Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-12
WEBSTER AND NYE.
M. william Eys Compares Noah WEB
tors Literary Works With His Own.

tsr's Iitsrary Works With His Own.
Mr.. Webster, no doubt, had the best
command of language of any American
author prior to our day. Those who
have read his ponderous but rather dis
connected romance known as Web
ster's Unabridged Dictionary or, How
One Word Led On to Another. will
agree with me that he was smart
Noah never lacked for word by which
to express himself. He was brainy
man and good speller.
1t would i'll become me at this late
day to criticise MIR. Webster's great
work-a work that is now in almost
every library, school-room, and count
ing-room in the land. 1t Is a great
book. l only hope that had Mr.. Web
ster lived he would have been equally
fair in his criticism of my books.
hate to compare my own books
with those of Mr.. Webster, because it
may seem egotistical in me to point out
the good points in my literary labOrs;
but have often heard 1t said, and SO
do not state it solely upon my own re-
sponsibility, that Mr.. Webster'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 q good
book to pick up and while away an
idle hour with. perhaps; but no ono
would cling to it at nig ght 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 if you can't be-
lieve convict, who is entirely out of
politics, who in the name Of George
Washington can you believer
Mr.. Webster was most assuredly .
brilliant writer, and have discovered
in his later editions $4,000 words, no
two Of which are alike. This shows
great fluency and versatility, it is true.
but we need something else. The read
authors wonderful word-painting.
There is not thrill in the whole tome.
I had heard SO much Of Mr.. Webster
that when read his book confess I
was disappointed. 1t is cold, method
ical, and dispassionate in the extreme.
As I said, however, it is good book
to pick up for the purpose OF Willing
away an idle moment, and no one
should start out on long journey
without Mr.. Webster's tale in his pock-
et 1t has broken tho monotony Of
many q tedious trip for me.
Mr.. Webster's .'Speller" was . work
Of less pretensions, perhaps. and yet it
had an immense sale. Eight years ago
this book had reached . sale Of 40, ,OO0,-
COO. and yet 1t had the same grave de-
feet 1t was disconnected, cold, prosy.
and dull. l read it for years, and at
last became a close student Of Mr..
Webster's style; yet never found but
one thing in this book, for which there
seems to have been such a perfect stam-
pede, that was even ordinarily interest
ing; and that was little gem. 1t was
so thrilling in its details and so dame
trically different from Mr.. Webster's
style, that l have often wondered who
he got to write it for him. 1t related
to the discovery of boy by an elderly
gentleman in the crotch of an ancestral
apple-tree, and the feeling of bitterness
and animosity that sprang up at that
time between the boy and the elderly
gentleman.
Though l have been q close student
of Mr.. We ster for years, l am free to
saw, and do not wish to do an injus-
tice to great man in doing so, that
his ideas of literature and my own are
entirely dissimilar. Possibly his book
has little larger sale than mine, but
that makes no difference. When I
write book it must engage th- inter-
est of the reader and show some plot to
it. Ii must not be jcrky in its style and
scattering in its statements.
l know it is great temp alton to
write book that will sell, but We
should have higher object than that
do not wish to do an injustice to q
man who has done so much for the
world, and one who could spell the
longest word without hesitation; but I
speak of these things just as would
expect people to crlticise my work. If
we aspire to monkey with the literati
of our day we must expect to be criti-
cised. That's the way look at it.
BILL NYE-
P. 81 might also state that Noah
Webster was a member of the Legisla-
ture of Massachusetts at one time, and,
though l ought not to throw it up to
him at this date, think it nothing
mora than ripht that tho puhlic should