Anton Bacalbașa Anton Costache Bacalbaşa ( , commonly known as Toni or Tony Bacalbaşa , pen names Rigolo , Wunderkind , , Jus . , Wus . , Zig . etc . ; February 21 , 1865 – October 1 , 1899 ) was a Romania n political journalist , humorist and politician , chiefly remembered for his antimilitaristic series " Moş Teacă " . Together with his brothers Ioan and Constantin , he entered public life as a republican and socialist militant . For a while , his career was intertwined with that of Marxist doyen Constantin Dobrogeanu - Gherea , who inspired in him the idea of a socialist art addressed to the masses . He was himself a popularizer of Marxist ideas , and one of the first Marxist intellectuals in Romanian political history . After 1893 , Bacalbaşa was at the center of Marxist politics , as an executive of the Romanian Social Democratic Workers ' Party ( PSDMR ) . While active within the socialist movement and making his essential contributions to Romanian comediography , Toni joined Ion Luca Caragiale , his close friend , in editing the satirical magazine " Moftul Român " . He helped Constantin Mille to turn " Adevărul " daily into a socialist tribune , serving as its editor and directing its short - lived literary supplement ( " Adevărul Literar " ) . His choice of subjects and his perceived harshness were the subject of several controversies , and , in 1894 , he defended the " Adevărul " office building from rioting anti - socialist students . Over the following years , Bacalbaşa drifted away from both " Adevărul " and the PSDMR , switching his allegiance to the political club formed around Nicolae Fleva . At the time of his death , aged 34 , Bacalbaşa had served in the Assembly of Deputies as a representative of the Conservative Party . Despite this change in politics , he is mainly credited for his early contributions to Romanian literature , most of which reflect his critique of the political mainstream in the monarchical era . He created the stereotype of the cruel , violent and incompetent officer , and brought to public attention the hazing of young recruits . Biography . Early years . Bacalbaşa was a native of Brăila , where his father Costache was serving as Police chief . The family traced its origins to Gorj County , changing their name from " Telescu " to " Bacalbaşa " ( literally , " head of the grocers " ) when one of them became leader of a guild in Galaţi . Costache had a military career in autonomous Wallachia , from 1834 to 1841 , then settled in Brăila with his wife Aneta ; they had thirteen children , seven of whom died before reaching maturity . According to literary historian George Călinescu , the exact date of Anton ' s birth is a mystery , but , judging by one of Toni ' s poems , may be February 21 , 1865 . Authors note that Toni was a passionate and extrovert person , but with a generally weak constitution . Born prematurely , he was reputedly an epileptic . In one of his later poems , Bacalbaşa describes himself as unattractive , uncouth , " wax - faced , dead - eyed " , and pessimistic . The boy had difficulties completing his education . He attended school only up to the 8th grade , and , upon turning 17 , volunteered for service in the Romanian Land Forces , where he became a Sergent . He preserved a bittersweet record of his army service , reflected in both " Moş Teacă " and some memoirs of military life . According to his own account , he was insulted by a senior officer for not reporting to him concerning the suicide of one recruit ; he avenged himself by punching his superior in front of the entire company . Bacalbaşa faced a court - martial but , since the recruits refused to report him , was merely demoted . After leaving the Land Forces , he moved to the capital , Bucharest , where he began associating with the left - liberal , Radical and socialist milieus . He was , by various accounts , a good public speaker , who knew how to address the workers , but who avoided issues of doctrine and made ample use of " mean gibes " against the politicians in power . Bacalbaşa and his brothers became interested in socialist politics at a time when the local socialist movement was taking its first steps . In 1879 , Constantin established a leftist magazine , called " Drepturile Omului " ( " Human Rights " ) . The Romanian socialist clubs , which first held congress during that year , were still undecided about which school of thought should inspire their agenda : Marxism , Lassallism , Anarchism and Nihilism each had adherents in Romania . The proponents of a non - violent and liberal Marxism , as theorized