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Show VI llTk Rose f Dixie tote .il A zino was started by a stock wflw V romPanr in Toombs City, uML Georgia, Lliero was never but Ajrie candidate for its chief editorial po-ration po-ration in the minds of iLs owners. Opl. iy, Kiuila Telfair was the man for the iwloce, Bv all tho rights of learning, &fcmilv. reputation and southern trndi-bns," trndi-bns," he was its foreordained, fit and 'fogicul editor. So, a committee of the . iSktriotie Georgia citizens who had sub-Vfebed sub-Vfebed the founding fund of $100,000 .Sailed upon Colonel Telfair at his residence. resi-dence. Cedar Heights, fearful lest the ftjnterprisc and the south should suffer nwifv his possible refusal. . . siiWTlio colonel received them in Ins 7 IfjWTcat librarv, where he spent most of ,Bis davs. The librarv had descended to fJsJfim from his father." It contained ten jShoufeahd olumcs, some of which had ilaeen published as late as the year la"ISb'l. When the deputation arrived, tfwfiolonel Telfair was seated at his mns-1 mns-1 tyivo white-pine center-table, reading 'Burton 's Anatomy of Melancholy. Ho , irose and shook' hands punctiliously f-Jlfith each member of tho committee. lcs?Tf.'vou were familiar with The Rose of "SSpixic you will remember the colonel's . portrait, which appeared in it from oblia ihie to time. Von could not. forget tho Ga imp, carefullv brushed white hair; the prlH, looked . high-bridged nose, slightly p!: ft'isted to the left; the keen eyes uri-iU1y' uri-iU1y' ier the still black evobrows: the classic jputh beneath the drooping white musts mus-ts fob e. slight 1 frazzled at tho cods, ipylli 4The committee solicitiously offered igiliSm the i-sition of managing editor, Idrai fimblv jmentiiig an outline of the '. ield that the publication was dosigned 5?. cover and mentioning a comfortable S?:Sl'ar.v The colonel 's lands wero grow-tjine grow-tjine poorer each year and were much J'lLyTl up by red gullies. Besides, the itn&lonor was not one lo be refused. ifeOlTn a fortv minute speech of accept-jjjhee, accept-jjjhee, Tolonel Telfair cave an outline Gii3r English literature from Chaucer to ,rt!?3jacaulav. re-fought the battles of . i'j Sfhancellorsville. and said that, God dlMelping him. he would so conduct The lr Iose ef Dixie that its fragrance and ion sjeaup. would permeate tho entire Jjorld hurling back into the teeth of : JiSpe northern minions their beliel that LrJo genius or good could exist in the 5rjiirains and hearts of the people whose property thev had destroyed and whoso s relights thev had curtailed. Wnffaoffiees fT t,ie magazine were par-Jv5tioned par-Jv5tioned off and furnished in the sec-o7d sec-o7d floor of flip First National Bank. jtoilrildinjr, and it was for the colonel to pTjMTuse The Rose of Dixie to blossom IroH'iffd flourish or to wilt in the balmy air Wthe land of flowers. ATlie htaff of assistants and contrib-DuiVirs contrib-DuiVirs that Editor-Colonel Telfair drew Jejf & jbut him was a pencil. It was a whole n iato of Georgia neaches. The first as-111 as-111 fi-fctant editor, Tolliver Lee Fairfax, ;u'htd had a father killed during Pick-10(lcat's Pick-10(lcat's churge. Tho second assistant, vhoeats rnthank, was the nephew of one ,ho! Morgan 's Raiders. The book re-f re-f Viewer, Jackson Rockingham, had been h "Lie youngest soldier in the Confederate afejiftaty, having appeared on the field of iSttle with a sword in one hand and a n :51k bottle in the other. The art ed--hr, Roncesvalles Sykes, was a third ,r rb? isin to a nephew of Jefferson Davis, "the ss Lavima Terhune. the colonel's ,-rlterf fnograoher and typewriter, had an of. nt who had once been kissed by vrrlll oncTtvall Jackson. Tommy Webster, nie.t i B.hend office-boy, got his nob by huv-tt; huv-tt; recitd Father Ryan 's poems, com- ecu"1 !te, at the commencement exercises 1 theyj Whe Toombs City high school. The pot r ;ls -who wrapped and addressed the i coV&' Lgazine were members of old south-s south-s ?tr V families in reduced circumstances. cashier was a scrub named Haw-tfcs, Haw-tfcs, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who Thct'd