The Press.
London, England, 1855-01-06 00:00:00

for a moment allege that the hare has lived at
his expense, or been fostered by his care)
" approaches slowly," and knocks it down,
driven by the politico-economical consideration
that a hare eats as much as the fourth part of
the support of a sheep. Now, the labourer
knows perfectly well that the laws, be they
good or bad, under which he exists prohibit
him from knocking down the hare as much as
though it were a sheep. He knows that his
conduct is the violation of an express com-
mand of the Legislature of his country, and in
knocking down the hare he no more refutes
the reason of the law than he would censure
the law of felony by depriving Mr. Christmas
of his coat for the use of that wife and family
who are always paraded in the case of
poachers—the enormous majority of whom
have legally no such encumbrances or excuses,
as the case may be. The danger of all such
arguments as these is clear. The labourer or
other, who does an act prohibited because he
chooses to think the prohibition wrong, will
soon proceed to do acts that are main in se,
except indeed he be better skilled in ethics
than we can hope our population to be. Game
laws, and all other laws, are to be remedied by
competent authority, not broken at will by
those who dislike them.

With respect to the " Lawfulness of War,"
we believe that so lokig as human passions and
dispositions are what Holy Writ describes
theili, the strong hand, and that alone, must
be used in many cases to control them. We
prevent the Russian empire from dismember-
ing Turkey by 'the very same sanction that
prevents a burglary. Prevention by violence
is as justifiable in one case as in the other.
Nor is this view weakened by isolated
texts. Logically the rernark'of our Saviour as
to the centurion's great faith Would seem to
point out the profession of arms as rather
favourable than otherwise to the growth of
piety. We fear, indeed, that Mr: Christmas is
not endowed with that grasp and acuteness
that are required in an ethical philosopher.
We have also to object to.. this work, what,
indeed, is the old oti*tion to scientific
treatises—inaccuracy of language. Definition
demands infinitely more precision than Mr.
Christmas is disposed to grant it. Neverthe-
less, we cheerfully admit that there are
occasional happy delineations of a principle,
and some new matter for thought on the ex-
tensive subject of the reformation of the laws.

The Life of P. T. Barnum. Written by Himself.
London: Sampson, Low, and Co.
Tins book is selling so rapidly that we do not
see any reason why we should not doubt
" Mr. Barnum's Life of Himself" quite as much
as we should now doubt any cther scheme by
which he might propose to take the public in.
Were it not for his intense love of money, we
should be inclined to think that his candid
confessions of rascality must be real, but the
whole tone of the book warns us that if he
thought a penny was to be turned—au honest
penny he would consider it—by vilifying him-
self, his kindred, and his nation, he would not
hesitate a moment to take advantage of the
opportunity. There is this, however, to be said
for the genuineness of his revelations, that
he is such a rogue and so successful that he
really can afford to tell the truth for once
in his life, and hope to make a profitable specu-
lation out of it. His countrymen, by his ac
count, are as like himself in the clever prac-
tices he details as one egg is like another.
What is roguery with us, is shrewdness with
them ; what would send a man to the tread-
mill here, would only gain him the applause
of his friends on the other side of the Atlantic;
and he who would be branded in Europe as
a swindling vagabond, would in America be
simply called " a considerably cute Yankee,"
and be admired accordingly. After reading
Barnum's life one is at a loss to decide whe•
ther the Americans regard such impositions
as he practised in the light of practical jokes
such as Theodore Hook was accustomed to
play, or n hether, knowing them to be rascally
cheats, they are considered perfectly justifi-
able as tricks of trade. Unfortunately for the
reputation of our transatlantic cousins,
pounds, shillings and pence are always con-
nested with the result of their practical ,jokes,

THE PRESS.

