Chapters 72-73 Summary

In this section, Twain talks about human vanity, first in the collective and then in himself.

First, Twain relates the story of a banquet he attended, where a man bragged, "when an Anglo-Saxon man wants something, he just takes it." For this speech, he received thunderous applause. Twain was shocked that no one spoke against this arrogance, but he says he didn't have the courage to do that, either. He remarks that while our public philosophy is one thing, "In God We Trust," the young speaker apparently voiced America's private philosophy.

Twain has fun talking about his vanity, too. He was awarded an honorary degree in England. Although he has three honorary degrees already, and although he has said he'll not have reason to travel abroad again, he plans to make haste to receive the new degree.

Chapters 72-73 Analysis

One...