Around the turn of the twentieth century, one of the most important barometers of public opinion in the United States was one Martin Dooley, an Irish immigrant to America who operated a humble watering hole near Chicago. Dooley was the creation of journalist Finley Peter Dunne, who used the bombastic barkeep as a medium via which to dissect and lampoon current events. Mr. Dooley in Peace and in War, the first collection of Dooley essays, was an instant literary hit.