davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11

But people somewhat revised their
opinion Of him when poetry-in the
inclusive and popular sense-began
all at once to appear in the Hillville
Morning Star" under the Commo-
dore's name.
Now few folks in Hillville knew
or cared anything about poetry; new
ertheless, they held that any one who
wrote the same was a remarkable
human. The state Of being poet
was synonymous with fame, and to
them the Commodore's case seemed
one Of erich hangings in a homeiy
house" The old mamie wasn't
really old, being perhaps little
over 80, though looking much more
gave no token of pride Of perform
ance. No scintilla of change in him
was observable. He went his custom
airy, taciturn way, unspoiled by
sudden celebrity-due, belize, people
thought, to his muse having ripened
late in life, when nothing, of what
import or significance soever along
such lines, matters very great deal.
There was a suburb Of Hillville,
over against Ricketts, Dam, called
Cur-Town, renowned for it's large
population of dogs. Every family
seemed to have three or four-one,
on an average, for each member of
the household. Every waif dog and
stray, every homeless or abused ca
nine in Hillville, from time to time
eventually migrated thither and
there found sanctuary from adult
Indifference and from persecution by
sinful boys. The Commodore's first
poetic effluence was induced by this
elysium of dogs, for it was a piece
Of doggerel entitled "Lines on the
Contented Ours of Cur-Town," and
in these terms and measures:
Oh, happy. happy life and a careless
lead they
The mongrels Of the town Of Cur, out
Ricketts, Dam way.
They bask in the sun, gnaw each his
bono, foil the pesky flea,
And don't give Ricketts, Dam for any
thing else, believe me.
This, though, was only a step to
Parnassus, for gradually more dig
nified themes, as rule, inspired his
Tyre; he versified about nature and
about still life, wove georges and
eclogues, and wrote Of Midnight on
the Mountain Top" "Apple Bios
sons" mint Along the Creek
Bank" "The Tennessee at Johnson's
Bend" and so on. Some of his num-
bers now and then were even
tristful.
THE Stars" readers grew to look
Tor something lyric from the Com
modore's pen az fortnightly feat
urc OF the paper, though as likely "a
not the author would be sojourninc
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11

make an already war-weary people will
ing to make further sacrifices if neces
sary to secure settlement from Ger
many in keeping with the price France
has paid for victory.
To accomplish these things the
propaganda mills are buster than ever
for new morale must be built up anc
Frenchmen made to see how, and only
how, their hard won victory can BIZ
capitalized in time of peace. The stu.
alton demands new thoughts on new
things, viewpoint and concentration
on subjects utterly different from those
of the past four years; what were
merely passing reactions during the
war must be crystallized into national
convictions so strong that neither in
difference nor individual self-interest
can change them; the "fraternizing"
that Is so much in fashion among
those Of Bolshevist trend must be
made 80 unpopular that determination
will be considered as form of
treason.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11

bread in Athenian STALLS as thu
great William said somewhere
couldn't be expected to, of course"
"Reckon you're right Hawkins
said, meekly. "You ought to know
Anse"
About a week after that-it was
on Saturday afternoon-Crew
Hawkins asked both of his statesmen
in the store if they had seen any
thing during the day of Commodore
Huckaby. They had not. Friday
afternoon he had intrusted the Com
modore with something to do, and he
was to report to him at noon to-day
but hadn't put in an appearance
The afternoon wore on; it grew late
and still the Commodore hadn't come
neither been seen by any one on the
outside Of whom the merchant had
inquired.
"Confound him." he muttered-
only it was a little stronger than
that.
Now shortly after leaving the
hardware store Friday with Mr..
Hawkins's commission, Commodore
Huckaby had accidentally met up
with Glenn Jones, an old chum who
used to be a pilot with him on the
river. Jones had long been away
and they hadn't seen each other in
years-a situation often electric with
possibilities. The two went off to-
gether to celebrate. Saturday after
noon, late, when the hardware dealer
and ex-alderman was execrating the
Commodore for his remissness, they
were still celebrating. About half
past five they turned up at "The
Morning Star" business Office on
Main Street.
Hell, Commodore. How'r you
to-day" spoke Jimmy Neighbors,
the assistant bookkeeper.
"Fine, young Teller. Feelin'-hic
mighty good"
He fumbled in the pocket of his
shabby coat and brought out paper
and laid it on the counter.
want to leave thizzhere, young
man, f'r-hic-Mizzur Tarver."
"All right, Commodore" said jim
my, and the two celebrants shuff1ed
off.
Jimmy made free to open the two
sheets of folded foolscap and saw
that the poem was entitled "In Fair
Tennessee" and consisted of fourteen
stanzas. He read the first one:
AS far away a wanderer
Unwilling roam,
My heart wouldy fain remember her,
Old Tennessee. my home
He turned over to the next page
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11

