The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-04-10
TEE QuAcxxRr or nunos.

ssOPOseso oAt0x Ou3StouOOSo Sen Az NVv0AAp
bsr, 1855
TEE QUAcKERY OF AUHOR.
Bill Nys has been with N ones mors,
and Ne are glad 20 believe that he LEFT IN
Increasing number Of persons behind him
who begin to understand that there is -
wide . difference between . genuine
humorist and dealer In the mere vulgar
quacksry of humor - there IL between an
educated. scientific physician and surgeon
and medical fakir. So it II with the
''fun" Of Mr.. Nye. It 10 not legitimate
humor, wit or fun, but It sells and finds
ready market not among people who have
the capacity to emit fun, humor or enjoy
1t in others, but among that melancholy
crowd Of persons who are never witty.
never humorous themselves, never read
book Of genuine Wit or humor, but roar
over anybody who can make grimaces,
play contortionist and incarnate the
genius Of what 10 simply the grotesqus -
from what 10 in any humane
or decent intellectual sense true wit and
humor.
The other evening. during Sothern's
really fine performance Of Capt Lettar.
blair" there were more people who
laughed heartily at the mere ludicrous
bodily movements Of IN actor who played
. minor part and said nothing. than ap-
plauded Sothsrn. And yet everybody knew
that Sothern was the true humorist The
actor whose ludicrous movements excited
amusement did his minor work success
fully, but We did not laugh at him because
he was humorist or . man Of wit; Ne
laughed heartily just - We laugh ct the
horse play and rank buffooneriss Of the
negro minstrel stage; just - We laugh
when fat man gets sudden fall ON the
lea The fall ON the Ice 10 not stroke Of
wit or humor; but the fallen man for the
moment 10 placed in ludicrous and en-
barrassing situation. There are thousands
who roar when situation Of this sort
takes place who have not the faintsst
sense Of true wit or humor; that is. the
pleasantly that 10 Of permanent Life and
rises above the silly world Of mere GRIM
aces, broad grins, contortions and aero
batic efforts to MAKE people smile.
The wit and humor Of Mr.. Nys 10 like
that Of . man who had been horse play
humorist or circus clown for good many
years and had suddenly decided 20 trans
fer his quckery Of fun into the more per-
manent form Of print Mr.. Nys In his
letters and his lectures II . writer Of
grimace. gass. horse-play humor; . crea-
tor Of permutations and combinations in
the mere verbal trickery that II used to
make new garments for old stock figures
in grotesqus and burlesque. Mr.. Nye has
transferred successfully to print the 90.
called Wit and humor Of circus clown or
burlesqus actor. He il not . comedian
ct all; his Wit and humof bear the same
relation 70 real humor that 10 Of permanent
life and humane quality that burlesque
Of Dxey bears to . performance Of true
artistic comedy like Jefferson's persona.
tion Of Rip Van Wrinkle. Rip Van
Wrinkle Is man Of rustic train.
ing; he 10 . country man; but he
is not . clown: he makes rs laugh
because he is . true humorist In feeling
and expression, and not because of Ills
capacity to stand on his head. 70 grin
through q horse collar or to turn an unex.
pected somersault Your true humorist
il not . quack. mistaking tho capacity to
make an audience laugh BY verbal GRIM
aces or contortions for the gift Of genuine
wit and humor, but your quack humorist
10 one who strings his Jokes, like beads. .
blue bead one day. . white bead the next.
not to illustrate thought, not to point .
moral. but to make his quips and quirks
constitute the whole Of his purposeless
theme. No man can long get an intelli.
gent audience to hear him without there Is
some sentiment, some thought, some
wholesome flavor of satire underlying his
humor.
Mr.. Nye 10 not "the great American
humorist;" at least. let Us hope not. for il
be In then We Americans are the saddest
people on earth. He is, Of course. a
humorist, and always will be '.ths great
American humorist" to tha. very large
number OF persons who think q man " no
stands on his head humorist, and man
who can squeai like = pig or crow like a
cock wit. The quackery of humor make,
men laugh not by appealing to their
brains. but to their boyish sense of amu,e.
ment that manifests itself when they
watch the antics Of a colt in pasture.
The bald, disjoinsed. rambling, 6,ful
chat Of the great American hu morist"
recalls Abraham Lincoln's famous saving
that che talk of some men made him think
of the colt who leaves the spectator in
doubt whether he Is snorting At his kicks
or kicking at HI, snorts. Mr.. Nye in a
successful Snowman" but no. q success.
full humorist, for II he was humor would
become obsolete; he Is . man utterly with.
oct sentiment; he leers. grins and hee-
haws at everything and everybody; be i,
the cynical clown Of literary circus. He
makes money and crowd. go to hear him
just IS crowds gather around the cart of a
street 'fskir" or throng the Office of a
quack doctor. There may be, We suppose
humor With incidental instruction or IN.
struction with incidental humor. but .hs
circus theory of Wit and humor does no,
assume this to be possible.
#
The spokane Eesfes 10 advocating a, ,ss.
which that paper pEooaAiy lad In vie. WREN
established, OF cutting the state Of ws.htnvtor
in sw1 and making snoksne fna rs,i.sl "a -