The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-28
OF DAVID HOLT
RECALLS SOME FAMOUS STORIES
The Poor Yarn of the Corset
Drummer and Charles
@. Dickinson

none of the hands which would have
restrained him. could grasp his arm
AT the juncture. Senator Henry Reese
approached. Someone introduced him to
Holt
''why / know the senator" loudly ex-
claimed the reporter. lie and I together
made Colonel Mallory whae. he is today
Inasmuch as Emmett oNeal had just
been inaugurated governor trouble
might have followed but for the hurried
adjournment of the meeting.
~ Roasting of Gilbert
There Is justFone other story:
Many years ago. when Holt was the
editor of the Biloxi Daily Herald the
February edition of the Ladies' Home
Journal appeared with a cover design
by the renowned artist, c. Allan Gilbert
which attracted unusual attention 1t
represented the ST. Valentines Day idea
with heart enclosing the heads of two
Iyoung persons of opposite sex engaged
In the peaceful and inspiring pasti1ne
of kissing.
To the artistic eye of the Biloxi editor
the picture lacked that enthusiasm
which in his opinion the subject de-
manded and after collecting a job lot
of assorted technical art phrases from
a friendly newspaper artist of New Or
leans, he proceeded to write scath-
ing criticism of the drawing.
Admitting that the heads were ably
drawn he insisted that they were badly
put together. in that spare Of day-
light was observable between the lips
of the kissefs, showing both a lack of
pressure and that spontanety which is
supposed to accompany the kiss of love-
II was as though the classic profles
were carved from some unimpressionable
material and then colored to a semblance
of life o.
II The Bale of Hay
The editor declared that while such
kisses might be prevalent in the frozen
north, that there in t.'the land of the oys-
ter and the grape fruit they did it diff
| ferently" that, in the language of the
poet, the fires of love seem to burn
more fiecely where the climate is sultry
He expressed regret that the picture was
not drawn at full length in order that
the public might learn what kind of a
hold, or "half-Nelson', goes with that
particular kind of kiss.
Then, discussing the legal phrase of
the question at length. he concluded
that the punishment for drawing such a
shocking picture should be made to fit
the crime and he suggested as a proper
penalty for his offense that the artist
be required to. eat bale of hay.
The critisism was widely copied and
was in turn criticised by such eminent
authorities as Mayfield of the Times
Democrat, and Joseph r. Taylor, now
| of the Inter-Ocean staff. In due time
i, t reached the great artist, who i'm
mediately became hostile and vented his
white hot wrath in a letter to Editor
Holt, in which he said:
Great Artist Sarcastic
Having carefully searched all the
available maps of Mississippi for Biloxi
without success, | doubt if your snappy
little article entitled "A Shocking Pic
! ture, will influence the art world as
much as If it had originated in-say
| Hickory Creek. l have seriously thought
of having the New York dailies copy it.
! 1t seems shame that such originality
of thought. such keen perception, should
be lost to the world-that those outside
of Biloxi should not know how deeply,
how irretrievably, the good old ladies'
and discriminating gentlemen had been
! distressed. In doing this I could show
| you how much your criticism was to
influence my life in the future 1t would
be as though I had snapped my fingers
in your face, which / should only have
the opportunity of doing If also lived
in Biloxi
There is one >point that gives me
hope. Besides the Puritanical element
mentioned in the opening stanza of your
song, there is a sporting element among
the villagers of which l perceive your
esteemed self is a prominent member,
for who would be so conversant with
half-Nelsons unless the Police Gazette
were always at his elbow. To satisfy
yourself and the pugilistic contingent
which gathers on cold nights in the tap