political refugee Dobrogeanu - Gherea , eventually won the day , and the socialist clubs began constructing programs for a collectivist economy . Anton Bacalbaşa had an essential contribution in this process . After 1881 , he joined the Marxist group around " Contemporanul " magazine . His 1883 brochure , " Capitalul " , was the first ever introduction to , and summary of , Karl Marx ' s " Das Kapital " . Bacalbaşa ' s literary ambitions were satisfied the same year . Some of his poems saw print in the magazine " Literatorul " , which was put out in Bucharest by writer Alexandru Macedonski . Constantin Bacalbaşa continued to take the initiative when it came to publicizing Gherea ' s cause . His 1883 magazine " Emanciparea " ( " The Emancipation " ) made history for circulating portions of Jules Guesde ' s version of the " socialist catechism " . As the years progressed , Anton himself joined in the effort : in 1887 , he became the editorial director of " Desrobirea " ( also translatable as " The Emancipation " ) , which advertised itself as a voice of the " working men party " ( " partidul lucrătorilor " ) . Democratic Radical , Sotir , " Democraţia Socială " . By then , Dobrogeanu - Gherea and his pupils had caught negative attention from the governing Conservative Party , and especially from the Conservatives ' political - literary faction , " Junimea " . In 1889 , by means of the socialist press , Bacalbaşa popularized the rumor that a Conservative - " Junimist " cabinet was working on expelling Gherea from the country . Gherea himself was alarmed by this , and requested an audience with " Junimea " leader and Education Minister Titu Maiorescu , who quickly assured him that his followers had no intention of sabotaging the socialist clubs in this disputable manner . Around that time , Toni and his brothers became members of the Democratic Radical Party , a short - lived and eclectic liberal faction , whose founder and leader was the ex - " Junimist " George Panu . Constantin was afterward the publisher of Panu ' s political newspaper , " Lupta " . Panu and his men tried to negotiate an alliance against the National Liberal Party ( PNL ) , which had for long been the nominal leftist side of Romania ' s two - party system . Their program included a promise that the outgoing PNL Prime Minister , Ion Brătianu , would be made to face trial . The PNL ' s George D . Pallade reported with sarcasm that Panu ' s promise to fight corruption " with the Bacalbaşas " could only bring his party votes from " the naive " . Both Anton and Constantin were press delegates to the 1890 Congress of Students in Botoşani , a major affair which involved both Conservatives and socialists . In June 1891 , " Bacalbaşa Anton " was also announced as one of the leading contributors to the literary magazine " Ecoul Sĕptĕmânii " ( " The Weekly Echo " ) , alongside a gathering of journalists and social activists : Traian Demetrescu , Saniel Grossman , Gheorghe " din Moldova " Kernbach , Dumitru Teleor , Berman Goldner - Giordano , Smara etc . Also joining them were draftsmen Nicolae Vermont and Constantin Jiquidi . Toni was later inducted into the Marxist club formed by Constantin Mille at Sotir Hall , Bucharest , and lectured for the public on a weekly basis . Author Constantin Kiriţescu , who joined the Sotir group as a 17 - year - old , recalls that both men " carried the brunt " of organizing and educating the socialist sympathizers . According to journalist I . Felea , Toni , who " resembled Ferdinand Lassalle in looks and speech " , was a favorite of the Bucharest workers , and made an impression on them by touching the issue of penniless senior citizens . Bacalbaşa himself did not have a stable domicile , and slept on the tables at Sotir . By 1893 , Kiriţescu notes , the task of representing " Marxist orthodoxy " had fallen on a new arrival , Ioan Nădejde ; the " occult leader " Dobrogeanu - Gherea , already " an invalid " , was rarely visiting the club , and was losing support among the rank and file . Two other figures , Alexandru Ionescu and Alexandru Georgescu , represented the working class on the Sotir presidium , but they were both in the process of becoming prosperous businessmen . Beginning in early 1892 , Toni centered his activity on the industrial hub of Ploieşti , where he became managing editor of " Democraţia Socială " ( " Social Democracy " ) . The weekly paper was financed by a lawyer and entrepreneur , Alexandru Radovici , and was originally apolitical , but moved to the left once Bacalbaşa took over . He himself lived for a while in the city , and , like Radovici , sat on the Ploieşti Workers ' Club Executive Committee . " Democraţia Socială " became a rather important voice for the socialist movement , receiving collaborations from Gherea , Demetrescu , Mille , I . Nădejde , Sofia Nădejde , O . Carp and George Diamandi . According to historian Paul D . Popescu , the editorial opinion was divisible into three factions : Gherea was the evolutionary socialist , Radovici the liberal democrat ; Toni , who made a lasting impression among the readers , represented the far left , prophesying the dictatorship of the proletariat . Around that date , Anton Bacalbaşa endorsed didactic art , as envisaged by Gherea . The socialists were unnerved by Conservative theorists , who countered with the principle of art for art ' s sake . Initially , this was a direct dispute with " Junimea " and Maiorescu . Cultural historian Z . Ornea thus notes that , while Dobrogeanu - Gherea kept silent , his young pupils launched " a veritable anti - " Junimist " campaign " ; among those he lists in this category are Bacalbaşa , Demetrescu , S . Nădejde and Garabet Ibrăileanu , along with Dimitrie Anghel , Emil Fagure , Raicu Ionescu - Rion , Henric Sanielevici , Constantin Stere and Avram Steuerman - Rodion . At " Democraţia Socială " , Toni wrote in favor of a workers ' art , inspired by the sheer realities of industrial life , and published , in addition to his own short prose , fragments from various socially minded authors — Mór Jókai , Guy de Maupassant , Mircea Rosetti , Ivan Turgenev , Émile Zola etc . " Moftul Român " . The busiest part of Toni Bacalbaşa ' s short career covers the years 1893 – 1894 . He had by then befriended the influential satirist Caragiale , and , with him , began work on the humorous gazette " Moftul Român " . The two authors had different backgrounds : to Bacalbaşa ' s socialism , Caragiale opposed a conservatism formed during his stay with " Junimea " . Literary historian Tudor Vianu notes that , in a cheerful manner , " Moftul " reflected that " Junimist " agenda , skeptical toward all cultural innovation . According to philologist Ştefan Cazimir , the magazine was mainly a parody of the neoromantic and modern kitsch , prevalent in the " fin de siècle " . Its title translates into " The Romanian Trifle " or " The Romanian Nonsense " , referencing one ' s uppity answer to things presented as new : " moft ! " ( in the same sense of " bollocks ! " ) . " Moftul " editorials had it that " moft ! " was a national characteristic , what " spleen " is to the English , " chauvinism " to the Hungarians , and " Nihilism " to the Russians . Caragiale ' s paper was in large part poking fun at the nationalist and traditionalist current in Romanian literature , parodying stories about peasant life . A predilect victim was the nationalist scholar and Caragiale critic Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu , his life ' s work of gathering etymological data ridiculed as " the " Magnum Mophtologicum " " . Also featured were Caragiale ' s first jibes against the Symbolist movement , including lampoons of Bacalbaşa ' s former patron , Alexandru Macedonski . Lastly , " Moftul Român " taunted some " Junimist " colleagues , including Maiorescu — whom it depicted as a libertine and a seducer of schoolgirls . According to one account , Caragiale himself visited Sotir , where he lectured about the causes and consequences of human stupidity . " Moftul Român " did host the occasional socialist article , including an unsigned tribute to May Day , most likely written by Bacalbaşa himself . The pieces were many times anonymous , and it is occasionally difficult for researchers to distinguish between Caragiale and Bacalbaşa ' s articles . According to Caragiale expert Şerban Cioculescu , the differences are mostly in style and orthographic preference : Caragiale still used the antiquated Romanian letters " ĕ " and " ê " , while Toni had updated his writing to the latest norms . In parallel , Toni completed the first collection of " Moş Teacă " stories , printed in Bucharest with the subtitle " Din cazarmă " ( " From the Boot Camp " ) . Addressing an ethnic Romanian readership in Transylvania and other parts of Austria - Hungary , the cultural journal " Familia " introduced Bacalbaşa as an active participant to " the discussion on art " , and reported that the book " enjoyed an unusually great success " in a Romanian context . PSDMR and " Adevărul Literar " campaigns . After prolonged debates and negotiations , the various socialist assemblies fused with each other , creating , in March 1893 , the PSDMR . It has been described as Romania ' s " first nation - wide working - class party " , and called itself " the vanguard of socialism " in Romania . Toni Bacalbaşa was not delegated by Bucharest to represent the Sotir circle at the original PSDMR Congress , and " Moftul Român " published a piece attacking Nădejde for having organized that meeting behind closed doors . He may still have been present at that reunion , representing another club . Toni was also a noted guest at the Sotir meeting acknowledging the party ' s establishment , addressing a packed hall . His political role was recognized by his peers , who nominated him for the Commission drafting the party program , then elected him on the party ' s governing body ( the General Council ) . Bacalbaşa was one of the six people elected by the congress into a ten - member delegation to the Second International ' s Zurich Congress , but was replaced at the last minute . Meanwhile , superseded by the PSDMR ' s own press ( " Lumea Nouă " , " Munca " ) , " Democraţia Socială " closed down . Also in 1893 , Constantin Mille took over leadership of the republican daily " Adevărul " , making it the informal PSDMR platform . Toni was appointed as one of the paper ' s editors , and authored what is probably the first - ever interview in Romanian media history . The other Bacalbaşas were also enlisted by " Adevărul " : Constantin was one of the main editors ; Ioan was famous as the gossip columnist ( and infamous for never using commas ) . As noted by journalist Ilie Ighel in " Familia " , there was a swift transition from republicanism to socialism , effected when some of the old staff left " Adevărul " . He wrote : " [ instead , ] a sinister character emerges , in the person of Anton Bacalbaşa , the graduate of two gymnasium classes , along with other unknown celebrities [ . . . ] . It is certain that such transitions from one stance to the other have disgusted the cultured public , giving birth to a deep resentment for this sheet that , once taken over by Anton Bacalbaşa , did not embrace scientific socialism , [ . . . ] but proceeded to insult with brutality all those things that are notable in industry , commerce , finance " . In retrospect , Constantin Bacalbaşa also admitted that the socialist takeover was made possible because Alexandru Beldiman , the newspaper ' s owner , was " weak - willed " . Toni was a noisy presence at " Adevărul " , and for this reason did not get along with Beldiman . According to one account , he and Beldiman got into a war of nerves , interrupting each other ' s activities with the sound of bells — moving from standard handbell s to heavy cowbell s . Toni was later assigned to lead the " Adevărul Literar " cultural supplement , which gave him the opportunity to engage in major debates over literary theory . Călinescu describes enterprise as reflecting " the socialist spirit " . When Caragiale lost his position as a civil servant and fell back on money earned with his restaurant , Toni attempted to stir an anti - government reaction among the general public . His publicity stunt , taken up by " Adevărul Literar " , was a faux obituary , announcing that , if stripped of a salary , Caragiale was ( as good as ) dead . Several sources note that Bacalbaşa was a harsh reviewer of literary works , who made sure to point out the flaws of literary debutantes . In the end , " Adevărul Literar " received contributions from , among others , Demetrescu , Constantin Stere ( with the pen name " Un observator ipohondru " , " A Hypochondriac Observer " ) , H . Sanielevici , Simion Sanielevici , Ion Gorun and Artur Stavri . Also featured , on his debut , was the aspiring humorist George Ranetti , who received the signature " Namuna " , and who referred to Bacalbaşa as " my literary godfather " . Bacalbaşa ' s efforts were again mainly dedicated to the promotion of didactic art . The main cultural battle was no longer carried between the PSDMR and " Junimea " , but between the socialist and non - socialist advocates of didacticism . " Adevărul Literar " directed its passion against author Alexandru Vlahuţă and his journal " Vieaţa " , whose pro - didactic agenda was more right - wing than Mille ' s . Vlahuţă was already outraged by Caragiale ' s unsigned parodies in " Moftul " , calling them the work of " some stupid parvenu " . His conflict with the Gherea socialists was , according to Călinescu , rather pointless , since Bacalbaşa is " only apparently an adversary of Vlahuţă ' s " . The debate nevertheless grew into a mutual animosity . In one of his letters , Vlahuţă