The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1864-07-15

ly pleasing, One advertises himself simply
as tragedIau, under his proper name-the
other boasts that he is a prince, and wears
decorations presented by all the poteutates
of the world, including the "Kiug Of the
Canuibal Islands" He is correctly set
down as "hunbug," while this term is
never applied to the other actor. But if
the man who boasts of having received
foreign title is miserable actor, and he
gets up gift-enterprises and bogus enter
tainmepts, or pretends to devote tie pro-
ceeds of his tragic efforts to some charita-
BILE object, without, in fact, doing so-he
is then humbug in the offensive sense
of that word, for he is an "impostor under
fair pretences.
Two physicians reside in one of our fash
ionable avenues. They were both educa-
ted in the best medical colleges each has
passed an examination. received his diplo-
una, and been dubbed an NJ D. They are
equally skilled in the healing art. One
rides quietly about the city in his gig or
brougham, visiting his patients without
noise or clamor-the other sallies out in
his coach and four, preceded by band of
music, and bis carriage and horses are
covered with handbills and pTacards, an
nouncing his "wouderful cures" This
man is properly called quack and hum
bug. Why? Not because be cheats or
imposes upon the public, for be does not,
but because, as generally understood,
"humbug" consists in putting on glitter
ing appearances show-novel cx-
pedients, by which to suddenly arrest pub
lie attention, and attract the public eye
and ear.
Clergymen, lawyers, or physicians, who
should resort to such methods of attract
ing the public, would not, for obvious rea-
sons, be apt to succeed. Bankers, insu-
rance-agents, and others, who aspire to
become the custodians of the money of
their fellow-men, would require different
species of advertising from this; but there
are various trades and occupations which
need only notoriety to insure success, al
ways provided that when customers are
once attracted, they never fall to get their
money 's-worth. An honest man who
thus arrests public attention will be called
"humbug," but he is not a swindler or
an impostor. If, however, after attract.
ing crowds of customers by his unique dis.
plays, man foolishly fails to give them a
full equivalent for their money, they new
er patronize him second time, but they
very properly denouncc him as a swindler,
a cheat, and "impostor - they do not,
however, call him "humbug." He fails,
not because he advertises his wares in an
outre manner, but because, after attracting
crowds of patrons, he stupidity and wicked
ly cheated them.
When the great backing maker of Lon
don dispatched his agent to Egypt to
write on the pyramids of Ghiza, in huge
letters, "Buy Warren's Backing, 80
Strand, London" he was not cheating"
travellers upon the Nile. His backing
was really superior article, and we'll
worth the price charged for it, but he was
"humbugging' the public by this queer
way of arresting attention. 1t turned out
just as he anticipated, that English trav-
elers in that part of Egypt were indignant
at this Dissertation, and they wrote back to
the London Times (every Englishman
writes or threatens to "write to the Times"
if any thing goes wrong), denouncing the
"Goth" who had thus dis6gured these an
cient pyramids by writing on them in
monstrous letters: "Buy Warreu's Black
ing, 30 Strand, London" The Times
published these letters, and backed them
up by several of those awfully grand and
dictatorial editorials peculiar to the great
"Thunderer," in which the blackiug-ma-
ker, "Warren, 30 Strand" was stigma.
tized as man who had no respect for the
ancient patriarchs, and it was limited that
he would probably not hesitate to sell his
backing on the sarcophagus Of Pharaoh,
Cor any other''-mummy, il he could
only make money by it. 10 fact, to cap
the climax, Warren was denounced as a
"humbug.' These indignant articles we're
copied into all the Provincial journals,
and very soon, in this manner, the col.
umns of every newspaper in Great Britain
were teeming with this advice: "Try
Warren's Backing, 80 Strand, London"
The curiosity of the public was thus
aroused, and they did "try" it, aud 6ud-
ing it superior article, they continued to
purchase it and recommend it to their
friends, and Warren made fortune by it.
He always attributed his success to his
having "humbugged" the public by this
unique method of Advertising his backing
In Egypt. But Warren did not cheat his
Gu toners, nor practice Gan imposition
under fair pretences. He was chara-
tan, humbug, but he was an honest up
right man, and no one called him an im-
postor or a cheat.
When the tickets for Jenny Lind's first
concert in America we're sold at auction,
several business men, aspiring for notor-
ETY., "bid high" for the first ticket. 1t
was finally Knocked down to "Geuin, the
Halter for 1925. The journals in Port.
land, Maine, and Houston, Tcxas, and
all other journals throughout the United
States, between these two cities, which
were connected with the telegraph, an.
nouuced the fact in their columns the
pavt norpino D,oLoh1., tc-, -, ;ll;a.- g