresaw that Adam and Eve would eat the apple; that their posterity would be unendurable and have to be drowned; that Noah's posterity would in their turn be unendurable, and that by and by he would have to leave his throne in heaven and come down and be crucified to save that same tiresome human race again. The whole of it? No! A part of it? Yes. How much of it? In each generation, for hundreds and hundreds of generations, a billion would die and all go to perdition except perhaps ten thousand out of the billion.
"Now if you or any other really intelligent person were arranging the fairness and justices between man and woman, you would give the man one-fiftieth interest in one woman, and the woman a harem. Now wouldn't you? Necessarily. I give you my word, this creature with the decrepit candle has arranged it exactly the other way.
"There was to be one couple of each and every sort of creature that walked or crawled, or swam or flew, in the world of animated nature. We have to guess at how long it took to collect the creatures and how much it cost, for there is no record of these details." He had to set sail before he completed the task as it was reported that saurians were approaching and they were hungry.
"The pleasant labor of populating the world went on from age to age, and with prime efficiency; for in those happy days the sexes were still competent for the Supreme Art when by rights they ought to have been dead eight hundred years. The sweeter sex, the dearer sex, the lovelier sex was manifestly at its very best, then, for it was even able to attract gods. Real gods. They came down out of heaven and had wonderful times with those hot young blossoms. The Bible tells about it." The biblical god decides things have gotten out of hand and decides to flood them all out.
Prelude: The Creation
Initially I thought this was just a humorous sketch but then I found some interesting connections with the current OWS (Occupy Wall Street) movement. This was first published the Buffalo Express, of which Mark Twain was a part owner. It was published again in the Internal Revenue Record of Customs Journal, April 9, 1870 (according to www.twainquotes.com/19610409.html)
This chapter is apparently not a product of any letter posted to the Daily Alta California. It covers the celebration of the 4th of July on board the Quaker City, landing in Marseilles and his first dinner in France. They were rather disappointed in that their hostess spoke English. Of special interest is speculation by The Oracle on atmospheric physics and his dislike of poetry.
An interesting chapter of Twains impressions of Moorish customs. This was originally published as Letter Number Four in the Daily Alta California on September 1, 1867. An image of this column is provided on this page. McKeithan (1958) remarks that "Twain tried to improve the diction" of the original letter for the text here in chapter 9 of the book. Here we have a discussion of various means of exacting punishment employed by the Moors.
I've heard (or read) that the human mind can be described as a hologram. If I recall correctly, and I haven't done any research on this, a hologram can be cut up into pieces and each piece will contain the entire image, a bit degraded depending on just how small the piece is. Again, I'm thinking of my mothers dementia (and I still haven't gotten to sleep (it's after 3am now)). Imagine the human mind is a four dimensional hologram and this hologram gets shattered. It doesn't fall apart but all the pieces are now free to move about. What kind of image can be seen in such a mind.
Twain wanted to find a land totally foreign to his experience. He found that in Tangier. McKeithan (1958) remarks that this letter is used in the book almost entirely as originally written.
Along with Chapter 5, this chapter describes Twain's visit to the Azores. Attached is an image from the first letter of the journey to the Daily Alta California. A note in Traveling with the Innocents Abroad by Daniel Morley McKeithan, mentions this was published August 2, 1867. The masthead of the image copy I have has the date as August 25.
In this chapter we learn all about ship time and how to chase the moon. The Innocents Abroad was written using Twain's journal as well as his correspondences to the Daily Alta California as well as other journals, including the New York Tribune. This chapter, chapter 5 and chapter 6 are covered by two separate letters that overlap to some extent. One to each of these two journals. Included with this page is a copy of the letter sent to the New York Tribune as it contains a description of Mr Blucher's dinner on Fayal.
With this chapter we hear of the many diversions offered passengers: Horse billiards (shuffleboard), journal writing, Magic Lantern shows, dancing on a rolling deck, mock trials and charades. What I think to be the most interesting point in this chapter is the observation of the executive officer:
I (my Second Life avatar) has been reading sketches and chapters from the works of Mark Twain since March of this year (2011). I don't really know why I started doing this other than to create some interesting content for my web site and to try to come up with some justification for playing around in that virtual realm of Second Life. I've long been a fan of Mark Twain but not a scholar. I must say, however, that with just the small portion I've worked on, my appreciation for his works has increased.
Lying still at anchor, just inside the harbor, on a Sunday. Come Monday they sail into high seas and Mark finds great joy in celebrating the sea sickness of his fellow travelers. He is mystified by the presence of five ship captains on the voyage.
Stormy and dreary the ship casts off then lies at anchor just at the harbor entrance. The seas are to high to proceed. "We would have shone at a wake, but not at anything more festive."
Mr. Blucher's opinion was first published in the Daily Alta California June 30, 1867 but written May 19th.
This is an enhanced version of chapter 2. I've learned some new techniques with audacity and with dvd-slideshow.
From Daily Alta California, August 18, 1867, written June 6th.
THE HOLY LAND EXCURSION
From Daily Alta California, June 30th, 1867. Written May 19th.
[This incident is reported in the second chapter of The Innocents Abroad.]
Daily Alta California, April 9, 1867
New York, March 2d, 1867.
GRAND EUROPEAN PLEASURE TRIP
PROMINENT Brooklynites are getting up a great European pleasure excursion for the coming summer, which promises a vast amount of enjoyment for a very reasonable outlay. The passenger list is filling up pretty fast.
Mark has booked passage on an excursion to the Holy land on board the steamer Quaker City. Included here is a clipping from Daily Alta California dated June 6, 1867. The paper was published August 18, 1867. The clipping concerns Mark's activities the day before boarding. The pdf that the clipping originally came from was made available by California Digital Newspaper Collection
His first mention of the trip, as published in the Daily Alta California is dated April 9, 1867