feigns shock at the discovery that Toni has judged him to be " talentless " . The dispute over such issues grew more heated as others joined in . According to Kiriţescu , Toni ' s debate with Doctor Alceu Urechia , an anti - didacticist , degenerated into " a suburbanite airing of dirty laundry " ; while Cosco writes that their quarrel was " a waste of humor " . When Gherea was challenged from the left by a pseudonymous author , " I . Saint Pierre " , Bacalbaşa and his journal reacted with vehemence , debating over this issue with Steuerman - Rodion , a more moderate socialist chronicler . Yet another target for Toni ' s criticism was the old historian and novelist Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu , who , still grieving for his daughter Iulia , allowed himself to be entirely absorbed into the polemic . Bacalbaşa was widely credited as the winner of this collateral dispute , and even Hasdeu was pleasantly surprised by his talents , recommending him as Romania ' s only genuine journalist . Toni ' s socialist disciples prolonged the scandal , publishing an offshoot of " Moftul " , entirely dedicated to satirizing the anti - PSDMR coalition , and titled " Putregaiul Român " ( " The Romanian Rot " ) . Bacalbaşa ' s political and artistic preoccupations formed the basis for three new books , all printed in 1894 . One was dedicated to , and named after , his conference on the topic of " art for art ' s sake " ( " Artă pentru artă " ) . Another one was a social pamphlet , " Bătaia în armată " ( " Beatings in the Army " ) . The third was a selection of novellas , " Din viaţa militară " ( " From the Military Life " ) . Also in 1894 , Toni and Radovici made new visits to Ploieşti , where they and registered new members of the socialist movement . 1894 scandals . Together with Mille and other " Adevărul " socialists , Toni was openly courting the much larger PNL . In early 1894 , he wrote an " Adevărul " piece , calling on the PNL to move further to the left , by " openly embracing the democratic ideals . " The offer of a liberal - socialist alliance was announced by the PSDMR ' s own program , but ignored by the PNL ; as a result of this attitude , the PSDMR ' s Diamandi even suggested an alliance with the governing Conservatives . Bacalbaşa , Mille and Beldiman were all present at a January 1894 conference , which aimed to coalesce the left into a pressure group for universal suffrage . It reached out to the Radicals and liberal democrats at " Românul " and " Evenimentul " newspapers , and then to independent agrarian activists ( Vasile Kogǎlniceanu , Constantin Dobrescu - Argeş ) , but , a few months later , broke down into competing factions . On January 24 , Toni published in " Adevărul " a fairy - tale - like lampoon directed at the Romanian King Carol I of Romania and at his designated successor Ferdinand , caricatured as the " avaricious " emperor and the repulsive " Urechilă " ( " Floppy Ears " ) . A serious scandal erupted in June 1894 , when the socialists found themselves targeted by nationalist students mobs , who objected to the PSDMR ' s alleged snubbing of the Romanians of Transylvania . The demonstrations soon degenerated into an attack on private institutions , including the " Adevărul " headquarters . According to the hostile account of Ilie Ighel , this was the public ' s way of punishing Bacalbaşa ' s proletarian internationalism . " Familia " also reported that the students had originally asked Bacalbaşa to tone down his agenda , to which he allegedly replied : " Get out , you dastards ! " Reportedly , the rioters were violently dispersed by the " Adevărul " typographers . The Police intervened in the squabble , and placed the " Adevărul " building under armed guard . Arrest warrants were issued for the " Adevărul " staff : Mille and Alexandru Ionescu were taken into custody and released a short while after , whereas Bacalbaşa eluded the Police search for his person . Mille ' s group found a friend in Constantin Stere , by then a maverick member of the PNL , who began maneuvering against the PNL ' s right - wing from the inside . Managing a literary sheet put out by the pro - PNL " Evenimentul " , Stere supported " Adevărul " in its campaign for literary didacticism , and organized rallies of solidarity with the Bucharest socialists . This happened just as Toni was publishing satirical pieces targeting " Evenimentul " owner George A . Scorţescu , which left Stere in an awkward position . Stere was consequently accused by " Evenimentul " of being a spy and a tool for the Conservatives . The incidents