The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1885-02-12
WEBSTER AND NyE.
Mr. William Nyc Compares Noah web
tiers Literary Works with HIS own.


MIR. Webster. no doubt. had the best
command Of language OF any American
author prior to our day. Those who
have read his pondcrous but rather dis.
connected romance known rs web.
stcr's Unabridged Dictionary; or. How
One Word Led On to Another will
agree with mo that hc wa. smart.
Noah never lacked for word by which
to express himself lie was brainy
man and q good spcllcr
II would VI become me nj this late
day to crilcise Mr. Wcbstcr's great
work--a work that is now in almost
every library, school-room, and count.
ing-roon in the land. 1t Is great
book. only hope that had Mr.. Web.
stcr lived he would have been equally
fair in his criticism of my books.
l hate to compare my own books
with those OF Mr., Webster. because IL
may seem egotistcal in me to point out
the good points In my literary labors;
but have often heard it said. and so
do not state II solely upon my own re-
sponsbility. that Mr.. Wcbstcr's books
do not retain the interest Of the reader
all the way through.
He has tried TO introduce too many
characters. and so we cannot follow
them all the way through. 1t is a good
book to pick up and while away an
idle hour with, perhaps; but no one
would cling to 1t at night till the fire
went out, chained to the thrilling plot
and the glowing career of its hero.
Therein consists the great difference
between Mr.. Webster and myself. A
friend of mine at Sing Sing once wrote
me that from the moment he got hold
of my book he never left his room until
he finished IT, He seemed chained to
the spot, he said; and ii you can't be-
lieve convict, who is entirely out of
politics, who in the name of George
Washington can you believe?
Mr.. Webster was most assuredly n
brilliant writer, and have discovered
in his later editions rS,000 words, no
two of which are alike. This shows
great llucncy and versatility, it is true,
but we need somcihingclse The read
or waits in vain to re thrilled by the
authors wonderful word-painting.
There is not u thrill in the whole tome
| had heard 80 much of Mr. Webster
that when ! cad his book ! confess |
was disappointed. 1t j, cold, method
zeal, and dispassiunatc in the extreme
~ said. however, il is a good book
to pick up for the purpose OF willing
away an idle moment. and no one
should start ont ON u long Journey
without Mr.. Webster tale in hi, peck
ct. II has broken the monoiony Of
many tedious trip for me.
Ar Wnh- sGA,l1.,ff ,.,.. =. III.
of less pretcnsions, perhaps, and yet it
had an immense sale. Eight years ago
this book had reached a sale OF 10000
600, and yet II had the same grave de-
feet. II was disconnected, cold, prosy,
and dull. | read il for years. and at
last became close student of Mr.
Wcbstcr's style; yet never found but
one thing in this book, for which there
seems to have been such Il perfect stam-
pede, that was even ordinarily interest
ing; and that was little gem. II was
so thrilling in its details, aud so dame
trically different from Mr.. Webstcr's
style, that | have often wondered who
he got to write it for him. II related
TO the discovery of n boy 10y an elderly
gentleman in the crotch OF an ancestral
applc-trcc, and the feeling of bitterness,
and luminosity that sprang up at that
time between the boy and the elderly
gentleman.
Though have been close student
of MIR. We sicr for years, ! am free To
say. and | do not wish to do an iniu,-
ticc 10 u gtcat man in doing so, that
his ideas of literature and my own are
entirely dissimilar Possibly his book
has u little larger sale than mine, but
that makes no difference. When
write a book it must engage tn inter-
est of the reader and show some plot to
it. II must not he jcrky in its style and
scattering in its statements.
| know ii is II great temp alton to
write book that will sell. but we
should have u higher object than that.
! do not wish to do an injustice to n
man who has done 50 much for the
world, and one who could spell the
longest word without hesiiation; but |
speak of these things just as would
expect people to crlticisc my work. Ii
we aspire to monkey with the literati
of our day we must expect TO be crti-
cised. That's the way look at it.
BILL NYE.
7. 81 might also state that Noah
Webster was member of the Legisla-
ture of Massachusetts at one time. and
though l ought not to throw il up to
him at this date, | think it nothing
more than right that the pubic should
know the truth. -LOHisrHe Courier
journal.