Die Spinne | 21 June 1914
Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.), 21 June 1914. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045081/1914-06-21/ed-1/seq-14/>
This is the Germanversion of a story which was repeatedly published in English-language newspapers (around 1907 - 1910). For examples see: "Mark Twain's Spider," The county record, (Kingstree, S.C.), 18 June 1908; "The Wise Spider," The news-record, (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon), 04 Sept. 1909; "Mark Twain and the Spider," The Woodend Star (Woodend, Victoria, Australia), 23 Nov. 1907.
| Transcription | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Die Spinne | The spider |
| Als Mark Twain in seinen jungen Tagen ein Blättchen mit dem stolzen Titel „Die Flagge des Westens“ in einem Städtchen von Missouri redigierte, fragte einmal ein abergläubischer Abonnent bei ihm an, ob es Glück oder Unglück bedeute, dass er letztes Mal zwischen den Zeitungsblättern eine Spinne gefunden habe. Mark Twain gab ihm im Briefkasten folgende eindringliche Antwort: „Alter Abonnent - das Finden einer Spinne in der Zeitung bedeutet weder Glück noch Unglück für Sie. Die Spinne durchlas lediglich unsere Zeitung, um zu erkennen, welcher Kaufmann nicht inseriert, um dann zu dessen Laden zu gehen, ihr Netz über die Tür zu weben und fortan ein Leben ungestörten Friedens zu verbringen ...“ Ob dieser vorzügliche Bescheid die säumigen Geschäftsinhaber an ihre Pflicht erinnerte und der „Flagge des Westens“ die offenbar noch fehlenden großen Inseratenaufträge brachte, wird leider nicht gemeldet. | In his younger days, when Mark Twain was editing a newspaper with the proud title "The Flag of the West" in a small Missouri town, a superstitious subscriber once asked him whether it was good luck or bad luck that he had found a spider among the newspaper pages last time. Mark Twain gave him the following emphatic reply in the letterbox: "Old subscriber - finding a spider in the newspaper means neither good luck nor bad luck for you. The spider merely reads through our paper to see which merchant is not advertising, then goes to his store, weaves its web over the door and lives a life of undisturbed peace ..." Whether this excellent notice reminded the negligent shopkeepers of their duty and brought the "Flag of the West" those big advertising placements that were apparently still missing is unfortunately not reported. |