Susy hovers about us this holiday week, and the shadows fall all about us of

               “The days when we went gipsying
               A long time ago.”

Death is so kind, so benignant, to whom he loves; but he goes by us others and will not look our way.  We saw the “Master of Palmyra” last night.  How Death, with the gentleness and majesty, made the human grand-folk around him seem little and trivial and silly!

With love from all of us to all of you. 
          
                                   Mark.

XXXVIII

Letters, 1899, to Howells and others.  Vienna.  London.  A summer in Sweden

The beginning of 1899 found the Clemens family still in Vienna, occupying handsome apartments at the Hotel Krantz.  Their rooms, so often thronged with gay and distinguished people, were sometimes called the “Second Embassy.”  Clemens himself was the central figure of these assemblies.  Of all the foreign visitors in the Austrian capital he was the most notable.  Everywhere he was surrounded by a crowd of listeners—­his sayings and opinions were widely quoted.

A project for world disarmament promulgated by the Czar of Russia would naturally interest Mark Twain, and when William T. Stead, of the Review of Reviews, cabled him for an opinion on the matter, he sent at first a brief word and on the same day followed it with more extended comment.  The great war which has since devastated the world gives to this incident an added interest.

To Wm. T. Stead, in London: 

No. 1. 
          
                                             Vienna, Jan. 9. 
Dear Mr. Stead,-The Czar is ready to disarm:  I am ready to disarm. 
Collect the others, it should not be much of a task now. 
                                        Mark Twain.

To Wm. T. Stead, in London: 

No. 2.  Dear Mr. Stead,—­Peace by compulsion.  That seems a better idea than the other.  Peace by persuasion has a pleasant sound, but I think we should not be able to work it.  We should have to tame the human race first, and history seems to show that that cannot be done.  Can’t we reduce the armaments little by little—­on a pro rata basis—­by concert of the powers?  Can’t we get four great powers to agree to reduce their strength 10 per cent a year and thrash the others into doing likewise?  For, of course, we cannot expect all of the powers to be in their right minds at one time.  It has been tried.  We are not going to try to get all of them to go into the scheme peaceably, are we?  In that case I must withdraw my influence; because, for business reasons, I must preserve the outward signs of sanity.  Four is enough if they can be securely harnessed