The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1863-02-12
"soLD AGiH AND GOT THE TINT"
A SKETCH OF CAMP LIFE.

Zone soul animates the soul ola natior
and that soul is the soal OF an orator =
Tristim Fychle
Although La Rochefoucauld maintains
that s'true eleoquence consists IN saying
all that is necessary" beg to dispute The
point with him. on the weil-known prln
ciple that circumstances alter cases,
and there is 70 rule without an excep
ton.
The idea that nothing but learned
man can make an orator. is among the ex
ploded fallacies. The speech of Logan
the Minso Chief, is held up pattern
of true eloquence, because it contains
volume Of rathos condensed into few
lines.
1t would doubtless have met the appro-
baton of the French author: but L ap-
peal to the reader fof his opinion as to
the effect cf such condensed effort by a
political orator, or a patent medicine ven
der
Most assuredly it would damn the Tor
mer to all intents and purposes, while the
! latter could not sell nostrums enough to
! buy dinner of do2-pie.
| Itinerating oratorical medicine vendors
| nave existed III piO''C'J
other countries in Europe, from "time
whereof the memory o. man runneth not
to the contrary" but here they are
comparatively new institution. l re-
member the first one who made his APP
pearance in the streets of Philadelphia.
A head stored with very much learning,
but filled with shrewd ideas of human
nature and its irail5ies, was surmounted
by conical shaped hat, something like
that usually worn by theatrical brigands.
He was eloquent after manner OF his
own-pathetic and funny by turns-but
his eloquence proved hit.
His "manical OIL" which cured every
thing, from scald- head to corns on the
feet, went off, as the vulgar phrase has it,
"like hot cakes" As the money rolled
in fairly, he was not long without inlita-
tors.
1t NAV be contended that the Razor
Strop Man was the great original of the
principle. 1t was not altogether likely
that he was the first to introduce the
style from England, of which country he
was a native, but the peaked hat man was
the ilrst &c :sa4! tho ri.hl;c pulse on all
ments, and offer his remedy in song ana
story from dry goods box.
He was the founder of an order now
more numerous than the mountebanks OF
old, who relied upon feats of agility and
strength to procure them subsistence.
The itIncrating oratorIcal medicine
vender is, generally speaking, Yankee,
but urfiike the Razor Strop Man, or the
early imitators of the peaked hat man,
he combines education with natural en-
dowments, can sing a song, sometimes
play upon a musical instrument, and |
quote from Shakespeare, if not from the /
classics.
Thus | remember seeing two of them |
one evening, mounted upon rostrum in |
the market place of an interior town, each +
with violin, on which they performed |
until they drew su immense crowd. They ,
sang comic songs until the audience fair I
ly screamed with laughter, and | looked |
every moment fer some one to pass the |
hat around-but, instead of this, the one !
commenced holding forth on the merits of
Prof. De Tmolion's Unrivalled Soap
while the other dealt it out at the small
consideration Of twenty five cents cake !
to pay expenses.
The vender of nostrGms depends entire
" upon the power OF his tongue.
Although be claims for his medicine
ihe positive power of curing certain ills,
he is we'll aware of the fact that one half s
If the audience knows he Is lying-nev-
arthcleSs he is satisfied that if he can
lmuse and entertain, that men will buy
his medicine, even if they pitch it into the
gutter instead of taking it home. +
Sig Dlitz was once taken aback on a
steam boat by countrymen, evidently
afflicted with epnui, who offered him
ialar to hunting him for half an hour.
This is exactly the principle upon
which the medicine vendors live and
pay them to be hum5ug
red. /
Last summer when Camp Curtin was ;
He'd with the nine months volunteers,
TO march toward Dixie, and all I
.as life and hustle, one Of these pcripa- {
etic venders made his appearance among
he soldiers. The former. fresh from q
ome, had money, and they clustered
round him, listened TO his songs, laughed :
t his jokes aud bought his wares. I
He was a hatchet-faced fellow, with
n enormous nose, and although his ward
,be was got up scrupulou>ly TO conform
ith the latest style, he was nevertheless,
cumcal oddity to look at--owing, IN