In the city tolbooth at the same
time when a poem under his name
was being perused of Sunday
mornlng-for they always came out
in that edition-by the righteous of
the town. Nevertheless, the Com
modore did not drink quite as much
as aforetime. 1t was taken note of
by persons with whom he came reg
ularly IN contact that on the Fri
lays and Saturdays Immediately pre-
cedlng the appearance of one of his
creations he was sober. But within
hve minutes after the shaky, sprawl
ing lines had gone up to the editor
and been accepted you would find
him around at Jimmy McMinn's sa-
loon on Postoffice Alley playing
dominoes with river men, or some
of 1.-THE Star" pressroom force. and
liquoring up.
Arson Tarver, editor of "The
STAR" had formed in his mind an ex-
PLANTATION of this bimonthly surcease
of the Commodore of a couple of
days duration, and told it to his
good friend Crew Hawkins, well-to-
DO hardware merchant and ex-alder
man. Hawkins, than whom never
lived a man more modest, retiring
and self-effacing, was rather stout.
had beardless, moonlike face, a
rough, ruddy complexion, and al
ways walked with crook-handled
hickory stick. He frequently en-
ployed the Commodore to do small
jobs. He had his own delivery
wagon, of course, but almost every
week the Commodore would take
different kitchen utensils and SUCH
like household articles from the
store on Market Square out to the
Hawkins home in his pushcart.
Hawkins gave him the work just to
help him along, people surmised. He
seemed to like to talk to the Com
modore, and sometimes would have
him in his den at home for as much
as half an hour at time, discours-
ing, much to the disgust of Mrs.
Hawkins.
Crew." she said, II don't under
stand what you can see in that old
bum. / wish you wouldn't have him
around. It's outrageous. The neigh
bors are shocked, l know"
my dear, he's not a bum" re-
sponded her husband, gently. Giles
hard working man. The neigh
bors don't comprehend him like I
do. He does drink, it's true. but
so did Edgar Allan ,Poe--look what
genius he was. The Commodore
just happens to be unfortunate in
that one detail"
Crew Hawkins was q great adj
mirer Of the poetic productions Of
Commodore Huckaby. On the Sun
day mornings when he expected one
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11

to appear he would rise unusually
early and go out to the front to
look for the paper. AS rule he
found 1T rolled into tight missile
on the porch where the carrier boy
had thrown it from the street fifty
feet or SO away. When the aim
had been bad he would have to
search around in the grass or among
the shrubbery. Again, about sun
up, sometimes, it would hit the door
or the Notwithstanding with a
sharp bang, and then he knew of a.
surety where it would be. Once in
his hands and unrolled, without
looking at the news columns he
would turn to the editorial page.
where the poem invariably was
printed, and, having located the
composition, read it hurriedly, then
slowly, then again still more leis-
urely, all the time with increasing
pleasure and admiration. Now he
would hold the paper at arms
length and regard the poem alto
gether objectively-as a pure per-
cept-a presentment which con-
tanned for him an attraction all it's
own.
After breakfast, on his regular
Sunday morning walk uptown to
get his shoes BACKED in front of the
Welland House by a negro boot
black, he would stop in at the Star
office and purchase half a dozen or
SO papers, which he mailed, on re-
turning home, having marked the
verses in blue pencil, to out-of-
town friends. Of friends in Hill
Vile he inquired now and then what
they thought of the Commodore 3
latest effort. Some of the opinion
that of the more cultivated-did
not always coincide with Mr.. Haw-
klns's high appraisement. Luke Nc
Farland, the county attorney, once
told him that he thought Commo-
dore Huckaby's illusions "rotten. !"
and that they ought to be sun
pressed as having a pernicious eff
feet upon budding taste. But these
opinions were Offset by large Sec
ton of judgment which classed
them as prodigies of inspiration. His
own copy Of the paper, after the
family had finished reading it. Haw-
kins would fold neatly and care
fully put away with previous edi-
tons containing poems of the Muse
OF Hillville. He possessed, in this
way, the collected works of the
Commodore up to date.
The Welland House, on the cor
ner of Main and Hickory, an old
two-story brick structure pre-datinp
the Civil War, was the best hotel
in Hillville and the principal public
haunt. Out on the broad brick side.
walk in front. in mild weather, were
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11

