Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-20
A Tribute to Greatness.

Inc lame attained Dy JUMBO demands
that his death should have something
more than an incidental notice. Some
men are deemed great on account of the
intellect with which the Creator has en-
dowed them, others because of their &C
quisitiveness, others because they are
bloodthirsty, some because they are
brave and patriotic, and a few become
famous on account of their goodness.
Some men, it has been said, are born
great, while others achieve greatness
and some have greatness thrust upon
them. Jumbo was not man, yet he was
born great, he attained to a yet greater
degree OF greatness. and he certainly had
fame thrust upon MIN. He was ushered
into the world as a member of the great
est species of living animals so far
as size is concerned. He devoted
his time and talent from his earliest days
TO the assimilation of milk, grass, hay
and grain, which developed his form and
caused him to become corporealfy the
greatest OF the great, and afterwards he
became famous as one of attractions
at the London Geological Gardens, and
judiciOus advertising after he became
the property of that JUMBO of the arena
Phineas T. Barnum.
Jumbo at the time OF his death was
only % years of age, and was a native of
Africa. He was captured during infancy
by Arabs, taken across the desert to Fan
zibar, and sold to an agent Of the Jardin
des Plantes, Of Paris. Being considered
only an ordinary baby elephant, he was
snapped off at Paris and was sent to Lon
don. There in the great capital of the
Jingoes, he grew to be a Jumbo.
He was carefully nurtured and
educated, and his moral training was not
neglected. In his younger days he was
as amiable as he was great, and thou
sands Of English children have enjoyed
brief excursions on his back.
Some three years ago he lost his we'll
balanced temper, and it was said that he
was a victim of a kind OF insanity peou-
liar TO his species. The cause Of his NAL
ady Is not known, though it may be that
he accidentally overheard one OF Lord
Chief Justice Coleridge's after-dinner
speeches, or attempted to fathOm the for
eign policy of the "late lamented" Prime
Minister.
Then, rather than build an asylum for
the huge animal which was from that
time called beast, the managers OF the
gardens sold him for a song ito the tune
OF 100000 TO the American Snowman,
who, after bringing him to America, and
following the American method Of water
ing the stock. valued him at $500, 600.
The brief story Of his tragic death has
been told by the telegraph, and 1t IL too
late now to shed any tears over his I'M
timely (from a railroad schedule point Of
View) end. In abiding 20 his career and
characteristics there should be naught
extenuated and naught set down in
malice. Though his temper, like that OF
some OF our great men, was not Of the
best, aud his mental power limited, he
was no hyPOorite aud fraud, as WAS his
companion, the alleged sacred while ele-
phant. He was strictly honest, and was
all that he was claimed 10 be. He will
have no grand funeral pageant, but his
bones VIII be honOred with a conspicuous
position In the smithsonian Institution,
and his skin will be sub.nitred To the
taxidormist and placed in the museum Of
TUFTS college, while his mesh has been
eremated and will BE- duly inurned. Mr..
Barnum, however, will aold on 20 the
mortal remains until he RECEIVERS from his
grief and is eonsoled by the reception Of a
few thousand dollars OF admission money.