He once told Howells, with the wild joy of his boyish heart, how Mrs. Clemens found some compensation, when kept to her room by illness, in the reflection that now she would not hear so much about the “damned human race.”

Yet he was always the first man to champion that race, and the more unpromising the specimen the surer it was of his protection, and he never invited, never expected gratitude.

One wonders how he found time to do all the things that he did.  Besides his legitimate literary labors and his preachments, he was always writing letters to this one and that, long letters on a variety of subjects, carefully and picturesquely phrased, and to people of every sort.  He even formed a curious society, whose members were young girls—­one in each country of the earth.  They were supposed to write to him at intervals on some subject likely to be of mutual interest, to which letters he agreed to reply.  He furnished each member with a typewritten copy of the constitution and by-laws of the juggernaut Club, as he called it, and he apprised each of her election, usually after this fashion: 

I have a club—­a private club, which is all my own.  I appoint the members myself, & they can’t help themselves, because I don’t allow them to vote on their own appointment & I don’t allow them to resign!  They are all friends whom I have never seen (save one), but who have written friendly letters to me.  By the laws of my club there can be only one member in each country, & there can be no male member but myself.  Some day I may admit males, but I don’t know —­they are capricious & inharmonious, & their ways provoke me a good deal.  It is a matter, which the club shall decide.  I have made four appointments in the past three or four months:  You as a member for Scotland—­oh, this good while! a young citizeness of Joan of Arc’s home region as a member for France; a Mohammedan girl as member for Bengal; & a dear & bright young niece of mine as member for the United States—­for I do not represent a country myself, but am merely member-at-large for the human race.  You must not try to resign, for the laws of the club do not allow that.  You must console yourself by remembering that you are in the best company; that nobody knows of your membership except yourself; that no member knows another’s name, but only her country; that no taxes are levied and no meetings held (but how dearly I should like to attend one!).  One of my members is a princess of a royal house, another is the daughter of a village bookseller on the continent of Europe, for the only qualification for membership is intellect & the spirit of good- will; other distinctions, hereditary or acquired, do not count.  May I send you the constitution & laws of the club?  I shall be so glad if I may.

It was just one of his many fancies, and most of the active memberships would not long be maintained; though some continued faithful in their reports, as he did in his replies, to the end.