The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-15
The Snowman ON the Stump.

From the World.
In the opening stump speech in the Con-
gressional campaign in NOrwalll, Connecticut,
the other night, Mr.. p. T. Barnum uttered the
following striking sentences upon the all-im-
portant subject of ''reconstruction':-
Instead of meeting me on fair political ground,
they throw into my teeth "Joyce Heth," 'Mer-
maid" "Woolly Hose" and"What Is It," and
other advertisements of the great museum l
control, and which has been eXtolled by our
greatest scientific men as fine collection in its
way. @ Ifmy "mermaid" was formed by
an ingenious conjunction OF the upper half OF q
monkey with the latter half of goldfish, as is
charged, at least gave young persons a better
idea of a mermaid-if such an animal exists at
all-than the poetical one OF lovely maiden,
with the tail OF a fish and the voice of siren,
"combing her blue hair with a comb OF
pearl" Or, if it is necessary that the poetical
mermaid should be impressed upon the mind,
a better impression can thus be arrived at, than
by never receiving any actual idea offs mermaid
at all. The pedigree of Joyce Heth may have
been little faulty; but the memory and inf1u-
ence of the Father of his Country could not but
have been revived and intensified by one who
was said to have been his nurse in childhood.
The"wOoly horse" was certainly a curiosity, as
every one acknowledged, and must have given
rise to valuable suggestions to men of science.
And if there is any one VINO ever came to a de-
finite conclusion as TO what the "What Is It?'
really was, l should like 10 see him state his
views, My museum is certainly valuable
contribution to art aud science, ana am yet
TO see the first person who says that they aid
not get their moneys worth in wandering
through Its various apartments.
The question of Reconstruction" in the
Fourth Congressional District of Connecticut,
then, comes down to the reconstruction of
original Goldfish and aboriginal monkeys into
ultra-marine mermaids; and the candidate for
Congress boldly challenges discussion upon
the 'NVhat Is IT." asking any man, who has
''come to conclusion as to what was the
'What is" to estate his views.' But,
seriously, the ever-enterprising P. T. B. must
laugh in his sleeve at the verdancy of
political public that does not see that Mr..
Banum is only using his Congressional
nomination as a magnificent means of ad-
vertising his museum. What, indeed, is
Congress in comparison with the unrivalled
collection of cuMosities which ''our greatest
scientific men" have SO eXtravagantly ex-
tolledt What are the exploits of even such a
war-horse as Butler beside the valuable sug-
gestiOns to men of science, )" resulting from
the exhibition of the ''woolly horse" and who
has lever wandered through the different
apartments" OF the Capitol at Washington
with the feeling sure to result from visit to
the museum, that he had got his moneys
worth - These are questions to be asked
they are asked on the stump in Connecticut;
and every voter is informed that though mill
tary reconstruction in the Southern States
may be good thing, the great collection of
curiosities is absolutely unrivalled