River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-11-14
New York Sun, Nov. 2.

Tor more imam week past Tue prOpfletoIS
of the Old Curiosity shop, in Broadway, |
near Bleecker street, have been selling out
by auction their heterogeneous stock of rub |
bish and rarities from all parts of the globe.
One of the most constant attendants at the
sale is portly, well-fayored old gentleman,
dressed in black, who comes early, chooses a
seat near the auctioneer, and remains to the
end of the days proceedings, watching every
thing with nervous and slightly quizzical
expression.
The old gentleman is evidently not a
habitual frequenter of auction rooms. For
the first two or three days his manners,
though hearty, were a little shy and self
conscious, and he shrank from the general
attention which he drew upon himself by
the singularity of his actions. After he had
become better acquainted with the surround
ings, he gained courage; spoke up louder
when he made bid, and on one or two occa-
sions even ventured to handy jokes with the
nimble tongued-actioneer.
The gentleman in black is Col. Robert G..
Ingersoll of Peoria, ILL.,. His presence in
this city is due to lecture engagements in
this neighborhood, and has no connection
with the sessions of the millenial conference.
Col. Bob IngersolI attends the auction at
the Old Curiosity shop with well-dehned
purpose. He is not engaged in stocking a
private museum, nor is he particularly in
terested in bric-a-brac or pottery. So long
as the auctioneer vends Nankin china, or Az
tee Jugs, or Tunisian tobacco-pipes, or al
legged Satsuma ware, Col. Ingersoll either set
ties ba.k in his seat with an air of indiffer-
ence, or patiently scans his catalogue. But
soon as god is to be put up to be bid for
his whole manner changes. He is alert and
eager. He leans forward in his chair, his
face slightly flushed with excitement, and
caps bid with bid in rapid succession. Every
thing in the shape of god that is offered
for sails Bob Ingersoll bids for, without re-
gard to cost.
As there are several other regular attend
ants with a taste for deities, Col. Ingersolfs
reckless bidding sometimes meets with lively
competition. Napoleon Sarony, the pho
tographer, is also buying gods, but he Sc
lects them on aesthetic principles and for
artistic purposes. He bids for only sym
metrical gods. Col. Ingersolfs appetite, on
the other hand, is omniyerous. The rudest
Hindoo idol of baked red clay and the most
hands omely carved Japanese deity, splendid
in paint and gold leaf, seem to have equal
value in his eyes. His theology is purely
democratic, comprehensive and impartial.
ga gods god for a that he whispered, as
a dingy, stupid-faced and thoroughly dis
reputable Hottentot idol was knocked down
to him for 3715 cents.
Under the stimulus of Col IugersolPs
wholesale purchases, Sarony's competition,
and the eagerness of an occasional Wall
street man who drops in on his way up
town, hoping 10 buy good short for the
adornment of his mantelpiece, the market
price of divinities has been greatly enhanced
since the beginning of the sale. Styles that
brought only seven shilliugs dollar on
the first day now easily run up to $3.50 or
1915 at five cent jumps. The shrewd auc-
tioneer takes advantage of this unexpected
vog and dwells eloquently upon the good
points of the gods he offers, while Col. In
gersoll mods acquiesence in ali that is said in
their praise, and never rellnquishes the bat
tie until the prize is his.
Here, now" said the auctioneer on
Thursday afternoon as his assistant held up
to the light hideous, chocolate colored
Buddha from Thibet, about two feet high
and apparently 200 years old. "Now here's
something worth having. How much am
offered for the god?''
''Forty cents" ventured bashful gentle
man in the rear of the room.
Forty centsi" repeated the auctioneer,
with whitening scorn. "Forty cents for a
fine oriental deity like that That god has
been worshiped by hundreds of thousands
of ingenious and devout heather. Forty
cents Why, he's worth more than that to
put IN your hallway to frighten off burglars"
"Forty-fve,'' said the abashed gentleman,
bidding against himself.
ii h. - - 4I.N
auctioneer, ''though it's shame to mention
As cents in connection with such god. See
how he bushes himself Forty-fve, tee-fve,
tee-fve, seven half, sey-naf, sew naf -
Fifty cents!'' said the original bidder.
The auctioneer's face wore an injured and
almost disguised look. "It's very plain"
said he, in a confidential but perfectly
audible aside to Col. Ingersoll, "that these
gentlemen don't understand the value of a
really authentic god"
'EI'll give IS cents for the god,'' said Col.
Ingersoll, firmly.
"Col. Ingersoll bids seventy five" said the
auctioneer. Now he knows what god is.
Seventy five, tee-fve, tee-five. Eighty" by
half dozen gentlemen in the back of the
room. "Tee-eight, tee-eight, tee eight
The chocolate colored Buddha ran up to
$1.35, and stopped there.
''Gone!" said the auctioneer after brief
pause; "gone to Ingersoll for $1.35."
The next exciting episode was over very
large Japanese idol of carved wood in a sit
ting posture, with hands raised in the atti-
tude of benediction. The deity wore hand
some red cloak trimmed with gold. He was
carefully hoisted up into the glare of the
gaslight, and auctioneer and audience gazed
upon it in silent admiration for fully a min
ute.
''Look at him well, ladies and gentlemen"
said the auctioneer, lowering his voice to the
tone of reverence. "Observe all his points
before you begin 10 bid. Now there's rare
treasure for some household. There's god
that the most fastidious purchaser needn't
be ashamed of. In all my experience in this
line of business it has never been my priv
ilege to offer finer article. What dye say,
gentlemen? Speak up lively. Who's GO
ing to secure the god? How much for the
god?
After a resolute and protracted struggle |
Col. Ingersoll and the captain of the |
Hudson river steamboat Drew, the Japanese
god in the red cloak trimmed with gold was !
knocked down to Ingersoll for 1896.
small copper idol, from Bombay, green |
with rust, went to Col. Ingersoll for three |
shillings. After examining it in every part |
WIFI u PEACEFUL tApTe6SioH On MS lace, ne |
it up carefully in a newspaper and |
put it into his pocket. The little copper god |
evidently was bargain.
crackleware Chinese god of uncouth |
shape was sold to Col. Ingersall for So 1t |
was probably worth thrice that sum at private
sale.
A gaudily decorated porcelain idol from
Kioto went to Col. Ingersoll at 1915. He |
also secured a lot of four smaller diyinitleS
Of the same manufacture for So.
Among his other purchases were print
tive Mexican idol from Yucatan, huge |
wooden god with six arms, from upper In
dia, several rudely carved deities from the
Marquesas and Friendly islands, and a va
riety of African fetiches.
During three days of the sale, Col. Inger
soil bought between forty and fifty gods.
The smaller specimens he carried away
from the auction room in his pockets, leav-
ing the bulky and unwieldly divinities to b |
by express.