Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-08-25
PHILADELPHIA.

A MAMMOTH ADvERTIsINa SCHEME" BuTcHERED
TO MAKE ROMAN HoLIDAY"--dossrp ON BURNT
CORK AND ITS PRoFEssoRs-A "aREAT MANA
aER"--" END" MEN AND MIDDLE" MEN-THE
BROAD STREET oUTRAGE-ADDIrIoNAL ARRESTS,
ETC.
Special Correspondence Of the Commercial.
PHILADELPHIA, August 10Th.
Many and brilliant in these latter days have
been the dodges of advertisers. Aforetime ad-
yertising was simple art. Mere an
nouncements sufficed, and allbeyond was thought
to be vanity. No one, in fact, thought Of going
beyond. Men never used to advertise at all un-
less something genuinely startling was to be
made known, and in such case it was firmly
believed that the public required only to be
modestly informed of the fact. But things is
changed since Benny died, or to speak more
properly, y,--since Bonner began to show what ad-
vertising was really capable of. Curious renders
are referred to Mr.. G. p. Rowell's book, and to
similar reliable documents, for statistics Of the
sums spent and made in advertising, and for the
Literature of the subject generally. 1t is
altogether too huge thing to attack in single
letter. or in even series Of letters. One splendid
stroke of genius in this line, however, has just
come TO NBnt anu deserves nOtlce.
I would like to tell you this story artfully, so
that you should arrive at the very end before
the point was made known. Unhappily, however,
am forced to explode as it were at the very
outset, because you have all seen the ground
work portion of my narrative in print. Poe said
that he wrote the last verse Of his Raven" first
and thereupon proceeded to finish the beginning
of the poem. In like manner have to give you
first the climax, and then work back to my
elements.
Messrs. Duprez 4 Benedict-Ah, Ha! Every
body says well, there is no help for it what
with the telegraph and the newspapers, now-a-
days, one can never tell any news. Duprez 4
Benedict, then, have been known for some sea-
sons as very successful minstrel" managers.
Last year they were located in Philadelphia. but
their general principle is to keep on the move.
have no doubt but that Wilmington has often
been delighted with their artistic efforts Du-
PREF, the business man Of the concern, the
"great manager" as he delights to term HIM
self in big letters upon full length poster por-
is altogether as wide awake an individual as will
be found in the show business or out of it.
We were all Mortified, a few mornings since,
by flaming dispatches in the papers stating that
Duprez Il Benedict's Minstrels had been set
upon by band of savages, whilst crossing the
plains and that divers of them had been scalp
ed, butchered, and captured. That Son of Mo-
mus, Johnny Gallagher, was reported hors dt
combat; the irresistible comedian, Jimmy Null
ligan, Il think I have these eminent profession
ais properly reported) was minus his scalp and
his ears two or three of the illers-in kill
ed and the "great manager" himself WAS lying
in some out of the way place previously
wounded
1t never entered anybody's head to disbelieve
the story. 1t was swallowed whole, and yet for
all that was for q few hours on everybody q
| tongue. Even the war was forgotten in the
sympathy felt and expressed for the poor min
strels. / do not know who first discovered that
We had been sold, but it finally leaked out The
whole ridiculous story was put up thing on the
part of the Great Manager or his equally great
agent. Truth compels the admittal that it
worked to charm. The report was sent origi-
nally to the New York Herald, which was a clever
stroke to begin with. All hands in newspaper
dom go for the Herald as agood hunting ground,
and this fine piece of game was speedily bagged.
How the Herald itself was caught can't say. 1t
is hard to sift to the absolute chaff everything
| that comes in the hurry Of making up the news;
and then again perhaps it wasn't caught Call
| this a base suspicion il you like, but stranger
| thinks have happened.
| From the minstrels point OF view however il
is all right. by the exercise merely 1--WE will sup
| pose) OF little ingenuity the troupe has been
| more extensively advertised than it would have
| been by the outlay of much money. Mr.. Duprez
may be none too modest in making out his post
erB, Btreamer6 and hanu Dls, Dut uoes ne not,
| after fashion, speak the TRUTH
| But what chance this affair will give to the
tend" men! We may expect it to form no small
portion of the capital OF humor with which they
will pad the customary intervals of the First
Part" Venerable old jokes; or rather, forms
there is little. Now there is some prospect of a
change. Instead of-''Bones, 1 seen you with
that pretty gal yesterday,-wh was he?-fol-
lowed by the somewhat familiar narrative; in
stead Of all this, we shall hear 81 say, john
| son, where was you going the other day OH tor
of that six-horse omblybus!" 7"
johnson with dgnity)-"What dat time
had my baggage wild mes
FIRST Pdrty-"Yes, dat ole newspaper tfrnl
O. you'rn with pin lock- where was you goin,
niger Z" Then will follow the story. more OIL
less amplifed to suit the exigencies Of the occa-
sion Still will the rival forces of story telling
and base hypercritical fault finding. rage between
the two 'ends," and still will the middle maj
preserve the peace with that mingled elegance
and precision for which he is 80 noted. thinl
one of the few really funny things in minstre
show it to hear this weighty individual check the
humors Of his volatile contemporaries, when hi
thinks they have gone far enough, and announce
the next piece on the programme. No matte
what else he may have, the middle man mus
POSSESS powerful Bass voice. That is the onl.
oil which these troubled waters will recognize
He may have just enough brains to know how tt
black his face and sit very stiff and upright,
but he must have the voice. Who, that Ina
thought about the subject at all, but can imasin'
the manner in which the middle man will final,
part his humorous wrangles after their stag,
story and announce-say-with portentous sol
emnity-"Bright Eyesw
It seems as if this letter was to be devoted en-
tirely to the burnt cork interests, and in fact
was saying to my Familiar, only a minute age
that the changes and contrasts offered by thi
life of ours, were most astounding. Here was
for instance, last week, writing about our Phila
delphia churches and here I am now talking o
"nigger singers" and giving quasi support t
very questionable trick that some of those ger
try have played upon our unsuspecting and lon
suffering public. Variety is the soul of wit, how
ever, and we are bound, in writing for news
papers, to please all classes. Now, there al
numbers of people who think the minstrel bus
ness as entertaining a theme as could be selecte
, by letter writer-a great deal more amusin
than talks about politics and church building
Therefore let everybody be pleased.
must reserve corner OF your "valnaDl
space" to express the great qualification felt i
all quarters over the arrest Of two more Of til
williams concerned in the late outrage on Sout
Broad street. The manner in which this car
3 has been worked up is creditable to our .autho
tiles, and the detectives have been splendid
supported by the Courts. We have really som
Justice here, after all. We are not utterly give
over to the party of crime and lawlessness