number of chairs, all of which
were generally occupied, and-to
get back to Editor Arson Tarver's
opinion about Commodore Hucka-
by's fortnightly abstinence from al
coholic indulgence for space Of
forty-eight hours or some such
matter-Tarver and Crew Hawkins
were sitting here one July forenoon,
In shirtsleeves and smoking cigars,
when the subject CHANGED to
come up.
The two men were about the
same age-somewhere around fifty.
Anse Tarver was tall, black haired
and black mustached, wore, winter
and summer, big, black felt hat,
crushed in at the sides, and long
skirted coat, and looked like a.
Western "bad" man. He was as
mild, gentle and harmless person,
however, as you could imagine, un-
less he happened to be engaged in
gun fight-as had been the case
more than once-over some politi-
cal editorial or other he had written.
"You know" said Tarver, in the
serious tone he employed whether
in humorous mind or not, "you
know, some creative intellects re-
quire powerful stimulant, it
seems, in order to function at their
best, drink being the most COM
mon. They have to have something
to transport them out Of the ordi-
nary and normal. They've got to
be artiticially inspired. Now the
Commodore's so clamlike, and espe-
cially concerning this writing Of
his, that I've never been able to
get anything out Of him about it;
but my idea is that he belongs to
that class; to fabricate his poems
he's got to get out Of the ordinary
and normal, so he knocks off whis-
key for a couple of days and gets
a new vision-goes into a trance
long enough to generate a master
piece"
Hawkins laughed.
Leaving all joking aside, though,
Anse, what do you think of these
poems of the Commodore's, any,
how-taking 'em all in all?"
"Well, I'll tell you, Crew. Between
you and me, and to be frank, COM
menced to print 'em, in the first
place, out Of pure fun. I thought
it'd be good joke, not only on ac-
count of his being such character.
but because the stuff was so poor
that anybody ought to see the point
in publishing it. The Commodore
has a certain knack Of rhyminp. but
the thoughts very superficial, and
he doesn't know much more about
poetry and the rules Of prosody than
rude mechanicals that work for
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11

is discussing this subject in solemn
paragraphs; no doubt the government
is planning effective measures, such as
tariffs and other trade barriers, to con-
troll the situation. In the mean time
the propaganda bureau is equally busy
and from it's lithograph factory comes
a neat little folder, consisting of five
jointed circles, which fold together into
a space Of not more than two inches in
diameter. On the outside, No. /, is Mr..
Bocheman presenting his business card.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11
Germany
OufdiSfanCed

The trend of French after-the-war
propaganda is quite as interesting as
are the forms it takes. Germany may
have been the first to realize the pos
sibilities of educational publicity, but
in France she has found pupil who
outdoes his teacher. The ink on the
armistice was not dry before France
began to educate her people to stand
fast for the kind of peace her leaders
wanted; to urge them to remember
that no trust could be put in German
professions; to separate the French
and German radicals; to stop before it
could get started any attempt to build
up German trade, and, generally, to
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11

