Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1855-04-14
BARSuM,s BABY SPECULATION.

ply, in which he gloats over his career of sue
| cessful swindlng, the Mirror promptly de-
nounced the thing as a disgustingly vicious
volume. Since then our opinion has been
emphatically repeated by the honest portion
of the American and English Press and re-
Gently elaborated in scathing article in
"Blackwoods Magazine"
tFrom the Commercial Adverlisrrl
We neither Know or care to know with
whom this gross, disgusting, debasiug, sensu-
Gus, anmalising idea crginated-who first
conceived the project Of offering such premi-
ums for the finest breed of the human stock.
the fattcst specimen of the human young, the
most remarkable illustrations of the fccundity
of the human animal-for our nature revclts
from such associations. We are morally Ger
tain that it did not originate with woman.
1t must have had its birth in coarsrr nature
than ever woman inherited.
We did not think that we should live to
see humanity so animalized and brutified in
this city as it will by such an exhibition. We
did not expect ever to hear Of the man who
would dare offer such an insult to the refined
and civilized people of this Empire City; who
would venture to add to his wealth and lis
notoriety by an attempt to obltoratc every
thing that distinguishes the young Of our spe-
ces from the young of swine and bceves who,
for the sake of drawing visitors to his show,
would deliberately tempt women to coniine,
and cram and fatten up, their offspring into
hloated disease, as men do the offspring OF
hogs, and sheep, and cows, for the market
and the shambles. We never expected that
ito this complexion should wecome atlast" in
this city where we boast Of culivatine intellect
and olevating mind; of our infant schools and
Of p1, .ict;, ,,Fo nj q ,,I hall
blush for our refined and educated women,
for the mothers in our proud capital for the
husbands and sons of those mothers, for our
population generally if they in any degree
sanction by their participation in it, such a
violation Of delicacy and decorum, such a ret
repression in all that is human, and intellec-
tual, and elevating, and permit any man to
derive a pecuniary benefit from an exhibition
in itself SO coarse and british and in its ten
dencies so inevitably animalizing and degra-
ding,
tFrom the Philadelphia Buiotnl
Strange to say, there have been found wo-
men in New York, who have been duped into
lending the sanction of their names to this
impudcnt proposition. Two OF them arc
wives of well known hotel keepers; another
is literary lady who has written 1.-The Wo-
men of the Revolution" and now may con-
template q work on "The Babies of the Nine
teenth Century," another is the wife of u
publisher Of humhug books another that Of
g hat-maker who has always strver, with q
small capital of brains, to achieve the success
of Barnum at gulling the people; while two
others are unknown to fame, except perhaps
in the narrow sphere OF Mr.. Barnum's circle
in New York The ladies are to be the "iud-
ges" of the babies, which happily are to be
exhibited in that temple of monstrosities, the
American Museum, in Broadway. These
weal,-minded women would be much better
employed in nursing their own babies, if they
have any, or at least in attending to their do
nestle duties, which are usually found sulii-
c:ently onerous for all except the Jellabys Of
the times.
It is to the American Museum, then, that
American women are expected to carry their
future mothers and fathers Of
Amercans--to be exhibited in stalls and ca
ses, like swine in an agricultural show, the
largest litter winning the highest premium.
They are to he ranged among the waXen hor-
rors, the picked mermaids, the stuffed sea-li-
ons and the frightful pictures Of that couscr-
vatory of deceptons.
TFrom the New Bedford Mercuryl
Whoever has read Mr.. p. 7. Barnum's life
has probably a sufficiently low estimate of the
honor and delicacy Of that great showmGn.-
But Mr.. Barnum, like Trinculc, considers
that with a new monster on hand mot hoil-
day fool but would give hima piece OF silver"
50 that he is ever on the qui viye for new pro-
ligies. Therefore he adyoltises for "quar-
terms" and "trrlets," or four and three babies
1t birth and offers prizes for them and for
fat children, as complacentiy US il the human
race were like unto the beasts tEat perish,
and childhood was only lovely in proportion
10 its av0irdup0is weight, even as are the SUI
folk piglngs at our county fairs.
There may be mothers so silly and so vu.-
rar as to expose their children for the bene-
fit Of the Prince Of wooden nutmeEs. There
may be women who are ready to appear be-
fore the public as the monstyoas parents Of
these human litters. Fools there will be, hol-
iday fools who willrush to cape and wonder in
the Halls Of Humbug, and doubtless Barnum
will reap his profit from ii, as he would byany
other indecent exposition.
But we are on ons account glad to hear OF
this intended show. The thing in Barnums
hands has reached its proper level. EXhlbl-
ted babies will now take rank with Feejee
memaids, with 'wooly horscs,' mot such rs
have for trotting courses the nursery hoOr,l
as dolce Heths and as u plaster-o;-peris ante
diluylan remains.
We are sorry for the innocent little one
Think Of living, dear reader with the lifelong
stigma that you were exhibited at Bamnmsl
To be laid on a door step IA unconscious ba'
hyhoOd TO be hung up IN a basket to some
hospital boll-pall, might be endured, but tohe
exhibited in museum as the --LATEST child
under sixteen," with a premium Of 500!
The best use you could make with The prize
would be 10 buy rope with II and anueA
yourself 20 the Arst oonyenent and secluded
bough