Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-02-27
BARNUM AND THE VESTRY-
MAN,
How the Snowman Got Permission
TO use N Tree i'm "A Churchyard.

How the Snowman Got Permission
90 use N Tree i'm "A Churchyard.
Struggles and Triumphs, Barnum':
new book, just published, gives many
amusing incidents in the great showman's
Iife. One of them he relates as follows
About the first of July, 1912, began
to make arrangements for extra novelties.
additional performances, a large amount
Of extra advertising, and an outdoor dis
play for the GLORIOUS Fourth"
wanted to run out string of Ameri-
can flags across the street On that day.
for / knew there would be. thousands of
people passing the Museum with leisure
and pocket money, and l felt confident
that an unusual display of National flags
would arrest their patriotic attention, and
bring many of them within my walls.
Unfortunately for my purpose, st. Paul's
Church stood directly opposite, and there
was nothing to which l could attach my
fag-rope, unless 1t might be ore of the
trees in the church-y yard. went to the
yestrymen for permission to so attach my
| flag rope on the Fourth of July, and they
were indignant at what they called my
E'insulting proposition such concession
would be "sacrilege Piled them with
arguments, and appealed to their patriot
ism, but in vain.
Returning to the Museum l gave or
ders to have the string of flags made
ready, with directions at daylight ON the
Fourth of July to attach one end of the
rope to one of the third-story windows of
the st. Paul's church-yard. The great
day arrived, and my orders were strictly
followed. The flags attracted great at
tention, and before nine o'clock / have no
doubt that hundreds of additional visitors
were drawn by this display into the Mu-
scum. By half-past nine Broadway was
thronged, and about that time two gentle
men in high state of excitement rushed
into my office, announcing themselves as
injured and insulted yestrymen of St.
Paul's Church.
'EKeep cool, gentlemen said /, 81
guess it is all right"
'Rightl I" Indignantly exclaimed one
of them, ''do you think it is right to at
tach your Museum to our churchl We
will show you what is right and what is
law, if we live till tomorrow; those flags
must come down instantly
''Thank you," said, ''but let US not
be in hurry. l will go out with you
and look at them; and | guess we can
make it all right" e,
Going into the street l remarked, ere
ally, gentlemen, these flags look very
beautiful; they do not injure your trees;
| always stop my balcony music for your
accommodation whenever you hold week
ly services, and it is but fair that you
should return the favor.
''We could indict your music, as you
call it, as a nuisance, if we chose" an
swered one vestryman, ''and now tell
you that if these flags are not taken down
in ten minutes 1 will cut them down.
His Indignation was at the boiling point.
The crowd in the street was dense, and
the angry gesticulation of the vestryman
attracted their attention. / saw there was
no use in trying to parley with him or
coax him, and so, assuming an angry air,
| rolled up my sleeves, and exclaimed in
a loud tone:
swell, mister, should just like to see
you dare cut down the American flag on
the Fourth of July; you must be a Brit
isher' to make such threat as that; but
I'll show you thousand pairs of Yankee
hands in two minutes, if you dare to at
tempt to take down the stars and stripes
on this great birthday of American free
doml"
''What's that John Bull a-saying,
asked a brawny fellow, placing himself in
front of the irate Yestryman. 'Look
here, old fellow, y he continued. sif you
want to save whole bone In your body,
you had better slope, and never dare to
talk again about hauling down the Ameri-
can flag in the city of New York.
Throngs of excited, exasperated men
crowded around, and the yestryman, sec
ing the effect of my ruse, smiled family
and SAID ooh, of course, it is all right,
and he and his companion quietly edged
out of the crowd. The flags remained up
all day and all night The next morning
1 sought the vanquished vestrymen and
obtained formal permission to make this
use of the tree on the following holidays,
in consideration of my willingness to ar
rest the doleful strains of my discordant
balcony band whenever services were held
on week days in the church.