and read one or two more, inc1udin,
the last, which went like this:
Among the waving, yellow corn,
Contented will I be
To end my days where I was borr
In good old Tennessee.
Then he toted the four-and- ter
quatrains up to the editorial sane
tum.
1t was Crew Hawkins's habit to ge
uptown for while Saturday nights
but tonight he started from home
considerably earlier, thinking that
he might meet up with the Comma.
dore somewhere.
He had not been seated in a chair
among the usual Saturday night as
semblage in front of the Welland
House more than five minutes, look
ing anxiously up and down Main
Street, before he saw a familiar fig.
ure approaching about half block
off, on the other side. 1t was Anse
Tarver. At the corner Tarver crossed
over and looked about for a moment
then espied his friend.
Thought you might be around
here somewhere, Crew." he said,
coming up. you're just the man
I'm looking for. Let's go inside the
hotel here a minute"
1t seemed to Hawkins that Anse's
manner was significant of some
thing bit unusual, and a queer
little feeling of apprehension came
over him.
Say, Crew, look here at this
big mystery!' said Tarver, with q
twinkle in his eye, as they seated
themselves in retired corner, and
he handed Hawkins two folded
sheets of foolscap. Foolscap is fools.
cap, and one sheet differeth not
from another in appearance, VET
about this foolscap there was some.
thing so strangely familiar to Haw.
kins that he almost lost his breath
1t possessed an almost household
look.
"Merciful heavenw he exclaimed
as he opened it up and saw an Fair
Tennessee" staring him in the face,
Then he was dumb. If only there
had been trapdoor or under his feet
that would have opened and swal-
lowed him up he would have been
the most thankful man in the world
He looked at Tarver with a smile
such as one might attempt while
having tooth pulled.
II saw right away it was YOUR
handwriting" remarked Tarver,
mystified, "and wondered what it
all meant"
II reckon the games up, old
man. Hawkins said, sheepishly.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11

"a form of millions of posters
and postcards, the propa-
ganda bureaus of France
showed that they knew that the most
effective way to present an idea was to
paint picture of it. Newspapers were
used, pamphlets were issued, books
were published, sketches were made.
But the thing that "got over" the ideas
with which it was desired to impress
the public mind was a picture. More
than one hundred different postcards
dealing with Alsace-Lorraine alone
have been issued and scores of millions
of copies of them have been distrib-
uted. The attempt in all of them was
to give such picture of Gas distin-
guished from an argument about)
Alsace-Lorraine and the people of these
provinces that France would fight on for
their liberation. Great emphasis in the
picture postcard campaign has recent
ly been laid on the reasons for oppos-
ing a referendum as to what the po-
ltical organization of the provinces
shall be.
This was as far as poster and postcard
propaganda had progressed up to the
end of the war. Then, apparently, and no
doubt with good reason, the idea was
developed of appealing to the curiosity
of the public in the ways that are as in
genious as they are effective. For when
these specimens of picture-puzzle
propaganda are examined it becomes
evident that the melting of curiosity
is merely incidental; the message is
always there, easily to be grasped after
curiosity has concentrated attention.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11
"Game? What gamer"

Game? What gamer"
i've got confession to make,
Anse. Honest confessions good for
the soul, they say. All that stuff
you've been printing under the
Commodore's name-I-I wrote the
whole business, Anse-every bit of
it"
"You wrote it? What are you CIV
ing me, Crew."
Its a fact. I'm the criminal. |
was donkey enough at first to think
it might be some account, and got
the Commodore to let me try it out
on him-and then just kept on with
the deception"
"Well, I'll be everlastingly all
fired, Crew Hawkins!"
eyes; you see I'd give it to the
Commodore to copy off-of course,
/ paid him for his trouble-and he'd
bring it back to me to look over To-
day was the first time he failed to do
it. Strangely enough, too, it was the
last time was ever going to send in
anything. | had determined on that
after your sockdolager the other
day, but / already had this thing
here written, and thought / might as
we'll let him copy it off and leave it
round at The Star office. 1t rever
occurred to me, when he didn't turn
up, that he might leave the thing
without copying it. Up to now I've
always succeeded in getting him to
stay sober on Fridays and Satur-
days so as not to get the business
messed up, but he must have got
tanked up this time and lost his
wits"
Yes, Jimmy Neighbors said he
was pretty tight. Crew, why in the
deuce did you lead me into that trap
and make me tell you to your face
what a poor poet you were? 1t was
no fair deal. Besides, it wasn't &C
tually as bad as made out-honest,
now, Crew! l give you my word. To
prove it. I'm going to run these
verses tomorrow under your own
name. They're the best the Com
modore--my apologies!-the best
you've written yet. They're already
in type, under his name, but I'll have
that changed.
Don't you do it, Anse-don't do
it if you value your life. I'm
through"
The Commodore? Well, he and
Glenn Jones wound up on a freight
packet, and on coming to found
themselves well on the way to Loom
ey's Landing, forty miles down. the
Tennessee River. They didn't re-
turn to Hillville for week.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11
A SHORT, meagre, withered
~ little old man with stubby
beard, towsled iron-gray

