The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-12-23
PASSING OF AHERo.
How Robson has Cheapencd HimshIf
and his Fame.

washington Post: Circumstance,
,oyertully aided BY the hybtericaI
nress and by rnnudlln lndivlduals. have
.,,ded to make the war hero pttifulIy
cbeap. For some months past. every
one returned from Cuba or even from
q way station camp has been lauded
os a Miracle Of Vnlor and devotion. But
y remained for Lieutenant Robson to
show Is how very cheap and tawdrY
SAroisni can be made. Il q true that
Tobson really did something worthy Of
o8mlratlop and applause. When the
,rRr ended, last July, he occupied a
gosItlon which, II he had fortified Il
yith nodestv and common sense, would
rave become historic, which would
nave enbelllshed and illuminated the
chronicles OF human herolBm. The
truth is, however. that Hobson seems to
be devoid OF either OF the qualities we
have named, and that he has made
himself laughing htock for the coun-
try and q humiliation for his coFpg.
The crazy adulation OF the multitude,
the tempestuous howlings Of plnchbeek
1ewspapers-these unwhoiesome forces
have dlstributed-if they have not de-
stroyed-hls mental equilibrium, and he
Is to-day a cause OF sorrow TO the naval
service and OF cOntemptu0us merri-
msnt to the country at large. He pre-
gents the spectacle OF young man
Of originally fine character and prone
islng attachments who has been trans-
formed into ,nournful mountebank
and PopinjaF by silly ontery acting
on an element OF immeasura6le concelt.
To show that we are not alone In this
80 tat 1aaA
quote from the comments by the Chi
cago papers on his recent performances
In that ENVIRONMENTS which by a cur
ious coincidence, appeared sllnultan-
eously with the Posts on yesterday:
CHICAGO, Dee. 1e.-The muslty ex-
hbition at the auditorium last night
wherein Lieutenant Hobson' kissed 1853
women in thirty-sl& minutes. has
caused the gorge OF Chicago editors to
rise. To-day they call Hobson an ass,
and appeal to the navy department TO
call him off.
The Journal says: 1.-THE Robson exc
hibitIon was loathsome. It Is sad that
a man OF his excellent courage should
lend himself to a public display OF
female hVsteria."
The Evening Post says: "HobsoR IS
doing, and has been doing, all that Is
possible for one man to do to cheaper
himself and cheaper his exploit at San.
tIago. Last night he gave a consplcu-
Ously Elltterlng deliueatlon OF premedl-
tated insanity. We congratulate tho
young ladies' OF the Philippines on tho
great treat that Is In store for them,
for we are sure that the young hero
will make no lnvidious distinctions. We
were about to say that Mr. Hobson viii
tackle anything that wears skirts, hut
We happen TO recall that the young
ladies' of the Philippines do not wear
skirts"
These are reported to the New York
World OF Tuesday by its special corFe-
spondent IN that city. and they show
with very curious significance how the
press throughout the country Is
awakening to Eobson's feebleness and
vanity.
Perhaps 1t is not necessary to refer
at this time to Hobson's still greater
absurdItles in Kansas City on Monday
evening. He has already done enough
to warraat-nAy! to urge-the, navy de-
partment In any effoctual means for his
suppression. Enough TO say that the
whole country is nauseated and exas-
perated. and that Hdbson's retirement
from public observations will be, the
most popular thing the authorities
could possibly contriye. He bores the
American people. Everybody, An. or out
OF the service. would be glad to forget
him for the next few years,