retired from labor for good, I have dismissed my
stenographer and have entered upon a holiday whose other end is in the
cemetery.

Yours ever,
MARK.

From a gentleman in Buffalo Clemens one day received a letter
inclosing an incompleted list of the world's "One Hundred Greatest
Men," men who had exerted "the largest visible influence on the life
and activities of the race." The writer asked that Mark Twain
examine the list and suggest names, adding "would you include Jesus,
as the founder of Christianity, in the list?"

To the list of statesmen Clemens added the name of Thomas Paine; to
the list of inventors, Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. The
question he answered in detail.

*****

To ------, Buffalo, N. Y.

Private. REDDING, CONN, Aug. 28, '08.

DEAR SIR,--By "private," I mean don't print any remarks of mine.

..................
I like your list.

The "largest visible influence."

These terms require you to add Jesus. And they doubly and trebly require
you to add Satan. From A.D. 350 to A.D. 1850 these gentlemen exercised a
vaster influence over a fifth part of the human race than was exercised
over that fraction of the race by all other influences combined.
Ninety-nine hundredths of this influence proceeded from Satan, the
remaining fraction of it from Jesus. During those 1500 years the fear
of Satan and Hell made 99 Christians where love of God and Heaven landed
one. During those 1500 years, Satan's influence was worth very nearly
a hundred times as much to the business as was the influence of all the
rest of the Holy Family put together.

You have asked me a question, and I have answered it seriously and
sincerely. You have put in Buddha--a god, with a following, at one time,
greater than Jesus ever had: a god with perhaps a little better evidence
of his godship than that which is offered for Jesus's. How then, in
fairness, can you leave Jesus out? And if you put him in, how can you
logically leave Satan out? Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but
it is the lightning that does the work.

Very truly yours,
S. L. CLEMENS.

The "Children's Theatre" of the next letter was an institution of
the New York East Side in which Mark Twain was deeply intereste