Mark Twain's Many Roles, Ne wStudies by Geismar and Hill
Maxwell Geismar, distin-
guished literary critic, whose
"Mark Twain: An American
Prophet" already is among
his most notable works, sup-
plements _h i s i mpressive
studies of the great Ameri-
can author with his "Mark
Twain and the Three R's:
MARK TWAIN
Race, Religion, Revolution
and Related Matters."
Published in both hard
cover and paperback editions
by Robbs-Merrill Co., this
work has the merit of another
valuable essay by Geismar
regarding Twain's radical
social ideas on the three R's
and the excerpts on them
culled by the compiler for
this impressive anthology.
Some of the views that were
expressed about Twain are
rejected by Geismar. He
shows how the famous writer
was misunderstood, maligned
by "the majority of the pro-
fessional and academic
critics (who) concurred in
believing that T w a in was
common, vulgar, coarse; a
popular 'humorist' whose
reputation would not survive
h i m . ' Therefore Geismar
declares:
"But it is hard to keep a
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good man down or a great
artist silent, or, more subtly,
to transmute his values . . .
Twain was always too clear
and too forthright in that
luminous language of h i s
which he alone could fashion
. . . The truth is that Twain
was never the horrid old
m a n , the embittered and
failed artist, the drunken
cynic that he was supposed
to be."
It is as a splendid supple-
ment to his earlier work, the
new Geismar book on Twain
is an enrichment of a valu-
able literary anthology.
Of interest in the collection
of Twain's writings under the
title of the "Three R's"' is
this excerpted piece from
Geismar's anthology:
"ON LIFE AND DEATH"
"To Adam we owe the two
things which are most preci-
ous — Life and Death. Life,
which the young, the hopeful,
the undefeated hold above all
wealth and all honors; and
Death, the refuge, the solace,
the best and kindliest and
most prized friend and bene-
factor of the erring, the for-
saken, the old, and weary,
and broken of heart, whose
burdens be heavy upon them,
and who would lie down and
rest."
"The dignity of death —
the only earthy dignity that
is not artificial — the only
safe one. The others are traps
that can beguile to humilia-
tion. Death — the only im-
mortal who treats us all alike,
whose pity and whose peace
and whose refuge are for
all — the soiled and the pure
— the rich and the poor —
the loved and the unloved."
There is much about
Russia, relating to the Czars,
and included is an unpub-
lished letter about the Czar
written in 1890. Twain also
had conversations with N. V.
Tchaykoffsky, t h e Russian
revolutionary, and there is a
lengthy comment on the Rus-
sian revolution and the assist-
ance given the opponents of
Czarism. In that piece there
is comment about Jews. It
shows a misunderstanding on
Twain's part who spoke of
Jews and Americans' as sep-
arate entities. What he
meant, of course, was the
Jew is an immigrant settler
in this country. In the item
selected by Geismar f r o m
This Twain-Tchaykoffsky re-
lationship, a n d regarding
Twain's expressed views, is-
quoted the follow:
Tchaykoffsky said that
my talk depressed him pro-
foundly, and that he hoped I
was wrong.
"I said I hoped the same.
"He said, 'Why, from this
very nation of yours came -a
mighty contribution only two
or three months ago, and it
made us all glad in Russia.
You raised two millions of
dollars in a breath — in a
moment, as it were — and
sent that contribution, that
most noble and generous
contribution, to suffering
Russia. Does not that modify
your opinion?'
"'No,' I said, 'it doesn't.
That money came riot from
Homosexuals S eek Own Rabbi
By BEN
GALLOB
down or was burned down,"
(Copyright 1973. JTA, Inc.)
the Rabbi Leo Baeck Tempe
The 60 members of the offered the use of one of its
first homosexual Jewish con- classrooms to the congrega-
gregation in Los Angeles tion.
believe that if their syna-
Rabbi Herman reported
gogue is to succeed it must that the 60 members were
have an ordained rabbi who continuing to meet Friday
must be a homosexual.
evening..s at Leo Baeck Tem-
A report on the history and ple and that, during mid-
problems of this congrega- week, a core group studies
tion by Rabbi Erwin L. Her- Jewish lore. Recently, "a
man, director of the Pacific modest number of rabbis and
Southwest Council of the cantors have volunteered"
Union of Atherican Hebrew to conduct services for Beth
Congregations, appeared in Hayim Hadashim.
the summer issue of th ,-!