recommendations and a bond from er FIj?uaranteo company filed with the BWners. Even Georgia stock compa-enceJ-Vs sometimes realize that it takes n wt,ones bury tiie dead. e"thVell, sir, if you believe me, Tho Rose fs otDixio blossomed five times before ires lHlpody heard of it except tho people aslrlfl&'rfo "3' their hooks aud eyes in 'the fcCfomh-B City. Then Hawkins climbed the 2 hi 5 stool and told on 'em to the n, BLjick company. Even in Ann Arbor he ,n&a(M$ bP0n 1IFefl -o having his business na D "jipositions hoard of at least as far ;53 as Detroit. So an advortisihfr pager was engaged Beauregard Ujjl bh'ugh Banks, a young man in a lav-'iJ'er lav-'iJ'er necktie, whose grandfather had mu2& the exalted high pillowslip of 7j DKuklux Klan. igjrni pi spite of which The Rose of Dixie WW I coming out every month. Al-lSJtl Al-lSJtl ligh in overy issue it Tan photos of I ft ker the Ta,i Mnhal or tho Luxom ju-e Gardens, or Carmencita or La Blette, a certain number of peoplo ilght it and subscribed for it. As a UPF ' Editor-Colonel Tclfnir ran rtH.6 different views of Andrew Jack-VJg01?? Jack-VJg01?? old home, "Tho irermitage," a -4fPae engraving of the second bat-ifcf bat-ifcf anassas, entitled. "Lee to tho lip'" Slnd a five-thousand-word biog-i biog-i Spy of Belle Boyd in tho same niim-5 niim-5 The subscription list that month IP-aced 118, Also thoro wore poems mlttFQ 6:1111(1 issue bv Leonina vashto Ert5llB.cot pon ame). related to the flilots, .r Charleston, South Care I I,irl)ul BlU Thompson, nephew of one Jtho atockholderH. And an article i WrfPw.. special society correspondent LCL fadK1 ,in a toa narty given by tho laSStf r1Joston and Enclish set, whero a rteu wns sPille(1 overboard by ). bKub gaests masquerading as PriCi w day a person whose breath would "P 1a,,1,lirri)r 1)0 wna so much ire im onTtTeroa 1,10 offit'o of The Rose of i-Ji JS a mnn about 1110 ze ; tiROllt witu a aelf-tied It ft . Work. f y Ifilf I tie and a manner that ho must have borrowed conjointly from W. J. Bryan, Hackeuschmidt and Hetty Green. He was shown into the editor-colonel s pons asinoruni. Colonel Telfair rose and began a Prince Albert bow. "I'm Thacker," said tho intruder, taking tho editor's chair "T. T. Thackcr. of Now York," He dribbed hastily upon the colonel's desk some cards, a bulky mamla envelope, en-velope, and a letter from tho owners of The Rose of Dixie. This letter introduced intro-duced Mr. Thacker, and politely re quested Colonel Talfair to give him a conference and whatever information about the magazine ho might desire. "I'vo boon corresponding with tho secretary of the magazine owners for some time," said Thacker, briskly. "I'm a practical magazine man myself, and a circulation booster as good as any, if I do say it. I'll guarantee an increaso of anywhere from ten thousand thou-sand to a hundred thousand a year for any publication that isn't printed in a dead language. I'vo had my eye on Tho Rose of Dixio ever since it started.. I know every end of tho business from editing to setting out the classified ads. Now, I've come down hero to put a good bunch of money in the magazine, if T can see my way clear. It ought to be made to pay. The secretary tells, me it's losing money. T don't see why , a magazine in tho south, if it's properly proper-ly handled, shouldn't got a good circulation circu-lation in the north, too." Colonel Telfair loaned back in his chair and polished his gold-rimmed glasses. "Mr. Thacker," said he courteously but firmly, "Tho Rose of Dixie is a publication devoted to the fostering and voicing of southern genius. Its watchword, which you may have seen on tho cover, is 'Of, For, and By the South.' " "But .you wouldn't object to a northern north-ern circulation, would you?" asked Thacker. "I suppose," said tho editor-colonel, "that it is customary to opon the circulation cir-culation lists to all. I do not know. I have nothing to do with tho business affairs of the magazine. 