were reviewed with caution by " Adevărul " , whose panelists feared that a Conservative conspiracy was in the making , but Toni also criticized the PNL papers for suggesting the same . When Stere challenged Scorţescu to a duel , Bacalbaşa covered the affair for " Adevărul " . Although he condemned Scorţescu ' s editorial policy , Toni advised Stere to withdraw his demand for satisfaction , or else " all the crooks and vermin will only have to learn how to duel and that ' s how the press will be banned from taking a stand . " In his column of October 1 , when he discussed the Conservatives ' decision to expel all " trouble - making " students , he admitted that the complications of the affair surpassed his power of understanding : " I could not say [ who is right ] anymore , there ' s a sort of black confusion in my mind " . The friendship between Bacalbaşa and Mille had soured over those months , and Toni soon left " Adevărul " for good . It is possible that this rift occurred because of Beldiman , who ceded his stock to Mille without even considering Bacalbaşa for a successor . The issue was of interest to the entire socialist movement , since " Adevărul " vied for attention with the same niche of the working public . One of Stere ' s colleagues , the socialist N . Quinezu , denounced Anton Bacalbaşa for being in a conflict of interest , for holding a PSDMR office while still working at " Adevărul " , and for vetoing funds for the PSDMR sheet " Lumea Nouă " . On September 25 , 1894 , Bacalbaşa presented his resignation from the PSDMR Council . He also reconciled with " Familia " , where he published his sketch story " La garda pieţii " ( " Guarding the Marketplace " , December 1894 ) . " Adevărul Literar " went out of business on February 13 , 1895 , and Mille found himself expelled from the PSDMR after the Third Party Congress of April . During that year , Toni was still active in the party , writing for " Lumea Nouă " and upholding Gherea ' s political line . His articles touched a sensitive subject : the Law on Mining , passed by the " Junimist " Prime Minister Petre P . Carp , which did away with the PNL ' s protectionism and greatly increased foreign investment in the Romanian economy . The PSDMR , committed to the Marxist theory on the relations of production , supported the law as a step forward into capitalism , but also criticized it for not allowing a state monopoly on mines . Also that year , Bacalbaşa dueled with a certain Bogdanovici , having Caragiale as his witness . The event is remembered in literature because Caragiale , using his trademark black humor , called on the duelers to fire their pistols from a distance of ten paces . Conservative politics and death . Eventually , Bacalbaşa formalized his split with the socialist party . From 1896 , both he and his rival Scorţescu were members of a PNL splinter group , presided upon by lawyer Nicolae Fleva . He served the " Flevist " cause as a writer for " Dreptatea " daily , then as a public speaker , organizing rallies at Dacia Hall and agitating the public for the reinstatement of Ghenadie Petrescu as Metropolitan - Primate . All three Bacalbaşas , together with Fleva and the " Lumea Nouă " socialists ( represented by A . Ionescu ) , he also protested when PNL Prime Minister Dimitrie Sturdza expelled Aromanian refugees who had questioned his external policies . Soon , Toni embarked on an additional venture , creating a satirical magazine named after ( and featuring stories with ) " Moş Teacă " . In its first series , the periodical hosted a lampoon piece by the young leftist writer Gala Galaction and Toni ' s own satirical portrait of Caragiale as a political opportunist , gravitating between the " Junimists " and George Panu ' s Radicals . The journalist settled down to a family life , marrying Alexandrina Scărişoreanu ( who was ten years his younger ) . He also accepted an offer from Transylvania ' s " Vatra " magazine ( co - edited by Caragiale ) to set up its satirical supplement " Hazul " ( " Fun " ) , but the venture failed to register the expected success and was abandoned . On March 22 , 1898 , Bacalbaşa began reissuing " Moş Teacă " , introduced as " Jurnal Ţivil şi Cazon " ( " Civilian and Military Newspaper " ) . One of its preferred targets was Mille , referred to in the paper as " Millu Crocodilu " ( " Mill [ e ] the Crocodile " ) . The co - author of such material was Ranetti - Namuna , who arrived there after a stint at " Lupta " . During 1899 , Bacalbaşa followed Fleva ' s group as it merged into the Conservative Party . His presence alongside Maiorescu