The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-10-11
Bigger hlen Than Bill Nye.

1t is always very fashionable to snccr
ut humorists and people arc very nut
mcrous who arc always funnier than
the popular humorist of the hour. in
their own estimation. The following,
from such an excellent humorous
authority rs the Texas Siftings. will be
interesting reading for such people:
The woods arc full of humorists; a.,
Josh Billings once remarked about
philosophers, "therc are SO many of
them its a wonderanybody's left to hoo
corn"
A few of the humorists write for the
papers, but tho great majority are
'guiltlcss of their country's blood" us
far as good writing goes. They don't
write, but they know how easy it would
be for them to do so, and how quickly
they could find favor with the public if
they only wanted to. They read Bill
Nye's hest productions and scornfully
say; THAT Teller amt no humorist;
could be 1t him and not half try" but
for some reason they never try. The
would-be, or rather. could.bc. hulnor-
ist usually earns about $3.50 year,
saving wood or hopping q counter,
while Nyc struggles along on an in
come OF $4,000 Il year from his writ
ings. One would think that out of the
scores and hosts that can write so mucl,
better than Nye. one Or two OF them
would work at it permanently.
One style of humorist is ethical. His
articles arc meant to DO funny in u
mild way, but they must first be strictly
according to form. The ethical hamor-
ist hates slang; he also hates the pro-
noun ]. His articles usually begin:
1--WE saunterol into IL harbor shop re-
Gently, and as the barber was oilng oar
hair he asked us if our baby had liu-
ishcd cutting its tccth." The pronoun
l may be egotistical, but in such cases
it looks better than the idiotic eve"
Every country village is jam full OF
hunorists. There is always an old
uncle somebody-or-othcr, who is per-
feet paragon of wit. The fame yet
lives Of the wonderful hit he made
when. u public speaker. in making AL
address. asked, What shall We do?"
by loosely believing out, '.Set up tho
drinks!' When no goes into the viii
lage store and asks the price of spool
of thread, he humorously tells the
stOrclleepcr that he thinks all his ilk
are thieves and liars, which is so ire
sistibly funny to the crowd of loafers,
that they nearly split their sides
laughing. Almost every village also
has IL quotation humorist who always
prefaccs his remarks with "As tho
Teller says"
The first baby in n family is always
q great humorist, and says the funniest
things, do declare. Dordie's mommy
asked Dordie if he owed her. and the
titty-witty fling said Goo"
Academy students and country school
teachers arc opposed to humorists
The articles their souls rejoice in, arc
the kind, headed whittier is our pro-
gross trenling?" sThe bancful inilu-
cnce OF animnlculn in tea leaves" etc,
A country school teacher once told
mo (us) that he could see no sense in
the admiration people profcsscd for
Dickens; in his opinion, there was no
plot worth speaking Of in his novels,
and he spoiled what little there was,
BY trying to be funny. II this critical
pcdagogue had ever heard of Shake
spear, lie would have known another
case of misplaced public admiration,
for he often fell into the fault OF .'try.
ing to be funny"