1' was called upon to assume editorial control of it, and I have devoted to its conduct such poor literary talents as I may possess and whatever storo of erudition I may have acquired." "Sure," said Thacker. "But a dollar dol-lar is a dollar anywhere, north, south, or west whether .you're buying codfish, cod-fish, goober peas or Rocky Ford cantaloupes. can-taloupes. Now, I've been looking over your November number. I see one here on your desk. You don't mind running ovor it with me? "Well, your leading article is all right. A good write-up of tho cotton-belt cotton-belt with plenty of photographs is a winner any time. New York is always interested in the cotton crop. And this sensational account of tho Hatfield-McCoy Hatfield-McCoy feud, by a schoolmate of a niece "of the governor of Kentucky, isn 't such a bad idea. It happened so long ago that, most people have forgotten for-gotten it. Now, here's a poom three pages long called 'The Tyrant's Foot,' by Lorella LasceU'es. I've pawed around a good deal over manuscripts, but T never saw her name on a rejection rejec-tion slip," "Miss Lascolles." said the editor, "is one of our most widely recognized southern poetesses. She is closely related re-lated to the Alabama Lascelles family, and made with her own hands the silken Confederate banner that was presented to the governor of that state at bis inauguration. " "But. why," persisted Thacker, "is the poem illustrated with a view of the M. ic 0. railroad freight depot at Tuscaloosa?" Tus-caloosa?" "Tho illustration," said the colonel, with dignity, "shows a corner of the fence surrounding the old homestead where Miss Lascelles was born." "All right," said Thacker. "I read the poem, but I couldn 't tell whether it was about the depot or the battle of Bull Run. Now, here's a short story called 'Rosio's Temptation ' by Fosdyke Piggott. It's rotten. What is a Piggott, anyway?" "Mr. Piggott," said the editor, "is a brother of the principal stockholder of the magazine." "All's right with the world Piggott passes," said Thacker. "Well, this article on nrctic exploration and the one on tarpon fishing might go. But how about this write-up of the Atlanta, At-lanta, 'New Orleans, Nashville and Savannah Sa-vannah breweries? It seems to consist con-sist mainly of statistics about their output out-put and the quality of their beer, what's the chip ovor the bug?" "If I understand your figurative language," nnswered Col. Telfair, "it is this: tho article you refer to was handed to me by the owners of the niagazine with instructions to publish it. The literary quality of it did not appeal to me. But, in a measure, I feel impelled to conform, in certain mat-tors, mat-tors, to tho wishes of the gentlemen who aTe interested in the financial side ol Tho Rose." I see, said Thacker. "Next we ti? Lwo Pa"es of selections from 'Lalla Rookh,' by Thomas Moore. Now, what federal prison did Moore escape from, or what's the name of tho F. F. v. family that ho carries as a handicap?" handi-cap?" - 'ne-00!? K GJ IriBl1 Poet """bo died in 18o2," said Col. Telfair, pityingly. "Ho is a classic. I have been thinking think-ing or reprinting his translation of Anacreon serially in tho magazine." ''Look out for tho copyright laws," said. Tkcr, flippantly. "Who's Beasio Belleclnir, who contributes the essay on the newly completed water-ovks water-ovks plan in Milledgoville?" "lho name, sir," said Col. Telfair, is the nom de guerre of Miss Elvira bimpkms. I have not tho honor of knowing tho lady; but her contribution contribu-tion was sent us by Congressman Brow-er, Brow-er, of her native state. Congressman Browor's mother was related to the Polks of Tennessee." rnu"-?0 80 . hore colonel," said Thacker, throwing flown tho magazino, 'tins won't do. You can't auccess-lully auccess-lully run a magazine for ouo particular flection of tho country. You've got to make a universal appeal. Look how the northern publications have entered to tho south and encouraged the southern south-ern writers. And vou'vo got to go Inland Inl-and wide for your contributors. You 'vo got to buy stuff according to its quality qual-ity without any regard to the pedigroo of tho author. Now, I'll bet a quart of inlc that this southern parlor organ you vo been running has never-played a note that originated abovo Mason and Hamlin's line. Am T right?" 