~ little old man with stubby
beard, towsled iron-gray
hair, rum-reddened eyes,
and a nose Illuminated like Bar
dolph's at the stage of his career
when Sir John Falstaff dubbed him
"the knight of the Burning Lamp"
Such was "the COMMUNICATIONS
modore Ellery Huckaby, bibulous
and seedy, who for years had worn
an old misfit derby hat, dusty, dent
ed and greenish-looking and Of
such circumference that if his ears
had not called halt it would have
engulfed his head and, had he lived
in a time then yet to come, might
have served, with the necessary
apertures, as gas mask.
Long ago the Commodore had
been pilot on Tennessee River
packets, and no pilot had known
the ms and outs of the river better
than he. In time, though, he quit
the water and took to firewater.
Other local topers there were be-
sides the Commodore, but none so
famous. In number of commitments
to the calaboose he was far and
away ahead Of his congeners. He
was known by sight to every man
and woman, and almost every child
of cognizant age, in Hillville; was
as familiar a figure to the citizens
as the big stuffed black bear which
lmmemorially had stood in front of
Sol Goldstein's clothing emporium
on Main Street. Commodore Huck-
ably never refused the opportunity
OF a free drink, but on the other
hand had never been known to beg
a drink or a piece Of money. In
Tact, he worked-did all kinds OF
chores and odd jobs for anybody
and everybody, and sometimes OBJ.
Grated pushcart. During the late
night or early morning hours he
was good deal about 1.-THE Morning
Star" pressroom, whose aspect was
On Postofficc Alley-slept there not
anfrequently on pile Of old papers
or anything else of the kind. and
when the edition happened to be
late coming out carted the paper.
for out-of-town subscribers and ~,
the news-butchers down to the depos
TO catch the $3.50 local. Sometime,
ne turned newsboy and sold paper,
himself.
For years the Commodore. with
his bundle of Morning Stars" undo,
his arm, or as he pushed his car,
along the street, had been looked
upon with pity, scorn, indifference
or amusement. accordi ,g az the per,
son vas nioralist, Ph4 ,dsee, cynic o,
youth that takes nothing seriously
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11

1--WE all know him" is the caption
Opening the outer fold we come upor
another picture of Mr.. Bocheman No. 2
ut was thought that his smile in TAX
ing orders was merely that of good
business man." we read beneath the
picture.
Picture No. 3 dispels the illusion
but no! He was thinking and work
ing for the German scheme of world
domination" Mr.. Bocheman has dis.
appeared and in his place is the Kaiser
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11

out military necessity, destroyed and
burnt entire districts of France, ruin
ing their commerce and agriculture,
destroying factories, cutting down fruit
trees"
Another specimen of the new style
propaganda is more or less benevo-
lent portrait of the Kaiser. Attached
to it by a string is a piece of red
colored but transparent celluloid.
Holding this between the eye and the
picture the Kaiser becomes trans
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11
Warding Off
Competition

How France shall meet German COM
mercial competition after the war is
one of the things that are bothering
everybody. No doubt the trade press
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11

formed into a bloodthirsty villain, and
the observer is adjured not to forget
how the Kaiser really looks through
the red haze of war.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-05-11
Wars End Not the End of
Her Distrust of the
German
By Daniel T. Pierce

LII through the in the make already
~ form of millions Of ing
L and postcards, the to settlemen
nda hurea Of Inanx in kaanin ru.4h4 thu