The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1864-07-20

don dispatched his agent TO Egypt 10 write
on the pyramids of Ghiza, in huge Letters,
"Buy Warren's Backing, 30 Strand, Lon
don, ,"he was not .scheatiueH travellers upon
the Nile. His blacking was really supe-
Jior article, and we'll worth the price cbarg.
ed for it, bu; he was ''humbugging" the
public by this queer way OF arresting at
lention. 1t turned out just as he anticipa-
ted, that English travellers in that part Of
Egypt were indignant al this deSecralion,
aud they wrote back to the London Times
(every EngIishmsn writes or threatens 10
''wrile to the Times " if anything goes
wrong } dsnouncing the "Go,h" who had
thus dis6gursd these ancient pyramids by
writing on them in moHstrous feueFa.-"Buy
Warren's Backing, 80 Strand. London. p
The Times published these letters, and
backed them up by several of those awfuily
grand and dIctatorial editorials peculiar 10
the great sThunderer," in which the black
ing maker, "Warren, 80 Strand" was stig-
maiized ss a man who had no respect for
The ancient palriarche, and il was hlnted
that he would probably not hesitate TO sell
his backing on the sarcophagus of Pharoah,
''or any other"-mummy, il he could only
make money by il. In fact, to cap the eli
max, Warren was denounced as "hum-
bug.n These indignant articles were cop
led into all the Provincial journals, and
very soon, in tbi manner, the columns of
every newspaper in Great Britain were
ieeming with this advice "Try Warren's
Backing, 80 Strand, London" The Curl.
osily OF The public was Thus. aroused, and
they die ''try' it, and finding it a superior
article, they continued TO purchase it and
recommend il 10 their friends, and Warren
made fortune by il. He always attributed
his success 20 his having ''bumbugged" the
people by this unique method oil adsertis-
ing his backing in Egypt! But Warren
did not cheat his customers, nor practice
''an imposition under fair preiences. de
was charlstan, humbug, but he was an
honest upright man, and no one called him
an i'm postor or a cheat.
When the tickets for Jenny Lind's first
concert in America were sold at auction,
several business men, aspiring to noiorieiy,
Ibid high" tor the first ticket. Ii was finally
knocked down 10 ''Genin, the Hauer," for
Sz2s. The journals in Portland (Maine)
and Houston (Texas, and all other journals
throug houi the United States, between these
two cities, were connected with the tele-
graph, announced the TACT in their columns
the next morning. Probably two millions
of readers read the announcement, asked,
"Who is Genin, the Bauer e' Genin be-
came famous IN day. Every man invOl-
unfairly examined his hat, 10 see il it was
made by Genin and an Iowa editor de-
clared that one of his neigh5ors discovered
the nane >bl Genin in his old hat, aud inn
mediaieIy announced the fact TO his neigh
oors in front of the Post Office. II was sug-
gested that the old hat should be sold al
auction 1t was done then aud there, and
tine Genin hat sold for fourteen dollars -
Gentlemen from the city and country rush
ed 10 Genin's store 10 buy hats, many OF
them willing TO pay even an extra dollar,
if necessary, providing they could get
glimpse Of Genin himself This singular
freak put thousands of dollars into the pock-
et Of 'Genin, The Halter" and ye. never
heard i, charged that be made poor hats, or
that he would be guilty of an imposition
under fair pre,ences." On the contrary, he
is a gentleman OF rrobity, aud OF The Erst
responsibility.
When the laying OF the Atlantic Tele-
graph was nearly completed, was in Liv-
erpooI. offered the Company one thous-
and pounds sterling ,ooo) for the privi-
Iege of sending the first twenty words over
The cable to my Museum in New York
rot that there was any intrinsic merit in the
words, but that fancied there was moro
than SIS 900 of notoriety 10 the operation
But Queen Victoria and "OId Buck" were
ahead of me, their messages had the pref
erence, and l was compelled TO stake a
back seat.n
By thus illustrating what I believe the
public will concsde TO be the sense in which
The word ''humbug" is generally used and
understood at the present time, in this coun
try as well as in England, / do not propose
that my letters on This subjec; shall be mar
rowed down to that definition of the word.
On the contrary, expect TO treat Of various
fallacies, delutions, and deceptions in an
cient and modern times, which, according
to Webster's definition, may be called
"humbugs," inasmuch as they were tim
positions under fair preiences."
In writing OF modern humbugs, how
ever, I shall sometimes have occasion to
give the names of honest and respectable
parties now living, aud felt it but just that
the public should fully comprehend my
doctrine, that a man may, by common
usage, be termed "humbug," wilhou, by
any means impeaching his integrity.
Speaking of "blacking- -makerso reminds
me that one of the first sensationaIists in
.d.>-,:.;,~ ,-hor- have