Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1886-03-12
wEesTER's BOOK.
Tho Cold, Dispassionate Work of the
Great American photographer.

Great American photographer.
Mr.. Webster, no doubt, had the best
command OF languages OF any American
author prior to our day. Those who have
read his ponderous, but rather discon'
nccted, romance, known as Webster's I'M
abridged Dictionary, or "Iiow One Word
led on to Another" will ngrec with me that
he was smart, and never lacked for word
by which to express himself. He was a
brainy man, and good spcller.
1t would i'll become me Mt this late day to
criticise Mr.. Webster's great work-a work
that is now in almost every library, school.
room and counting-room in the land. 1t
is great book. But have often heard it
said, and so do not state it solely upon
my own responsibility, 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 can not follow them all the way
through. 1t is n good book to pick up and
while away an idle hour with, perhaps; but
no one would cling to it night and day
until the fire went out, chained to the
thrilling plot and the glowing career of the
hero.
Mr.. Webster was most assuredly brill
liant writer, and l have discovered in his
later editions 11S,OO0 words, no two OF
which are alike. This shows great fluency
and versatility, it is true, but we need some-
thing else. The reader waits in vain to be
thrilled by the authors wonderful word
painting. There is not thrill in the whole
to me. / had heard so much OF Mr.. Web
ster that when | read his book confess
was disappointed. 1t is cold. methodical,
and dispassonate in the extreme. AS Isaid,
however, it is a good book to pick up for
the purpose OF Willing away an idle mo-
ment, and no one should start out on q
long journey without Mr.. Webster's tale in
his pocket. 1t has broken the monotony
OF n many n tedious trip for me.
Mr.. Webster's !SpeLer was work Of less
pretensions, perhaps and yet it hada inn
| mense sale. Eight years ago this book had
reached sale OF 40, 100000, and yet had
the same grave defect. 1t was disconnect-
ed, cold, prosy and dull.
| read it for years, and at last beame a
| close student OF Mr.. Webster's style; yet
| | never found but one thing in the book
| that was even ordinarily interesting, and
| that was u little gem. 1t was SO thrill
ing in its details, and SO diametrically
different from Mr.. Websters style, that
have often wondered whom he got to
write it for him. 1t related to the dis
covery OF boy by an elderly gentleman
in the crotch OF an ancestral apple tree
1
at that time between the'boy and the elder
| ly gentleman.
Though have been close student O.
Mr.. Webster for years, / am free to say
and 1 do not wish to do an injustice to q
| great man in doing so, that his ideas o
| literature and my own are entirely dis
similar. Possibly his book has n larger
sale than mine, but that makes no differ
| ence. When 1 write book it must en-
! gage the interest OF the reader and show
some plot to it. 1t must not be ierky il
its style and scattering in its statements
know it is n great temptation to write a
book that will sell, but we should have q
higher object than that.
/ do not wish to do an injustice to G
man who has done so much for the world
and one who could spell the longest word
without hesitation; but l speak OF thes,
things just as l would expect people tc
criticse my own work-BW Nye, in Louis
vile Couricr-JournaL.