The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-03-24
American Humor and Common Sense,

MIR. Oscar Wilde is troubled about the
lack of seriousness in American news.
papers. He says they attempt to treat
all subjects humorously. We are not
surprised that Mr.. Wilde takes this view.
His perusal of American newspapers is
naturally confined chiefly to their OBJ
servations upon himself, and we are glad
to chronicle the fact that they all take a
humorous view of him. In this they
merely echo the sentiment of the Ameri-
can people, who, in one way or another,
are extracting good deal of amusement
from Mr.. Wilde's visit. If he expected
to be taken seriously when he decided to
visit this country he did so simply be-
cause he misunderstood the American
character. We are nation that likes to
laugh, and that has sense of the ludic-
rous which is keen with constant cultiva-
ton. Before MIR. Wilde arrived there
was in some quarters a disposition to
take him seriously, and to protest against
giving him literary and social recogni-
ton. This grew out of an idea that he
was coming here as an exponent of art
and as representative of literature, and
those who had examined. his claims for
recognition in either character were not
favorably impressed by them. But it
was impossible to hold this view long.
1t received an almost fatal shock when
Mr.. Wilde expressed himself disappointed
with the Atlantic Ocean, and it was COM
pletely dissolved in the litter which ran
over Chickering Hall, when, arrayed in
his peculiar costume, he stood forth to
deliver that exceedingly commonplace
lecture which has been 50 aptly called
"Rusk1n and Water.''
From that time tillthe present the whole
country has looked upon Mr.. Wilde as
the most successful amusement of the
season. Wherever he has appeared, some
new way of enhancing the public enjoy
ment has been invented. College stu
dents in the university towns found in
him aperfectly justifiable object for their
ridicule. Quack doctors hit upon his
favOrite sunflower as means for adver-
Using their own nostrums, which, let us
hope, were as harmless as Mr.. Wilde's.
In the free and untrammeled West
utilized his form as means
of advertisement, and if Mr.. Wilde took
up newspaper there he very likely saw
dressed in his special garb,
at the head of an announce
ment by clothing dealer that "Wild
Oscar, the Aesthetic; buys his clothes at
our establishment" An apostle who
makes clothes and personal adornment
so conspicuous articles in his artistic
creed cannot complain of familiarities of
this kind He is a new revelation tn orr
people. We have had among us for
many years jealous and able advocates
Of artistic development, the fruit of |
whose careful sowing is visible on many |
sides; but no one of these has thought it |
necessary to cut his trousers short or
wear his hair long in order to make the |
people listen to him. Humor is strong
element in the American character, as
Mr.. Wilde has discovered. We have no
1oubt he has discovered. also, another
element equally strong, and that is COM
non sense, which is also necessary ac-
to keen sense of the lu-
licrous. We did not need Mr.. Wilde's
visit to teach us the old truth that he who
lresses to attract attention confesses
hat he can hope to attract it in no other
way. If he has been somewhat roughly
handled he has only himself to blame for
t. He alone has given point to the wit
# the venerable poet who went about
he Century Club, ON the night of Mr..
Vilde's visit, saying: "Where is she?
Veil, why not say 'sher I understand
he's q Charlotte Annp'-NY 2. Tribune.