Mark Twain (1835-1910) is known as a successful writer and public speaker.
In 1894, when he had to declare bankruptcy, he made a promise that he was going to pay his debts.
How was he going to raise money to do this?
He arranged a speaking tour which would take him around the world. During this tour he was going to stop and give a public speech to a local audience in numerous locations.
The tour lasted one year. He travelled around the world from 1895 to 1896. Whenever he made a stop to give a public speech a local audience showed up and paid to hear him speak.
When the tour was over, he had raised enough money to pay his creditors.
He had lifted himself out of debt. His abilities and his talents as a public speaker were so good that he managed to raise enough money to pay his debts.
But it wasn't always like this. There is one exception to the general rule of success. There is one occasion when his abilities and his talents as a public speaker failed him.
When and where was this?
** The time: 17 December 1877
** The place: Hotel Brunswick in Boston, Massachusetts
The occasion was a celebration of the 70th birthday of the American poet John Greenleaf Whittier.
Mark Twain was one of several persons who had been invited to give a speech when the birthday dinner had come to an end.
When it was his turn, he began reading his speech from a manuscript. His speech was not improvised. He had planned what he was going to say.
Since he was known as a funny writer who often used satire, he had decided to use this routine on this occasion. This was the problem: his “funny” speech was not regarded as funny by his audience.
He was in Boston among many people who had graduated from ivy league universities. He did not have much education. He misjudged his audience.
Having talked for a few minutes, he realised that something was wrong. The audience did not respond as he had expected. There was no laugh. There was not even a smile.
But he did not know what to do. He felt he had to go on. He had to follow his script. And he did.
When he came to end, the room was silent. No applause. No standing ovation. He felt he had to get out of there as quickly as possible.
Technically, he had not done anything wrong. But it was a faux pas. He was supposed to celebrate the birthday of a famous poet. But he failed to do so.
Later, he apologised for his misstep. His friends assured him that everything was OK.
His speech was printed in the local press the following day. He had given a copy of the text to reporters who were present during the ceremony.
Nobody said it was awful. On the other hand, nobody praised him for delivering a magnificent speech.
During the years after that fateful day in December 1877, he often speculated about that difficult moment. He discussed the question with himself:
“Was I right or was I wrong?”
Some comments indicated that his speech was not exactly suitable for the occasion.
The metaphor about a bull in a China shop was used to describe what happened:
“A Backwoods Bull in the Boston China Shop.”
He failed. But as explained above, this case is the exception to the general rule.
REFERENCE
Hanry Nash Smith,
“The Backwoods Bull in the Boston China Shop,”
American Heritage
August 1961
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