Where’s Hobson?

There’s trouble off there in the Philippines

With its cannonade, and its battle scenes,

Brave Dewey and Otis, both true and game,

Are piling up natives and piling up fame,

     But what has become of

        Hobson?

He left our shores like a crowned king,

Where millions of souls his praise sing;

And there’s been a battle on land and sea,

But Hobson, dear Hobson, O where was he?

     The dispatches say nothing of

        Hobson!

Alas! how fickle the fame of today;

I advise you, Hobbie, to come straight away;

Leave Dewey and Otis our “pupils” to train,

And you go to kissing our maidens again,

     And then we will read of

        Hobson!

Feb. 9, ‘99

Pub. in B. Post,

Feb. 19, ‘99

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_P._Hobson

Richmond Pearson Hobson (August 17, 1870 – March 16, 1937) was a United States Navy Rear Admiral who served from 1907-1915 as a U.S. Representative from Alabama. A veteran of the Spanish-American War, he received the Medal of Honor years later for his part in that conflict. 

In the early days of Spanish-American War, he was with Admiral William T. Sampson in New York, and arrived off Santiago on June 1, 1898. In order to bottle up the Spanish squadron of Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete, Hobson took temporary command of the collier Merrimac, which he would attempt to sink as an obstruction in the channel. The attempt was made early June 3, under heavy Spanish fire, which disabled the steering gear of the collier. Hobson did sink the Merrimac, but was unable to place her in the shallowest part of the channel. With his crew of six, he was picked up by Admiral Cervera himself and treated quite chivalrously.

Hobson became a hero of the American press while he was a prisoner of war in Cuba. His portrait appeared in hundreds of newspapers with embellished stories of his bravery in volunteering for what was perceived as a suicide mission. A fund was raised to aid his parents in avoiding foreclosure of their mortgage. When Hobson was released during a prisoner exchange on July 6, 1898, hundreds of American troops snapped to attention, then burst into cheers as he passed. He was deluged with speaking invitations when he returned to the United States. After dining with President William McKinley, Hobson traveled west by train en route to San Francisco and the Philippines. Crowds greeted his train at many stations, and his enthusiasm for kissing admiring young women made him a sex symbol of the Victorian age.[1] He became a sort of celebrity during the rise of popular journalism at the turn of the century and was referred to as "the most kissed man in America."

see also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine%E2%80%93American_War