The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1851-09-11
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Westerly, September IL, 1851.
Barnum's Mode Of Advertising

bafmUmn' N1OOc Oh AOVcit1SlnSs
The following paragraph may be read in al
most any newspaper in the country
"On the 22d ult rs Barnums travelling
Menagerie were performing at Glens Falls, there
came up violent storm, accompanied by very
high wind. The large Pavilion was prOstra
ted and damaged to a considerable extent,
rightning and severely, though not dangerous
y, injuring So, ,era persons. Through the en-
ergy Of the managers, the ground was promptly
cleared Of the torn canvass, broken poles, &c
and after the shower the performances were
continued"
There's wisdom for you, as Capt. Cutie says.
Every is struck dumb with astonishment
at the boldncss Of Barnum, s schemes as a cater
er to the public taste in the matter of amuse-
ments, and at the unparalleled success Of all
his undertakings, in that line, in fnalcial
point of view. Like king Midas, everything
he takes hold ofseems to turn to gold. But,
unlike that parsonage, he is very far from
having ass ears ut least, such must be the
case if the length of the head may be taken
as a criterian by which to judge of the short
ness of the ears Some people seem 10 have an
idea that there must be some necromancy about
him, or his schemes would not all be so sue
cessful SO far from that being the case, he is
man Of plain practical common-sense, with a
shrewd knowledge of business understanding
more. Now, every man that is a business man
well knows that advertising is the main spring
of business in this day of enterprise and pro-
gress. There is no man better acquainted
with this fact than Barnum, nor is there any
one who has availed himself more extensively
Of the facilities thus afforded, which is the grand
secret of his success in whatever he attempts
Look, for instance, at the immense fortune
which he has made by the Jenny Lind concerts: /:
which is but the legitimate fruits of keeping The
subject before the people by means Of ncwspa-
pers. Look again at this mcnagcric--{ (which
by the way is most decidedly a humbug)-now
travelling over the country, the performances
of which are crowded at every stopping place; ;
nothing could make that succeed but adver-
tsing, and Barnum. or his agents, know very
we'll the kind of advertising that will do it.
In the first place, it was trunpcted all over the
country that he he had sent an expedition to
elephants which was certainly pcrilOus expo
ditiOn, when We consider that some of the clc-
plants captured were as large as a respectable
sized COW. The next item of g news'' was that
he had sent all the way to France for tent
made of United States flags, which statement
was, Of course, a ninc-days' wonder to eve
rybody. Well, the menagerie was finally in
travelling order. But it was not many weeks
before it was heraldcd all over the country that
the great car of Juggernaut belonging to
Barnum's travelling menagerie had been pitch
cd into canal by gang of rowdics." We pre-
sumo they must have been cold water rowdies las
it seems they were not long in making up their
minds whether it were best to sink the jug-or-
not. The next catastrophe was horse frigh-
tened to death, by one of the elephants, in Nor
wioh, Ct The wonder which this created had
scarcely subsidized before the great pavilion was
blown down, and now it has been blown down
again. But what is something singular about
all these remarkable occurrences there is never
any seriously hurt-only q little frightened,
that's all-whch of course makes the perfor-
nance go off with all the more eciat when they
get righted.
Now, it seems to US that the plain facts
of the case amount to just about this-these
l." items Of news" ore nothing more nor less
than so many advertisements which cost moth.
ing, but serve to keep curiosity excited, the
consequence of which is, when the s show >
comes along everybody and his wife with all
the little ones must go to see the elephant.