A decision against limiting
Journal of the Central Con- membership to homosexuals
ference of American Rabbis. was the subject of intense
In March 1972, four Jewish debate. The congregation's
homosexuals, who had at- leaders felt that if a large
tended a meeting of the number of "straight" Jews
Metropolitan Community joined, a significant number
Church in a Los Angeles of homosexual Jews would
Black ghetto, decided there refuse to join for fear of ex-
was a need for a synagogue posure. But it was decided
in Los Angles to serve Jew- that membership had to he
ish horPosexuals. Subsequent- left (men, though the homo-
ly, two dozen men and sexuals will seek to maintain
women attended a meeting Control of the congregation.
at which they decided to There are a few non-homo-
form such a congregation. sexuals in the congregation.
The Community Church of-
The decision that their
fered facilities without rabbi, if they can obtain one,
charge to the new congrega- must be a homosexual is
tion, Beth Hayim Hadashim based , on their conviction
(House of New Life).
that no matter how sincere
Representatives of the new the "straight" Jews who
congregation came to Rabbi offer help may be, the prob-
Herman's office for help and lems of the "gay" commu-
"we responded by offering nity can only be understood
the facilities of our office," when it is served by another
Rabbi Herman said.
homosexual. Moreover,
At the High Holy Days in Rabbi Herman reported,
1972, the congregation num- leaders of Beth Hayim Ha-
bered 32 men and women, dashim consistently question
with twice and sometimes the motives of "straight"
three times that number at- Jews who offer help.
tending S h a b a t services,
Rabbi Herman reported
usually conducted by mem- that the founding co-president
bers but with rabbis occa- of Beth Hayim Hadashim en-
sionally leading the services, visioned other such congre-
he reported.
gations around the United
One of the members pro- States and overseas and that
vided funds for purchase of he had alreay been contacted
a Torah scroll which was by homosexual Jews and
dedicated before an as- Jewish groups in Baltimore,
sembly of more than 300. Miami, San Francisco, Lon-
After the church "burned don and Mexico City.
1
THE DETROIT JEWISH HEWS
Americans, it came from
Jews; much of it from rich
Jews, but the most of it from
Russian and Polish Jews on
the East Side—that is to say,
it came from the very poor.
The Jew has always been
benevolent. Suffering can al-
ways move a Jew's heart and
tax his pocket to the limit.
He will be at your mass
meetings. But if you find any
Americans there put them in
a glass case and exhibit them.
It will be worth fifty cents a
head to go and look at that
show and try to believe in it.'
"He asked me to come to
last night's meeting and
speak, but I had another en-
gagement and could not do it.
Then he asked me to write a
line or two which could be
read at the meeting, and I
did that cheerfully."
In its totality, Geismar's
work about Twain's Three
R's is an enrichment of the
studies about Samuel Clem-
ens — Mark Twain.
Hill's 'Mark Twain'
Based on papers that were
not previously a v ailable,
Prof. Hamlin Hill has written
a moving account of Mark
Twain's last years in "Mark
Twain: God's Fool," pub-
lished by Harper and Row.
Personal tragedies are re-
corded here and the family
relationships are given inter-
esting accounts.
Os sip Gabrilowitsch, his
marriage to Clara Clemens
and Samuel Clemens (Mark
Twain) satisfaction with the
marriage, are recorded here.
At one point Twain referred
to Gabrilowitsch jokingly as
"Gossip."
Friday, Nov. 23, 1973-23
Jewish Studies Popular With Gentiles
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (JTA) the program at the Univer-
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