The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-05-13
HUMAN BRIC-t-nRAC.

HUMAN BRIO t-BRAC.
The dime-muSeum business j. posi-
lively fascinating, said an old mana
ger of those evanescent euterpriSes TO
a New York reporter the other day.
Once IN II. YOU stay there The whole
thing Is 50 like gambling that those
whom II entbralls fade away when dis
tant from cannibal company. and sim
ply perish while basking no longer in
the CircaSsian beauty's smiles. They
+ say there's money in it. 80 there i,
But it is the money Of the faro bank.
and when made floats away on the
same swift wings. ] have started. or
assisted in starting, over fifty of these
shows in all parts Of the country. and
if there Is anything new under the sun
that | haven't exhibited aud which
viii take with dime-museum patrons.
| should like 20 see it.
How do you organize such . queer.
new compauy?'
Nothing Is easier. aud again. moth
ing Is more difficult. There are always
some monstrosities out of a i0b-the
dwarfs, the giants, and the fat folks,
for jnstance-but. except it be in a
Z
draw unless invested with the lustre OF
strange romance made plausible bv
new names. In town that has never
enjoyed galaxy of our profession IL is
slmplya picnic TO be set up in business.
We hire a three-stoTy building aud fix
up the interior with bunting and green
and red cloth. Ia the top story we
put few monkeys and arrange a row
Of gaudily colored pictures behind mag
nifying lenses. II we can hire a coal
mine, salt-workS, or saw-mill cheap. il
Is placed on the same floor. don
look astonished; these things are IN
miniature After having thus CON
triyed to prepare the visitor who be-
gins at the top for greater things. we
put on the second floor the stars.
These are terribly hackneyed human
monstrosities, the magnetic and opti-
cal illusions, the glass blowers, and the
irrepressible Punch aud judy. The
hold which the latter have on tae peo-
pie IS simply astonishing. | have seen
persons visit museums several times a
week. and, while they might grow in
different to everything else, they are
never tired of watching this time-hon-
ored drama. The trick Of the electric
boy is generally very soon discovered
as it consists in the simple fact that
his touch establishes the connection
between the poles of a battery But
the variety business on little stage on
the first floor is the climax OF the
whole establishment and OF our pa
irons delight"
How long does the popular enthu-
siasm last?"
About three or four months. Then
the smart Alecks in the community
have visions of too much wealth made
by the proprietors, and the first thing
YOU know there IS a lull in YOUR re
ceipts. You try to liyen mp matters bv
engaging at stiff salary the two
headed girl and the Yankee Whistler.
but suspicion is rife and YOU can't
overcome it. After struggling a few
weeks you give up the ghost, and sell
out with few hundred dollars profit
The next man is as good as new, how
ever. He viii make very near as much
money as You did. and will lose it in
precisely the same manner So will
two or three after him. Thenceforth
drum life that would kill men like me- "
victims OF evil tongues
''Well. to tell the truth. no. Some
times we have bad luck with the
blasted curiosities. A wild man once
played the deuce with me, or rather a
fool set of humauitarians that inter
fered' in his behalf. He was rather
nice fellow when | first met him in a
State west Of the Mississippi, where he
was born. We drank each others
health, and as he had soft growth of
hair all over him. and was quite averse
to hard work, we struck a bargain.
dubbed him the Siberian wild man.
and placed him, chained, in a cage. 1t
was a great hit. / advertised that he
had slain half dozen Cossacks before
he was captured, and YOU ought to
have seen the idiots stare at him as he
ratified his chains and glared through
the IRON bars OF his cage. The thing
was talked about until some fool officer
of an anti-cruelty society got out a
warrant for the fellows release. We
had to strike colOrs, conle : the hum
bug, and-leaye town.
Then, again, we have pr0tited by
fools. At one place business was so
poor tDat QeSpalred OF ever mdkIng IL
go. and was on the point of throwing
up the sponge when an outside acci-
dent wrought a complete marvel for
our good. We had man called Tex
as Jack, who was very adept in hand
ling his pistols. besides being a good
shot. He could twirl a revolver around
his index finger either way, and then
grasp the butt ready for aim. He never
did this, however, with q loaded wea-
pom. \ German coachman having seen
Jack in this trick sought to repro
duce it before his friends with a loaded
revolver, and fatally wounded himself.
His fortitude and bravery under his
suffering was a great advertisement
for US, and we coined money even
while the poor devil was being buried.
Ours is, you see, world Of ups and
downs, Of pleasure and disappOint
ment, and | still ike it. -