the aim and end of which appear to be to
extract from their neighbour's pocket as much
as can be obtained from it by fraudulent
devices. The whole life of this accomplished
Yankee is such a web of rascality, combined
with energy, perseverence, and punctuality in
monetary matters, as to make it the most per•
feet manual extant of the art and mystery of
honest swindling. In his case, however, much
must be allowed for his training. The follow-
ing will serve to explain the system under
which he was brought up
They have a proverb in Connecticut, that" the best school
in which to have a boy learn human nature, is to permit him
to be a tin pedlar for a few years." I think his chances
for getting " his eye-teeth cut" would be equally great in a
country barter-store like that in which 1 was clerk. As
before stated, many of our customers were hatters, and we
took hats in payment for goods. The large manufacturers
generally dealt pretty fairly by us, but some of the smaller
fry occasionally shaved us prodigiously. There probably
is no trade in which there can be more cheating than in
hats. If a hat was damaged "in colouring " or otherwise,
perhaps by a cut of half a foot in length, it was sure to be
patched up, smoothed over, and slipped in with others to
send to the store. Among the furs used for the nap of hats
in those days were otter, beaver, Russia, nutria otter, cony,
muskrat, &c., &c. The best fur was otter, the poorest was
cony.
The hatters mixed their inferior furs with a little of their
best, and sold us hats fir " otter." We in return mixed
our sugars, teas, and liquors, and gave them the most
valuable names. It was " dug eat dog "—" tit for tat."
Our cottons were sold fur wool, our wool and cotton for
silk and linen; in fact, nearly everything was different
from what it was represented. The customers cheated us
in their fabrics : we cheated the customers with our goods.
Each party expected to be cheated, if it was possible. Our
eyes, and not our ears, had to be our masters. We must
believe little that we saw, and less that we heard. Our
calicoes were all" fast colours," according to our represen-
tations, and the colours would generally run "fast" enough
and show them a tub of soap-suds. Our ground coffee was
as good as burned peas, beans, and corn could make, and
our ginger was tolerable, considering the price of corn-
meal. Tire " tricks of trade " were numerous. If a
" pedlar " wanted to trade with us for a box of beaver hats
worth sixty dollars per dozen, he was sure to obtain a box
of " conies," which were dear at fifteen dollars per dozen.
If we took our pay in clocks, warranted to keep good time,
the chances were that they were no better than a chest of
drawers for that purpose—that they were like f'inder's
razors, " made to sell," and if half the number of wheels
necessary to form a clock could be found within the case,
it was as lucky as extraordinary.

When these are the recognised " tricks of
trade " amongst a community, can we wonder
that sharp lads, like Barnum, should acquire
great proficiency in their practice ?
His unconsciousness of his rascality is the
most amusing part of his narrative. His love
of dollars does not interfere with his piety. By
lottery schemes, which he acknowledges were
only a gigantic species of swindling, he tells
how he made immense profits, and how expert
a salesman he became, as the following pas-
sage will show :

Whenever I visited Brookfield I called on one man who
was of a serious turn. He and his wife were professors of
religion, and he was a frequent exhorter at prayer.meetings.
He always managed to buy a ticket or two from me, under
the strictest injunction never to divulge the fact to his
wife. I usually dined with him ; and when he was busy
looking after my horse, or otherwise engaged out of doors,
I never failed to, sell a ticket to his wife, who begged me
to be very careful not to let her husband have any suspi-
cion of it, for he was opposed to such things and would
never forgiv- her if he should know there was a lottery
ticket in the house.
And some pages further on he relates how he
once preached in a Baptist church with con-
siderable success :
I began by informing the people that I was not a clergy
man, and had little experience in public speaking ; but r
felt a deep interest in the subject of religion and morality,
and would attempt in a plain way to set before them the
duties and privileges of man. " The pleasures of sin for
a season," which Moses might have enjoyed in the palaces
of Egypt, I compared with " the recompense of reward "
which he had respect to in obeying the commands of God ;
and I appealed to every man's experience, observation, and
reason to confirm the Bible doctrine of wretchedness in
vice and happiness in virtue. We cannot violate the laws
of God with impunity, and he will not keep back the wages
of well-doing. The outside show of things is of very small
account. We must look to realities.and not to appearances.
" Diamonds may glitter on a vicious breast," but " the
soul's calm sunshine and the heartfelt joy is virtue's prize."
The rogue, the man of rough passions, the drunkard, are
not to be envied even at the best, and a conscience hardened
in sin is the most sorrowf►►l thing that we can think
of. Such a one may enjoy life as a beast enjoys it—perhaps
like a beast shut up in a cage or a dungeon, with enough
to eat and to drink, ; but the soul cannot be satisfied or
happy without devotion toward God and goodwill toward
men.

went on in this strain, with much scripture and many
familiar illustrations, for about three quarters of an hour.
When I had finished my speech, several gentleman shook
me by the hand, expressed themselves pleased, begged to
know rAy name, which they wrote down. I had no very

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