The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-01-14
Rarnum at Home,

The great Snowman is nothing if not
Barnun1 Barnum as showman-as
man who owns a great museum, who has
a great travelling circus-who, in short, is |
always getting up amusement on a great |
scale and making money out of the peoples |
love of sightseeing, lis the character in which |
he is best known. Barnums latest is his
great combination of menagerie and circus
which travels far and wide and which draws
more, shows more, and pleases the young
folks more, than any other show of the
kind in the whole world.
Still there is another side to Barnum-
aside from shows, and circuses, and
museums, and mermaids, and woody horses,
and all the other various and sundry
things with which he has managed to
amuse, interest and-and yes, humbug the
people, there is the man himself, The
man Barnum, and at home, would be
something new-another phase seldom or
never looked at, and yet we are assured
that after all it is this picture Of the man
which is really the most delightful and
most satisfactory. The London World has
given US a most agreeable glimpse of his
private. life and we are sure our readers
will pardon US for reproducing it:
A stranger in America happening to
alight at Bridgeport thriving city of
some rs, 900 inhabitants, beautifully sit
uated on the shore of Rock Island Sound
within sixty miles of New York city
might be surprised to discover that much
of its prosperity is due to the business tact
and energy of Phineas Taylor Barnum, the
one American whose name has become u
common noun in English speech
Barnum, the prince of good nature
and successful audacity. Barnum has
showered advantages upon his own
home. Standing on a slight eminence,
looking down on Seaside Park, and across
its narrowest part to the waters of the
Sound, over whose surface steamers,
yachts, and every variety of water craft
are continually passing, is Naldermere,
from whose cupola waves a silken flag,
bearing the we'll known monogram, ''P. T.
B., whenever the king of showmen" is
at home. Waldemere, woods by the sea, y
so named by its owners friend, Bayard
AoJiOl 10 oil esJaLe WilOSG uhLuTdl beauty
is perfected by art. Mr. Barnum s
library, or Workshop" as be calls it, is a
spacious octagonal room, furnished and
panelied with Echerry, birch and maple
woods. Opening from it on one hand, is q
lavatory, and, on another, a room where
his sprivate secretary works within call
AT large and much-litteTed desk, with
papers strewn ankle deep around his chair
Mr.. Barnum spends nearly every morning
OF his life, communicating with his ageutI
in every land; often interrupted by som,
employe desiring orders, OF by friend OF
stranger asking advice or more substantial
help, but never laying down his pen, which
is travelling as rapidly as ever ere the doc
is closed behind the visitor. He is econ
omcal OF his time, never wasting, nor sub
hitting to be robbed Of a moment of tn,
hours set apart for business. Tall, portly
erect, in spite of sixty.six years of hare
work and several fortunes earned and los
and won again ;Swith high forehead, keen
hard twinkling eyes, grey hal
curling crisply around his head
with u firm decided voice and step
the master of Waldemere is very difiereu
frpm the popular conception of Snowman
who delights in travelling through the Uni
ted States every summer, in charge of hi
colossal show, in which he has invested
hundred thousand pounds sterling. Hea
ven denied Mr., Barnum a son, and wisely
for there could be no worthy second of
I. Barnum. But he is blessed with thr,