The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-03-06
B.rpa. the Snowman Shown Up By Bar
..-His Early Education.

B.rna- the Snowman Shown Up By Bar
p.m-His Early Education.
While P. T.B.S mounting the stump as
candidate for Congress and the leadership OF
the radical party, not only Connecticut voters
but "all the world and the r'st OF mankino' arc
asking "What Is TT" This question Is prs''S
fully answered In .The Life Of ?. 7. Harnum'
written by himself'-or somebody else. ne
tells Us that when he had conceived the IL Gu
Of writing this book-or of having 1t written-
he visited his uncle, Colonel Starr Barnum,
and said, "Uncle Starr, want to come up
and spend several days with you. ] am col
lating facts for my autobiography, and have
no doubt you could remind me Of many things
that / would like to put into my book" 81
guess could remind you of many things that
you would not like 10 put in your book"
grunted the old colonel, with chuckle which
showed his love Of the humorous to be as
strong as ever. The old colonel may have
said true as we'll as witty thing; but what
ever may have been omitted in the "autobiog-
raphy," contains enough to enable us to
exhibit the Snowman a. shown up by himself.
Wordsworth sang, "The child is father Of
the man." anu, adds Barnum, "Phineas Taylor
was my maternal grandfather A very few
extracts will suffice to show what lively
illustration Of the poets celebrated line
the child Barnum was, and what queer GUS
toner was his grandsire. at is said by all
who knew him and have knowledge of me
that am chip of the old block" From old
Phin young Phin inherited his name, with
"lvy Island" and what he calls his "natural
bias" for practical jokes and all manner
Of swindling. This natural bias, he
says, twas developed and strengthened
by the associations of my youth" He
multiplies amusing anecdotes to show
in what can atmosphere he was born and
reared" The heaven that lay about his in
fancy-to quote Wordsworth again-was Hum
bug. With what gusto does he relate, Gas
capital practical joke" his grandfather's
"famous church lottery scheme" by which the
whole pious community in the Blue Law State
was swindled. He winds up the narrative
by saying 1.-THE whole country was in an
uproar Uncle Phn Taylor was unanimously
voted q regular old cheat the scheme, with
not q blank in the lottery was denounced as
the meanest scheme ever invented, and nobody
but Phin Taylor would have ever thought Of
such plan for deceiving the people, In fact,
from that date to the day of his death he was
called odd Two Dollars and Fifty Cents and
many was the hearty laugh which he enjoyed
at the thought thereof As time wore away
be was declared to be the 'cuiest man in those
parts' Old Phin's "frst grandchild" was
naturally inspired by such an example.
aAmong the various ways which had for
making money on my own account, from the
age Of twelve to dfteen years, was that Of
lotteries" And when he was about fifteen he
delighted his grandfather by lottery swindle
Of his own which cleared the store he was
then 'tending" in Grassy Plains of an accu-
mutation Of green glass bottles and old tin.
Must we be surprised If the Grassy Plains
bottle imp shall expand into full-blown Con-
gresham ! Why should not Connecticut
proudly hope to see Barnum win his longed-for
prize in the political lottery! Will he not
shine alright as new tin pan" among the
so-called national lights at Washington
Long previous to the first successful lottery
swindle of Barnum he had evinced "propen-
stiles" for making money and noise in
the world. any good mother declares that
made great deal of noise the first hour
I saw the light, and that she has
never been able to discover any cessation
since" Another characteristic distinguished
him in boyhood and clings to him still. al
never really liked work l always disliked
work. Head work was excessively fond OF.
l was always ready to concoct fun, or lay
plans for Incorporating, but handwork was
decidedly not in my line. Ny father insisted
that I could hoe and plough and dig in the
garden as well as anybody else, but gene
rally contrived to shirk the work altogether,
or by sighting It, get through with the days
work." He was manifestly born to live by his
wits. my organ Of acquisiiveness must be
large, or else my parents commenced its cul-
tvation at an early period. Before ! was five
years of age began to accumulate pennies
and sixpennies." He describes his first
swop," however, as showing more taste (for
molasses candy than 'cuteness. "Molasses
candy was the rock on which / split" But
even this perilous rock he was shrewd enough
to make the stepping stone to boyish wealth
as soon as he became q clerk in country
store, where, he says, I" asked and obtained
the privilege of purchasing candies on my
own account, to sell to the Juvenile portion of
our customers" In this store he learned to
repeat his favorite adage, :" There's cheating
in all trades but ours." But the Grassy Plain
store was the commercial college in which
he graduated with the highest honors. We
can only refer here to his full and graphic
description Of this store, in which "nearly
everything was different from what 1t was
represented. The customers cheated US in
their fabrics We cheated the customers with