Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1885-07-10
WEBSTER AND NYE.
Mr.. William Nye Compares Noah Web
ster's Literary Works With His Own.

AAhCAlCctn 8uppOJ Pi1ol W Jul uesy'
Those who have read his ponderous
but rather disconnected romance
known as "Webster'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 him
self. He was a bra;ny man and a good
speller.
1t would Ill become me at this late
day to criticise Mr. Webster's great
work a work that is now In almost
every library, school room, and count
ing-room In the land. 1t is great
book / only hope that had Mr. Web
ster lived he would have been equally
fair in his criticism of my books.
/ hate to compare my books with
those of Mr. Webster, because it may
seem egotistieal IN me to point out the
good points in my literary labors; but
/ have often heard it said, and so do
not state it solely upon my own re-
sponsibility, that Mr.. Websler's books
do not retain the interest of the reader
all the way through.
He tried to introduce. too many
characters, and so we cannot follow
them all the way through. It is a
good book to pick up and while away
an idle hour with perhaus; but no ore
would cling to it at night till the FIRE
went out, chained to the thrilling plot
and the glowing career of it's hero,
Therein consists the great difference
between Mr.. Webster and myself. A
friend of mine at Slug 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
believe a convict, who is entirely out
of politics, who in the name of George
Washington can you believe?
Mr.. Webster was most assuredly a
brilliant writer, and / have discovered
in his later editions ll8,000 words, no
two of which are alike This shows
great fuency and versatility, it is true,
but we need something else The
reader waits in vain to be thrilled by
the authors wonderful word painting.
There is not thrill in the whole to me-
I had heard so much of Mr. Webster
that when / read his book / confess
was disappointed. It is cold method
ical, and dispassionate in the extreme.
AS | said, however, it is a good book
to pick up for the purpose of willing
away an idle moment, and no one
should start on long journey without
Mr. Webster's ta,e III his pocket Il
has broken the monotony of many .
tedious trip for me.
Mr.. Webster's ''Speller" was worf
of less pretensions, perhaps, and yet i
had an immence sale Eight years
ago this book had reached sale of 40,
100000, and yet it had the same gray,
defect. It was disconnected, cold, pro
sy, and dull. I read it for years, ant
at last became a. close student of Mr.
Webster's style; yet | never found bu
one thing In this book, for which ther
seems to have been such perfect STAN
pede, that was even ordinarily interest
ing; and that was a little gem. I
was so thrilling In its details, and s.
Numerically different from Mr. Web
ster's style, that / have oftened won
dered who he got to write it for him
It related TO the discovery Of boy b.
IN elderly gentleman in the crotch 0
an ancestral appletree, and the feelins
Of bitterness and animosity that sprane
up at that time between the boy AM
the elderly gentleman.
Though have been close studen
of Mr.. Webster for years, am free tt
say, and I do not wish to do OH injus
tice to great man in doing so, tha
his ideas of literature and my own ar
entirely dissinlilar. Possibly his bool
has little larger sale than mine, bu
that makes no difference. When
write book it must engage the inter.
est of the reader and show some plot t
it. 1t must not be jerky in its styl
and scattering in its statements.
/ know that it is a great Temptation
to write book that will sell, but "
should have higher object than thai
/ do not wish to do an injustice TO
man who has done so much for th
world, and one who could spell tn
longest word without hesitation; but
speak of these things just as | woul
expect people to criticise my work.
we aspire to monkey with the literal
of our day we must expect to be crit
cised. That's the way l look ut it.
BILL NyE.