Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-12-11
THE COMING HUMoRIsT.

He States His Case to BIN Nye. and Ask.
for Advice, which He Freely Gives.
The following letter has been re.
ceived, and as it incloses no unsmirched
postage-stamp to insure private reply,
take great pleasure in answering il
through the columns of Puck:
CHRISTIAN KAs., Sept q, 's4
DEAR SIR: am studying for q Humoriss
Books that are written? With some of the
best Jokes of the Day &c &c SC.
Also what it would be best for me to do 20
am said to be Natural Born Humorist by
my friends and all need is Cultivation to
make my mark
Please reply by return mail
Kindly Yours
HERMAN A. II.
For some time have been grieving
over the dearth of humor in America,
and wondering who the great coming
humorist was to be. Several papers
have already deplored the lack of hum
or in our land, but they have not been
able to put their finger on the ap-
preaching humorist of the age. just
as we had begun to despair, however,
here he comes, quietly and nnostenta-
tiously, modestly and ungrammati-
cally. Unheralded and silently, like
Maud S. or any other eminent man, he
slowly rises above the Kansas horizon,
and tells us that it will be impossible
to conceal his identity any longer. He
is the approaching humorist of the
nineteenth century.
1t is a serious matter, Herman, to
prescribe course of study tn 1t will be
exactly what you need to bring you out.
Perhaps you might do well to take
kindergarten course in spelling and the
rudiments of grammar; still, that is
not absolutely necessary. A friend of
mine named Billings has done well as a
humorist, though his knowledge of
spelling seems to be pitiably deficient.
Grammar is convenient where a hui
morist desires to put on style or show
off before the crowned heads, but it is
not absolutely Indispensable.
Regarding the Coolest Books" neces-
sary for your perusal in order to chisel
your name on the eternal tablets of
fame, tastes will certainly differ, 1 am
almost sorry that you wrote me, be-
cause we might not agree. You write
like one of these Jolly humorists such
as people employ to go along with
picnic and be the life of the party, and
whose presence throughout the coun-
try has been so depressing. If one
may be allowed to judge of your genius
by the few autograph lines forwarded,
you belong to that class of brain-work-
ers upon whom devolves the solemn
duty of pounding sand. If you are
really brain-worker, will you kindly
inform the writer whose brain you are
working now, and how you like it as
far as you have gone?
American humor has burst forth from
all kinds of places nearly. The various
professions have done their share. One
has risen from a tramp until he is
wealthy and dyspeptic, and another
was blown up on a steamboat before he
knew that he was humorist.
Suppose you try that, Herman. M.
Quad, one of the very successful |
humorists of the day, both in literary
and a financial way, was blown up by |
a steamboat before he bloomed forth |
into the full flush and flower of sue
cess. Try that, Herman. 1t is Sc
we're test, but it is bound to be sue
cess. Even if it should be disastrous
to you, it will be rich in it's beneficial |
results to those who escape.
Prepare few dying words and for
ward them to me, so that in case of &C
cident we might be prepared for the
worst, then excurt up and down the
Great Parent of Waters on its fathers |
side until the boiler bursts. Then will |
our morbid curiosity be gratified.
You will either come down one of |
most grotesque humorists, or
you will land in such diversified and |
concussed condition that it will be no
great disappointment to you, anyway.
Try this, Herman, and, if you desire, / |
will procure the signatures of a large
mass of people throughout the United |
States who would be perfectly willing
that you should try the experiment.
Blu Nye, in Puck.