Oh! The Dude, the Beautiful Dude! - the Roosevelt Dude!

When Mr. Robert Roosevelt, of New York, arose in the Legislature of the State to denounce something or other, attention was attracted by his affected manner and his faultless and somewhat finical attire.  He talked too long, and a restive member rose and begged the Clerk to read as germane to Mr. Roosevelt’s remarks an extract from a newspaper which he sent to the Clerk’s desk.  When the reading began it was found that the extract was a doggerel poem beginning: 

“Oh! The Dude, the beautiful Dude”

and the first line was greeted by a shout of laughter, which squelched poor Roosevelt at once.  Here is the poem in full,

Oh! The dude, the beautiful dude!

  The essence concentrated of trousered prude!

We see and love him, and who shall dare

  To chide us for loving a thing so fair?

We love his face, with smile so bland;

  We love the cane in his well-gloved hand;

We love his somber and lofty air,

  His tout ensemble of well-dressed care

We love the go-to-the-party dude,

  Who stands by the wall as though firmly glued;

Who goes to the opera with well-banged hair,

  With a high silk hat and a languid air,

He walks on the avenue every day,

  In a clerical collar and aimless way;

He rarely smiles, and his driveling talk

  Is slow, like his tongue and his languid walk.

Butler Citizen (Butler, Pennsylvania), May 16, 1883, page 1.