11-the first writing-machines-第1节

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THE　FIRST　WRITING…MACHINES





From　My　Unpublished　Autobiography







Some　days　ago　a　correspondent　sent　in　an　old　typewritten　sheet；

faded　by　age；　containing　the　following　letter　over　the　signature

of　Mark　Twain：





〃Hartford；　March　10；　1875。





〃Please　do　not　use　my　name　in　any　way。　　Please　do　not　even　divulge

that　fact　that　I　own　a　machine。　　I　have　entirely　stopped　using

the　typewriter；　for　the　reason　that　I　never　could　write　a　letter

with　it　to　anybody　without　receiving　a　request　by　return　mail　that　I

would　not　only　describe　the　machine；　but　state　what　progress　I　had

made　in　the　use　of　it；　etc。；　etc。　　I　don't　like　to　write　letters；

and　so　I　don't　want　people　to　know　I　own　this　curiosity…breeding

little　joker。〃





A　note　was　sent　to　Mr。　Clemens　asking　him　if　the　letter　was　genuine

and　whether　he　really　had　a　typewriter　as　long　ago　as　that。　

Mr。　Clemens　replied　that　his　best　answer　is　the　following　chapter

from　his　unpublished　autobiography：







1904。　　VILLA　QUARTO；　FLORENCE；　JANUARY。





Dictating　autobiography　to　a　typewriter　is　a　new　experience　for　me；

but　it　goes　very　well；　and　is　going　to　save　time　and　〃language〃

the　kind　of　language　that　soothes　vexation。



I　have　dictated　to　a　typewriter　beforebut　not　autobiography。　

Between　that　experience　and　the　present　one　there　lies　a　mighty　gap

more　than　thirty　years！　　It　is　sort　of　lifetime。　　In　that　wide　interval

much　has　happenedto　the　type…machine　as　well　as　to　the　rest　of　us。　

At　the　beginning　of　that　interval　a　type…machine　was　a　curiosity。　

The　person　who　owned　one　was　a　curiosity；　too。　　But　now　it　is　the

other　way　about：　　the　person　who　DOESN'T　own　one　is　a　curiosity。　

I　saw　a　type…machine　for　the　first　time　inwhat　year？　　I　suppose　it

was　1873because　Nasby　was　with　me　at　the　time；　and　it　was　in　Boston。　

We　must　have　been　lecturing；　or　we　could　not　have　been　in　Boston；

I　take　it。　　I　quitted　the　platform　that　season。



But　never　mind　about　that；　it　is　no　matter。　　Nasby　and　I　saw

the　machine　through　a　window；　and　went　in　to　look　at　it。　

The　salesman　explained　it　to　us；　showed　us　samples　of　its　work；

and　said　it　could　do　fifty…seven　words　a　minutea　statement

which　we　frankly　confessed　that　we　did　not　believe。　　So　he　put

his　type…girl　to　work；　and　we　timed　her　by　the　watch。　　She　actually

did　the　fifty…seven　in　sixty　seconds。　　We　were　partly　convinced；

but　said　it　probably　couldn't　happen　again。　　But　it　did。　

We　timed　the　girl　over　and　over　againwith　the　same　result　always：　

she　won　out。　　She　did　her　work　on　narrow　slips　of　paper；　and　we

pocketed　them　as　fast　as　she　turned　them　out；　to　show　as　curiosities。　

The　price　of　the　machine　was　one　hundred　and　twenty…five　dollars。　

I　bought　one；　and　we　went　away　very　much　excited。



At　the　hotel　we　got　out　our　slips　and　were　a　little　disappointed

to　find　that　they　contained　the　same　words。　　The　girl　had　economized

time　and　labor　by　using　a　formula　which　she　knew　by　heart。　

However；　we　arguedsafely　enoughthat　the　FIRST　type…girl　must

naturally　take　rank　with　the　first　billiard…player：　neither　of　them