'IJiavo carefully and conscientiously conscientious-ly rejected all contributions from that section of the country if I understand your figurative language aright," replied re-plied the colonel. "All right. Now, I'll show you "I'm a practical magazine man myself, and a circulation booster as good as any,vif I do say it." something." Thacker reached for his thick ma-nila ma-nila envelope and dumped a mass of typewritten manuscript on the editor's desk. "Here '3 some truck," said he, "that I paid cash for, and brought along with me." One by one he folded back tho manuscripts man-uscripts and showed their first pages to tho colonel. "Here are four short stories by four of the highest priced authors in the United States three of 'em living in New York, and ono commuting. There's a special article on Vienna-bred Vienna-bred society by Tom Vampson. Here's an Italian serial b.y Capt. Jack no it's the other Crawford. Hero are throe separate exposes of city governments govern-ments by Sniffings and here's a dandy entitled 'What Womon Carry in Dress-Suit Case a Chicago newspaper news-paper woman hired herself out for five years as a lady '9 maid to cot that information. And here's a Synopsis of Preceding Chapters of Hall Caine's new serial to appear next June. And here's a couple of pounds of vers de societe that I got at a rate from the clever magazines. That's the stuff that people everywhere want. And now here's a writoup with, photographs photo-graphs at the ages of four, twelve, twenty-two, and thirty of George B. McClclIau. It's a prognostication. He's bound to be elected Mayor of New York- It'll make a big hit all over the country. He " "I beg .your pardon," said Col. Telfair, Tel-fair, stiffening in his chair. "What was the name?" "Oh, I see," said Thacker, with half a grin. "Yes, he's a son of the general. gen-eral. We'll pass that manuscript up. But, if you'll excuse me, colonel, it's a magazino we're trying to make go off not the first gun at Fort Sumpter. Now, here's a thing that's bound to fet next to you. It's an original poem y James Whitcomb Riley. J. W. himself. You know what that means to a magazine. I won't. tell you what I had to pay for that poem; but I'll tell you this Riley can make more money writing with a fountain pen than you or I can with one that lots the ink run. I'll read you the last two stanzas: " 'Pa lays around 'n' loafs all day. 'N' reads and makes us leave him be. He lets me do Just like I please, 'N when I'm bad he laughs at me, 'N' when I holler loud 'n' say Bad words 'n' then begin to tease The cat, 'n' pa just smiles, ma's mad 'N' gives me Jesse crost her knees. I always wondered why that wuz I guess It's 'cause Pa never does. " ' 'N' after all the lights are out I'm sorry 'bout it; so I creep Out of my trundle bed to ma's 'N' say I love her a whole heap, 'N' kiss her. 'n' hug her tight, i 'N' It's too dark to see her eyes, Bui every time I do I know She cries n' cries V cries 'n' cries. I always wondered why that wuz I guess It's 'cause Pa never docs.' "That's the stuff," continued Thacker. "What do you think of that?" "I am not unfamiliar with the works of Mr. Riley," said the colonel, deliberately. de-liberately. "I believe he lives in Indiana. In-diana. For the last ten years have been somewhat of a literary recluse, and am familiar with nearly all the books in the Cedar Heights library. 1 am also of the opinion that a magazine should contain a certain amoupt of poetry. Mauy of the sweetest singers of the south have already contributed to the pages of The "Rose of Dixie. I myself, have thought of translating ifrbni the original for publication in its pages the works of the great Italian poet Tasso. Have you ever drank from the fountain of this immortal poet's lines, Mr. Thacker?" "Xot even a demi-Tasso," said Thacker. "Now, let's come to the point, Colonel Telfair. I've already invested in-vested some money in this as a flyer. That bunch of manuscripts cost me $4000. My object was to try a number of them in the next issue I believe you make up less than a month ahead and see what effect it has on the circulation. cir-culation. I believe thai, by printing the best