Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1854-08-12
The Age Of Humbug.
.an Uollov, Hollow! Hollow ?"


Much has been written, sung and said
BY itemizer, poet and orator in praise oil
the present day. "The Present Day
has been a theme so long, that We ought to
suppose ,ha, if we are not in the millen'
ium, we are at least, just upon the 'hresh'
hold Of it. Each year we are led 10 be"
lleve, is in advance of the one preceding
it, productive Of greater improvements
and developing more of the means OF hap
pinsss. This may be true, but in our
opinion it is vast mistake.
Ovid sang the Golden Age, the Silver
Age, the Brazen Age and the Iron Age
but had he lived TO day he would have
had theme more prolifc--"The Age Of
Humbug."
Humbug is the spirit of the Age-she
grand mo,ive.power that drives everything
in motion, from the ruling of an empire
to the keeping up of sewing society in
a small village. Every one, every thing,
is ,inctured with it, more or less. Bar.
mum is not the enly or the greatest hum.
bug of the 18th century. He is merely
q type of the successful man Of the pres.
eAt day.
Time was when Truth was virtue
when mankind looked with horror upon
any deviation from it--when swindling
was swindling robbery was robbery, when
scoundrelism bore its proper name and re-
csived its just deserts. But that day has
passed. Truth, honesty, hono'---and
those antiquated virtues were in the way
and in the "march Of improvement" were
ruthlessly ridden down.
Everything, nowadays. sails unde'
false colors, and goes by wrong names
Nations war with each other to determine
which shall steal a portion of weake
neighbours territory, and both claim to b
fighting for the cause Of religion. Ma
iional thieving is called "manitest dess
n.y." and wars to uphold the wors. specie
Of tyranny are dubbed, "for the defenc
of the right" From Kings, all the wa
down, through all grades of society, tn
same spiri. pervades. The merchan
prince lives beyond his income, his cler
initiates him, and the porter initiates tn
clerk. To support their extravaganza
the merchant steals from the public, tn
clerk from the merchant, and the porte
whatever he can 10y his hands upon
doing it all in Legal way. Politics ha
degenerated into the lowest species {
humbug. The pot-houss brawler claim
TO be a patriot, our legislatures are file
with ruffians, bullies and blackguards, al
the most important Offices are occupied
men of third-rate capacity. Almost e
cry one is either humbugging or bell
humbugged-socieiy resolves itself in
those two classes.
Schuyler and Kyle were financial huI
bugs, and excellent ones too. Ev'
while over-issuing stock, they could o
ject, "conscientiously," to running trail
on the Sabbath
The French, taking the idea, from i
no doubt, have commenced the char
Humbug. A society has been formed
Paris for the purpose Of raising mon
10 educate and send to Liberia, the fr
negroes of the United States. Harr
Beecher Stowe is to use the funds. Or
think Of it. Paris with its thousands
starving poor, its hosts Of degraded,
norant, british men, women and childr'
the ho..bed Of vice, sending money
the authoress of Uncle Toms Cabin,
educate, feed and clothe negroes in Ia
where labor is worth 81, 90 per day!
And the queerest thing about it, is,
the deception is we'll done, the vict
seems to like and applaud it. Schuy
and Kyle are not considered bad naen
any means. Their shrewdness is ,
plaudsd-in admiration of the success
the scheme we seem to pass over the to
want Of principle, the hideous deprav
that prompted it. The French Soci'
will pass muster as doers Of deeds Of
nevolencs-Mrs. Stowe has the repl
tion Of q philanthropist in pettieoat
feminine crusader against wrong.
defaulting merchants. the Galphins, G
diners, &c., are termed "sharp fe.lt
who know a thing or two," and are
mired in exact proportion to the auda'
Of their crimes.
Quacks are not confined TO the med
profession. They are in all professi'
AMI outnCnbsr their opposites by h
nniorities They are in the pulpit