Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-02-27
Tie Late Bill We and His
Place n Literature
New York Journal.

New York Journal.
It is impossible at the present mo-
ment to determine precisely what
place Edgar W. Nye, known to the
world as Bill Nye. made for himself in
the field of letters, bur certainly at the
time of his death he was the most wide
ly known as well as the very best rep
resentaJive oR,hat school OF American
humor to which ne belonged. Indeed,
it is not too much to say that he was
Tie last of his race, and that the school
which began nearly q half century ago
with John Phoenix perishes with Bill
Nye
Bill Nye was q humorist Of a class
that has always been more popular
with the American people than the
finer and more scOlarly school of
which James Russell Lowell, Oliver
Wendell Holmes and John G. SAKE
were such brilliant examples He was
one of those funmakers who have given
10 America its worldwide reputation
for humor, and the jokes that origin
ated with him and his kind were sup
posed 10 be as distinctively American
as the game of poker although both
date from the EliZabethan period Of
English history. To be sure, in
ShakesDeare's time the PLAYER called
the game 'priQerO.' and said "Tll w
and re-vy,' Instead of using the IA
miliar household phrase, I'll see your
ante and go YOU one better" but that
was because he lived in a more ponder
GUS and c,remOniOus age. And it is
equally trle that at the same time rare
Ben Johnson was writing comic articles
whose fun depended largely upon the
same eXaggeration of fact and express
sion which has played such an i'm
portant part i'm the newspaper hUmor
of the present generation. Indeed, if
we read carefully what Sir Epicure
Mammon has to say in certain Of John
sons pages. We are fOrciblv reminded
of the extravasant fun Of Bill Nye.
Mark Twain and other of our American
fun-prOducers.
10 was John Phoenix who laid the
foundations of this latter-day Eliza
beJhan school o. hunor, and we may
find in his "FhoeniXapa" absolute evil
dencc Of the influence which he had on
the entire succession. which ended with
the passing of Nye Artemus Ward
was the legi mate successor of Phoe-
nix and be was followed in his turn
by Mark Twain, Bin Nye was the next.
for he appeared on the field about the
time that Twain began to turn his
attention 20 more ambitious form of
literature. Other writer's of this dis
tiuctiyely comic school we're Phflander
loesticks. Orphous G.. Kerr. Josh Bill
Ires Petroleum 4. Nashby. and. in the
earlier s'aecs OF his career. Eugene
Field. Tho men found RECOGNITION
not only iD this country bu5 i'm England
as we'll and they made a field there also
for many cheap imitatOrs. one Of whom
whose self-estcem is such that he sees
ms own name doUolc-has established
himself Jpn the hearts OF his cOuntrvmen
by means of his careful limitations o.
the manneriSms OF Bin Nye and the
other writer's Oh his class.
Even In his newspaper davs Mark
Twain was "a deineatCr Cf character.
while Josh Billings was q homely phil
o5coler of tha very highest tyne. Bin
\te was commentator ON everyday
Ire. humoris- OF the people. one whose
nun. ever kindly and genial, took the
form OF quaint expression aud gro
tesluo oyagg r3doD bUJ was always
founded ON the truth. aud was the re-
su.r of keen observation Truth, by
the way, is am essential ingredient i'm
all true wit and humor, and it is
chiefly because OF q lack eff it that the
eDisiammatic school, TO which Oscar
Wilde and the rest o. the brood of
ciuo--ootec British chu" rs belong, has
disappeared forever, although only two
years ago an the shallow pates in town
were dazzled by it's lr.liianCy.
I- was That element o truth that
was in my estimation, the secret Of
BIZ N-e's Success as q huuor.st. I
never read one his articles hat dealt
with @ subject that ! was al all f3-
miliar with that I did not Instantly
recognize the conscientious manner in
which ne had studied his theme and
gone to- the very roots Of II In search
of the cold truth. Sometimes. I'D
s'nele line. he would ley bare whole
system or deceit. or fraud, or preten-
sion. For example i'm q grotesQuely
comlcal bill or expenses which he sent
% the newspaper IN whose interest he
visited Washington ne Included the
ITEM, Money advanced 10 q gentleman
VINO promised 10 make me tne social
pet OF the capital 81, ana no one VINO
has ever visited washington could 'au
10 recognize i'm his minds eye the large
and thriving army OF dead beats who
were held mp 10 pnhlc view IN tnese