Mark Twain on Tolerance

Mark Twain was a most prolific author and lecturer.  Born Samuel Clemens on November 30, 1835, he grew up on the Mississippi River and it became the basis of much of his writing.

We are all familiar with Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn, but Twain wrote and lectured on many topics of the day – including tolerance:

So much blood has been shed by the Church because of an omission from the Gospel: "Ye shall be indifferent as to what your neighbor's religion is." Not merely tolerant of it, but indifferent to it. Divinity is claimed for many religions; but no religion is great enough or divine enough to add that new law to its code. - Mark Twain, a Biography[1]

No one can claim that Brother[2] Samuel Clemens was indecisive in his choice of words.  I am not sure I can agree completely with Brother Clemens’ quote, but it certainly gives something to consider and challenge one’s own opinions on the subject.

Another Twain quote:

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.
- Innocents Abroad[3]

I often wonder how many people who believe (insert your minority here) are dangerous have ever even met a person of that group.  Or engaged them in a civil conversation.  I suspect there are not many ….

It liberates the vandal to travel--you never saw a bigoted, opinionated, stubborn, narrow-minded, self-conceited, almighty mean man in your life but he had stuck in one place since he was born and thought God made the world and dyspepsia and bile for his especial comfort and satisfaction.  - The American Abroad speech, 1868[4]

OK maybe Twain has gone a little overboard here…  But, it is helpful to have an extreme example to gauge one’s response.

Perhaps if we’re not in a position to travel to broaden our horizons, we could read a book that gives a different view than ours.  Or watch a PBS news show instead of our favorite cable channel. 

While I am comfortable in my faith and beliefs, I am not willing to subject others to my beliefs.  They, as I, have the right to make their own decisions in that most important regard.  That is, in fact, the law of our land – the American way. 

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[1] http://www.twainquotes.com/Religion.html

[2] I refer to Clemens as a Brother, as he was a member of the Masonic fraternity.

[3] http://www.twainquotes.com/Travel.html

[4] Id.