was recorded with displeasure by the " Junimist " Ioan Slavici , as one of the reasons why Conservative politics had become ineffectual . A Conservative cabinet was called to power , with Fleva as the Agriculture Minister , and Bacalbaşa ran in the general election of 1899 , earning an Ilfov County seat in the Assembly of Deputies . Toni still pursued his literary interests : together with " Constantin Ivan " ( the common pseudonym of his two brothers ) , he wrote the 3 - act political revue " Pardon ! " . This was to be his last known endeavor : on October 1 , 1899 , having contracted bacterial pneumonia , Bacalbaşa died . Buried at Bellu cemetery , he was mourned publicly by both Fleva and Caragiale . According to the former : " Through every sort of trouble , through every storm I ever had to cross into , I felt strong knowing that Anton Bacalbaşa was with me . It is to his talent , his heart and his friendship that I owe the best years of my public life . " The same year , the PSDMR itself disappeared from the scene : Ioan Nădejde and his " generous ones " faction denounced socialist politics as to feeble for the Romanian context , and joined the PNL , leaving a minority , under C . Z . Buzdugan , I . C . Frimu and Christian Rakovsky , to establish a more radical workers ' party ( embryo of the post - 1910 Social Democratic Party ) . Literary work . During his 1890s polemics , Anton Bacalbaşa explained at length what his vision of didacticism meant . His stated belief was that : " In all of our works , that which is alive first and foremost is ourselves . " Nevertheless , George Călinescu writes , Toni " was far from pouring socialism over everything " , and believed that poetry in particular should be apolitical . As early as 1894 , Avram Steuerman - Rodion noted that the " Adevărul Literar " editor had been straying away from Dobrogeanu - Gherea ' s didactic path . " Moş Teacă " , which endures as Bacalbaşa ' s best liked series , is a tragicomic account of military life . The eponymous hero is a grotesque Army Captain , who is comically illiterate but savage in his treatment of the recruits . The reader never learns his actual name , but only his nickname , literally " Old Man Scabbard " , but also rendered as " Captain Scabbard " ( Bacalbaşa hints that derogatory nicknames were commonly used by the recruits when referring to their unpopular superiors ) . It is generally held that Toni ' s anti - hero is in large part inspired by a standard of French literature , in particular by Charles Leroy ' s " Col . Ramollot " and Henry Monnier ' s " Joseph Prudhomme " . This interpretation is nuanced by researcher Constantin Ciopraga , who argues : " As a former army volunteer , the future journalist Bacalbaşa did not need the French model proposed by Charles Leroy in " Le Colonel Ramollot " ; he was directly familiarized with the Prussian spirit of yesteryear . " Moş Teacă has lived all his life in the army , having been a drummer boy by vocation . His obtuse nature greatly disturbs his understanding of civilian affairs : when he is informed that the Dâmboviţa River has swelled , he asks , " Who gave the order for this ? " He provides his men with incomprehensible advice on how to march , instructs them how to make a polite retreat if the enemy catches them without a weapon , and , while on maneuvers on the Prut River , orders them to combat the epizootic with a verbal inspection of the cattle . Teacă and the other infantry officers are especially violent toward the recruits , and use a wide inventory of corporal punishments , on an advancing scale . In addition to hitting the young soldiers ( with their bare knuckles , with sword belts , or with sticks ) , they force some to run around for hours with a " bitch " ( the regimental Maxim gun ) on their back , or to hold aim while staring directly into the sun . In " La garda pieţii " , the soldiers react badly to injustice and stage a protest , but their effort is ultimately wasted by intrigues . Other categories of servicemen are also touched by Bacalbaşa ' s wit . His stories show military medicine as a grim spectacle : the physicians are either criminally incompetent or sadistic , driving recruits to the brink of suicide . The elite cavalry ( " Roşiori " ) show particular restraint in public , but are merciless in dealing with their young subordinates . Army men were generally irritated by Bacalbaşa ' s comedy . Some ten years after the author ' s death , General Brătianu commented that Moş Teacă was the stuff of imagination , and propaganda " for the naive " . Toni himself probably