stuff we can get in the north, south, east or west we can make the magazine go. You have there the letter let-ter from the owning company asking you to co-operate with me in "the plan. Let's chuck out some of this slush that you've been publishing just l -cause the writers are related to the Skoop-doodles Skoop-doodles of Skoopdoodle county. Are 3'ou with me?" "As long as I continue to be the editor edi-tor of The Rose," said Colonel Telfair, with dignity, "I shall be its editor. But I desire also to conform to tho wishes of its owners if I cau do so conscientiously." "That's the talk," said Thacker. briskly. "Now how much of this stufi I've b'rought cau we get into the January Janu-ary number? Wo ought to begin right away. ' ' "There is yet space in the January number," said the editor, "for about eight thousand words, roughly estimated," esti-mated," ''Great!" Baid Thacker. "It isn't much, but it'll give the readers some change from goobers, Governors and Gettysburg;. I'll leave the selection of the stuff I brought to fill the space to you. us it's all good. I've got to run back to New York, and I'll be down again in a couple of weeks." "Colonel Telfair slowly swung his eyeglasses eye-glasses b3r their broad, black ribbon. "The space in the January number that I roforred to," said ho, measured' ly, "has been held open purposely, pending a decision that I have not yet made, A short time ago a contribution was submitted to The Rose of Dixie that is ono of tho most remarkable literary efforts that has ever come under un-der ray observation. None but a master mas-ter mind and talent could have produced pro-duced it. It would about fill tho space that I have reserved for its possible use." Thacker looked anxious. "What kind of stuff is it?" he asked. ask-ed. "Eight thousand words sounds suspicious. sus-picious. The oldest fnmilies must havo been collaborating. Is there go-ine go-ine to be another secession?" "Tho author of tho article," continued con-tinued the colonel ignoring Thacker 's allusions, "is a writer of some roputn-tion. roputn-tion. Ho has also distinguished himself him-self in other wa3s. I do not feel at liberty to reveal to you his name at least not until I have decided whether or not to accept his contribution." 'Well," aaid Thacker, nervously, "is it a continued story, or an account of tho unveiling of the new town pump in Whitmirc, South Carolina, or a re-vised re-vised list of General Lee's body oar-vants, oar-vants, or what?" "You arc disposed to be facetious," said Colonel Telfair, calmly. "The article- is from tho pen of a thinker, a Shiloecpher, a lover of manl'ind, a stu-cut, stu-cut, and a rhetorican of high degree." "It must havo been written by a syndicate," said Thacker. "But, hon estly. colonel, you want to go slow. I don't know of any eight thousand-worn thousand-worn eii:gle doss of written matter I hat are read by anybody these days, except supreme court briefs and re-ports re-ports of murder trials. You haven't by nr.y accident gotten hold of a copy of oue of Daniel Webster's speeches, have Colonel Telfair swung a little in his chair and looked steadily from under IH his bushy eyebrows at the magazine promoter. "Mr. Thacker," he said, gravely, "I am willing to segregate the somewhat crude expression of your sense of humor from the solicitude that your business investments undoubtedb have conferred upon you. But I nruBt ask you to cease your jibes and derogatory comments upon the south and the southern people. They, sir, will not be tolerated in the office of The Rose of Dixie for one moment. And before you proceed with more of your covert insinuations that I, the editor of this magazine, am not a competent judge of the merits of the matter submitted to its. consideration, I beg that you will first present some evidence or proof that you are my superior in any way, shape, or form relative to the question in hand." "Oh, come, colonel," said Thacker, good-naturedly. "I didn't do anything like that to you. It sounds like an in-dictment in-dictment by the fourth assistant attor-ney attor-ney general. Let's get back to busi-ess. busi-ess. What's this 8000 to 1 