Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-04-15
?. 7. Barnum's Autobiography.

The life of the great Snowman, written
by himself five years ago, aud which Mr..
Greeley said, "was worth huudred-dol-
lar greenback to a new beginner" has
now swollen to nine hundred profuse!y il.
lustrated pages. from the fact that every
spring Mr.. Baruum adds an Appendix, ="
comprising the leading events In his life
the year previous. This book, originally
published by subscription at $3.50, Bar
NUN supplies to the patrons of his show
for $3.50, and presents each purchaser
with a ticket to his exhibitions, thus re-
ducing the price of his book to Sl.O0 per
copy. No doubt the shrewd Snowman
does this as an advertising dodge, for the
book must cost him more than he gets for
it; but few persons after reading bis event.
full history would fail to sec him and his
shows whenever occasion offered. The
consequence however, is, that Barnum's
book agents who accompany his shows.
DISPOSE of hundred thousand copies of
his Life " each season, and his patrons,
as they emerge from, his great tents with
huge volumes under their arms, look as if
they we're coming out Of circulating Ii
brary.
The following extracts made from Bar
NUNS Appendix for 1874, and written in
London up to the first of March. gives US
an idea of what this restless and energetic
man has been about for the last twelve
months:
Beirg at present in London, England,
on my way to Italy, almost overwhelmed
with business, | have time to write but
brief, and l fear disjointed account of
my dtings during the last twelvemouth.
| was compelled to make most extraordih.
ary efforts between the time OF the fire in
December, 1872, which destroyed so much
of my show property, and the first week
in April, in 1878, (but three short months)
when | placed upon the road a comblna-
ton of curiosities and marvellous perfor-
mances that by far surpassed, in magni-
tude, any attempt ever before made with
travelling exhibition in any country. Ex-
tensivc as had been my great show the
year previous, with its sixty-fve railroad
cars, the display of 1878, requiring the use
of ninety.6ve to one hundred cars threw
1t entirely in the shade. Indeed, so Won
lerfully immense was Barnum's Trav-
cling Worlds Fair in 1873, that its
expenses greatly exceeded five thousand
dollars each and every day. My best
friends, almost to man, declared
g this would break me--that the public
would not and could not sustain for six
msnths such an unprecedentedly expensive
exhibition.
Isupposc there IS limit. beyond which
it would be fatal to 60, in catering to the
public amusement and instruction. l have
often experimental pretty largely in that
direction, but have never yet found that
limit Thus far my experience is, that
the more and the better a manager will
provide for the public, the more literally
they will respond. The season of 1873
was far from being an exception to this
experience. My tenrs covered double the
space Of ground that | had ever required
before. and yet they were never so closely
grounded with visitors. Where thousands
attended my show in 1872, numbers Of
thousands came in 1873. 1t visited the
largest cities in Connecticut, Rhode Is
land, Name, New Hampshire, Vermont.
and the Middle and Western States, as
far as St. Louis, Mo-. taking Canada on
the return route to NY.
When my treasurer presented his final
exhibit, demonstrating the fact that in six
months more than fve million visitors had
endorsed by their presence my vastly ex-
pensive and experimental new departure.
confess to no slight astonishment, COM
mingled with sentiments Of qualification
and gratitude. The latter emotions were
profoundly excited when | reflected upon
the immense daily assembIages so largely
composed of the good, the great and the
wise-hono-cd merchants, bankers, law
yers, municipal authorities and the most
eminent editors. teachers and dlviDes.
From these innumerable juries the yer.
diet 7as unanimously complimentary, and
the monster enterprise, moving with the
precision of clock work, received every
where the highest encomiums of the pub.
lie and the press visited the show Of
ten. In Boston l remained with 1t for
nearly week. The Boston papers de-
cIared that Gilmore's Great Musical Ju-
bilee scarcely brought so many people to-
gether as 1 did daily. Extensive as were
nv accommodations for visitors they were
found too small in Worcester, Springfield,
Providence, Boston. and indeed in nearly
every town we visited, although we gave
three exhibitions each day, and could ac-
commodate fifteen thousand persons at
each show. b94 !
Before sailing from New York in the
Scotia in September, had consulta-
ton with Prof. Wise and son. and other
aeronauts, in regard to an offer had made
to furnish Prof. Wise with balloon, if |
found the leading baloonists of England
and France agreed with him in respect
to the permanent " current OF air that
might be depended upon to watt a bal
loon from America to Europe in two
days
In London, | copsulted with Professor
OLA M. Novwall and MANI others