intended to make Teacă reach beyond the topic of antimilitarism , noting that the character could just as well be moved into environments other than the boot camp , from the marketplace to the Senate of Romania . In order to ridicule his colleagues in the media , Bacalbaşa created an alternative character , the self - seeking newspaperman " Spanachidi " ( said to have been based on a real - life model ) . Bacalbaşa ' s other humorous works are scattered . Călinescu describes him as a restless " buffoon " and " an unpretentious journalist " , but acknowledges that his French wit and verve have raised the level of Romania ' s media . Toni ' s parodies of Symbolism , published in " Moftul Român " , are described by Cioculescu as even better than those signed by Caragiale , since they hit closer to " the mark " . Many of his other written contributions are homograph ic one - line joke s , or samples of absurd humor in the " épater la bourgeoisie " tradition , while his memoirs record the involuntarily humorous rhyming of a poet - soldier . Călinescu finds them amusing but , in large part , copied from the French prankster Alfred Jarry ( " the technique of " Ubuesque " humorists " ) . Both Anton and Constantin Bacalbaşa were also early pioneers of the Romanian epigram genre , which the former helped popularize at " Moftul " . Some of Bacalbaşa ' s writings are of a more restrained nature , and even include somber pieces . A younger colleague , C . Cosco , recalled : " We [ journalists ] knew that , under his ferocious sarcasm , under his biting wit , he was hiding the sentimentality of a German maiden . " In his more serious poems , Toni follows the model set by " Junimea " s Mihai Eminescu . In a controversial article he wrote in 1890 , Toni asserted that Eminescu was a unique genius , who did not fit in with any school of literature . Legacy . Following Toni ' s death , Alexandrina Bacalbaşa remarried , to the Transylvanian literato Nerva Hodoş . She survived her second husband by several decades . When she died , in 1954 , she was buried next to her first husband . A final " Moş Teacă " almanac was put out in 1900 , featuring the sketch " Ion prostul " ( " Stupid Ion " ) , which , although believed by the publisher to be Bacalbaşa ' s work , may in fact be a forgotten contribution by Caragiale . At around that time , George Ranetti also tried to revive " Moş Teacă " magazine , and continued to write humorous pieces in the manner introduced by Caragiale and Toni ( a subject - matter that Călinescu has named " Moftology " ) . " Moş Teacă " grew in scope , and began publishing satires of Christianity . These earned it a poor reputation in the media , created a political controversy , and nearly resulted in a trial of Ranetti . Additionally , Ranetti used one of Bacalbaşa ' s final texts as preface to a collection of jokes , which saw print in 1901 . Caragiale also revived " Moftul Român " for a second series , wherein he continued to poke fun at the Symbolists and awarded a special prize to the stupidest literary work sent in for publishing . The Bacalbaşa genre had other significant effects on Romanian literature , and in particular on comedy - writing . " Moş Teacă " proved influential for the work of other Romanian writers , who were active in the interwar period : Gheorghe Brăescu , then Neagu Rădulescu . The name itself was virtually turned into a common noun ( " un moş teacă " ) , applied to army men who are thought to display the same characteristics as Bacalbaşa ' s anti - hero . In Romanian cuisine , the writer ' s name was given to a " delicatessen " variety of smoked ham . In addition to Kiriţescu and Cosco ' s notes , Toni was the subject of a 1924 monograph by socialist critic Barbu Lăzăreanu , and of a 1938 memoir by his " Adevărul " acquaintance Izabela Sadoveanu - Evan . In the 1930s , the aged Constantin Stere wrote his deceased friend into the autobiographical novel " În preajma revoluţiei " , as " Toni Baclava " . After 1948 , Bacalbaşa ' s republicanism made him a favorite of the . In the 1950s , his anti - monarchic work was central to the Romanian curriculum , alongside selected pieces by other hand - picked republicans - socialists ( N . D . Cocea , Traian Demetrescu , Dumitru Theodor Neculuţă , Alexandru Toma ) . However , the anonymous " Moftul Român " articles which were evidently pro - socialist , and which are most likely Toni ' s contributions , were attributed to Caragiale by official authors such as Camil Petrescu , as a counter - factual effort of transforming the " Junimist " writer into a champion of the left .