could　be　expected　to　get　out　of　the　game　any　more　than　a　third　or　a

half　of　what　was　in　it。　　If　the　machine　survivedIF　it　survived

experts　would　come　to　the　front；　by　and　by；　who　would　double　the　girl's

output　without　a　doubt。　　They　would　do　one　hundred　words　a　minute

my　talking　speed　on　the　platform。　　That　score　has　long　ago　been　beaten。



At　home　I　played　with　the　toy；　repeated　and　repeating　and　repeated　〃The

Boy　stood　on　the　Burning　Deck；〃　until　I　could　turn　that　boy's　adventure

out　at　the　rate　of　twelve　words　a　minute；　then　I　resumed　the　pen；

for　business；　and　only　worked　the　machine　to　astonish　inquiring　visitors。　

They　carried　off　many　reams　of　the　boy　and　his　burning　deck。



By　and　by　I　hired　a　young　woman；　and　did　my　first　dictating　（letters；

merely）；　and　my　last　until　now。　　The　machine　did　not　do　both　capitals

and　lower　case　（as　now）；　but　only　capitals。　　Gothic　capitals　they　were；

and　sufficiently　ugly。　　I　remember　the　first　letter　I　dictated。　

it　was　to　Edward　Bok；　who　was　a　boy　then。　　I　was　not　acquainted

with　him　at　that　time。　　His　present　enterprising　spirit　is　not　new

he　had　it　in　that　early　day。　　He　was　accumulating　autographs；　and　was

not　content　with　mere　signatures；　he　wanted　a　whole　autograph　LETTER。　

I　furnished　itin　type…written　capitals；　SIGNATURE　AND　ALL。　

It　was　long；　it　was　a　sermon；　it　contained　advice；　also　reproaches。　

I　said　writing　was　my　TRADE；　my　bread…and…butter；　I　said　it　was

not　fair　to　ask　a　man　to　give　away　samples　of　his　trade；　would　he

ask　the　blacksmith　for　a　horseshoe？　would　he　ask　the　doctor　for

a　corpse？



Now　I　come　to　an　important　matteras　I　regard　it。　　In　the　year

'74　the　young　woman　copied　a　considerable　part　of　a　book　of　mine

ON　THE　MACHINE。　　In　a　previous　chapter　of　this　Autobiography　I

have　claimed　that　I　was　the　first　person　in　the　world　that　ever　had

a　telephone　in　the　house　for　practical　purposes；　I　will　now　claim

until　dispossessthat　I　was　the　first　person　in　the　world　to　APPLY

THE　TYPE…MACHINE　TO　LITERATURE。　　That　book　must　have　been　THE

ADVENTURES　OF　TOM　SAWYER。　　I　wrote　the　first　half　of　it　in　'72；

the　rest　of　it　in　'74。　　My　machinist　type…copied　a　book　for　me

in　'74；　so　I　concluded　it　was　that　one。



That　early　machine　was　full　of　caprices；　full　of　defectsdevilish　ones。　

It　had　as　many　immoralities　as　the　machine　of　today　has　virtues。　

After　a　year　or　two　I　found　that　it　was　degrading　my　character；

so　I　thought　I　would　give　it　to　Howells。　　He　was　reluctant；　for　he

was　suspicious　of　novelties　and　unfriendly　toward　them；　and　he　remains

so　to　this　day。　　But　I　persuaded　him。　　He　had　great　confidence　in　me；

and　I　got　him　to　believe　things　about　the　machine　that　I　did　not

believe　myself。　　He　took　it　home　to　Boston；　and　my　morals　began

to　improve；　but　his　have　never　recovered。



He　kept　it　six　months；　and　then　returned　it　to　me。　　I　gave　it　away

twice　after　that；　but　it　wouldn't　stay；　it　came　back。　　Then　I

gave　it　to　our　coachman；　Patrick　McAleer；　who　was　very　grateful；

because　he　did　not　know　the　animal；　and　thought　I　was　trying　to

make　him　wiser　and　better。　　As　soon　as　he　got　wiser　and　better　he

traded　it　to　a　heretic　for　a　side…saddle　which　he　could　not　use；

and　there　my　knowledge　of　its　history　ends。