shot about?" "The article," said Colonel Telfair, acknowledging the apology by a slight bow, "covers a wide area of know-ledge. know-ledge. It takes up theories and ques-tions ques-tions that have puzzled the world for centuries, and disposes of them logi-cally logi-cally and concisely. One by one it holds up to view the evils of the world, points out the way of eradicating them; and then conscientiously and in detail com-mends com-mends the good. There is hardly a phase of human life that it does not discuss wisely, calmly and equitably. The great policies of governments, the duties of private citizens, the obliga-tions obliga-tions of home life, law, ethics, moralitv all these important subjects are handled with a calm wisdom and con-fidence con-fidence that F must confess has cap-tured cap-tured my admiration." "It must be a crackerjack, " said JM Thacker, impressed. "It is a great contribution to tho world 'a wisdom." said the colonel "The only doubt remaining in my mind as to the tremendous advantage it would be to us to give it publication in The Rose of Dixio is that I have not yet sufficient information about the author to give his work publicity in jH our magazine." , . "I thought you said he is a distin-guished distin-guished man,"" said Thacker. "He is," replied the colonel, 'both IH in literary and in other more diversi-I diversi-I fied and extraneous fields. But I am extremely careful about the matter that JM I accept for publication. My contnbit' IH tors are people of unquestionable re-pute re-pute and connections, which fact can be verified at any time. As I said, I am holding this article until I can ac-quire ac-quire more information about its au-thor. au-thor. I do not know whether I will publish it or not. If I decide against it, I shall be much pleased, Mr. JM Thacker, to substitute the matter that jH you are leaving with me in its place," Thacker was somewhat at sea. IH "I don't seem to gather," said he, "much about the gist of this inspired piece of literature. It sounds more like a dark horse than Pegasus to me. ' "It is a human document," said the colonel-editor, confidentl', "from a man of great accomplishments who, in my opinion, has obtained a stronger grasp on the world and its outcomes than that of any man. living today." Thacker rose to his feet excitedly. "Say!" he said. "It isn't possible that you've cornered John D. Rocke-feller"'s Rocke-feller"'s memoirs, is it? Don't tell me that all at once." "No, sir," said Colonel Telfair "I am speaking of mentality and litera-ture; litera-ture; not of the less worthy intricacies of trade." "Well, whatVthe trouble aoout run-ning run-ning the article," asked Thacker. a lit-tie lit-tie impati entry, "if the man's well known and has' got the stuff?" Colonel Telfair sighed. "Mr. Thacker," said he, "for once I have been tempted. Nothing has vet appeared in The Rose of Dixie that has not been from the pen of one of its sons or daughters. I know little about the author of this article except that ho has acquired prominence in a section of the country that has always been in-imical in-imical to my heart and mind. But I jH recognize his genius; as I have told. you, I have instituted an investigation of his personality. Perhaps it will, be futile. But I shall pursue the inquiry. Until that is finished, I must leave open the question of filling the vacant space in our Jnnuary number. jB Thacker arose to leave. " All right, colouel," he aaid, as cor-diallV cor-diallV as he could. tl You use your own Jm judgment. If you 've really got a scoop or something that will make em up, run it instead of my stuff. I U drop in ngain in about two weeks. Good luck!" , Colonel Telfair and the magazine promoter shook hands. turning a fortnight later , Thackor H dropped off a very rocky Pullman at Toombs City. He found the January number of the magazine made up and the forms closed. The vacant space that had been yawning for type was filled by an artt- clo that was headed thus: T-a SECOND MESSAGE TO CONGRESS Written for IH THE ROSE OP DIXIE A MEMBER OF THE WELL-KNOWN BULLOCH PAMTLY, OP GEORGIA T. Roosevelt. (Copyrighted, 1909, by Harper Bros.) |