New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-26
PERSONALITIES.
AIR. BARNUM-PROFESSOR IIERKOMER AND
HIS "ETCHINGS"-MR. WILSON BARRETT
AND HIS HAMLET"

The general public liked him because he gave them
a good show, and dear TO the heart Of the Lon
doner is every kind Of spectacle. lie enllVeheu
their dull streets with gigantic posters OF as many
colors as Josephs coat. He supplied topics oil con-
versation He made people believe in him because
he believed in himself. He understood his puoLc'
He established personal relations with many inen
Of position, beginning with the Prince oil NoleS,
believe it is perfectly true that he once suggeseu
TO the Prince that he would like 70 run MN III
the United States. The Prince did not see his
way TO accepting this Offer
When Barnum last came over. he orcani2eu
opinion on a scale morc.splendid than ever; some
of these personal friends helping him OF all bis
exploits the dinner they gave him was the most
smartly contriyed and carried out. His committee
included an ex-Minister Of Foreign Affairs anu an
ex-Viceroy Of Ireland. OtlTr men of rank men
of letters men Of business, men Of various t'es Oh
distinction, were t. be found on the list Many
of them did not go TO the actual feast. but Their
names served the purpose Of attracting oUieiS
The price Of tickets was two guineas. or Slo'
Your thrifty Englishman thinks twice before ne
gives as much money as that for dinner Whch
has in it no element Of charity or politics or re-
ligiOn or any other OF the master motives when
govern his life. Yet the number OF men VINO
assembled on that occasion in BarnumS honor was
gentlemen whose names and presence were wanted,
it was explained that members Of the committee
would not be expected to pay for their dinner
and that Mr.. Barnum hoped you would allow
your name TO be used as one of the committee.
And when the company net f.Scthcr behold, all
were of the committee 1t was Artcmus Wards
regiment of Brgadier- Generals; this time in actual
yervice and in the flesh. Barnum paid for the
dinner given him. II was reckoncd master
stroke and no doubt il was. He spent large sums
in Advertising and this the cheapest adVertls-
ing he ever got; in proportion 10 its usefulness
No one here thought the worse of him for this
little performance. Barnum was Bamum, and
strokes Of such enterprise did but add to the credit
he enjoyed. If any one had haroored malice he
must have been made of stern stuff indeed to
cherish such feeling after listening to Banum'S
speech that night at the Hotel Metropolc. We
had Mr.. Sala and DR. Russell and other orators
renowned for speeches Of the afer-dnner kind.
They spoke exceedingly well, but Bamums was,
by common consent. the Grafton of the evening.
lie was then close upon his eightieth year. and he
spoke with fire and energy TO which none other
attained. He had what the French call verve,
word not easily or fully transatable by any single
English word. lie had, besides, flow of humOr-
Gus speech which was his own, and he poured out
stories with profusiOn which delighted his
critical audience. Two or three times lie sat
down, or seemed as if he were about TO sit down,
but the clamOr of the company compelled him TO
continue. That is perhaps unique experience.
Not often. at any rate has it happened that any
ofter-dinner speaker has been entreated, or as it
were, commanded 60 90 when he was willing
20 be silent. lie spoke to an accompaniment of
continual laughter and cheers 1t was not oratory,
of course; the address consisted for the most part
of string of stories without much obvious con-
nection. But the stories 50 good, or which
is better, well told. that there could not be too
many OF them.
Once or twice afterward l listened TO a similar
entertainment but never 10 any which equalled
this first. II pleased the genial old man 70 hold
o kind of symposium after he and his guests had
dined. lie would then tell anecdotes and expect
others TO DO so, and astonishing il was 10 note
the complacercy with which some Of his English
friends would recite at full length and in the
fullest detail some Of the most venerable stories
at which scores Of generations of their ancestors
had laughed or yawred in centuries long gone by
Barnum's stories had at least one superiority
they were, if not new. new to the company. Amer
lean humor or what passes for such, has great
popularity in ENGLAND. and yet is 50 unfamiliar
that the mouldiest American chestnut seems b.
the average Briton fruit fresh shaken from the
living tree
l said the other day by cable, but / wish TO
say again. that the news Of Barnum's death was
received here with real regret. If he had been
o foreign potentatc or an English Duke he might
not have had q fuller decree of attention The
number of rersonaecs 10 whom upon their death
the English press accords full column Of edi-
torial comment is not great. Barnum had the
in each of the leading papers in London, and all
these elaborate notices were conceived in kindly
spirit. They recognized something like solid worth
in this Snowman, who had spent his lie in bcguil-
inc the public lie had. at any rate given them
something for their money, and 10 say that Of any
man is. 10 the Enrlish mind to pass upon him
considerable eulogy An Enrlishman once asked
him the secret Of his success. Well said the
old man, you think it is advertising and hum
bug, but 10 amount Of advertising will make
great success out Of a poor thing. You have got 70
give The public a good article then you can't
advertise too much" On the whole he was
loyal 70 his theory and his public To his friends
he was more than loyal. lie forgot none for
whom he cared or who had done him any service
or kindness. Il might he twenty years after. but
he made it clear that bis memory Of the service
or kindness was fresh.
Week after week passes and still Professor Her
homer is dumb. He Will not say whether the H.
lustratons 10 his "idyll' which the public have
supposed to he efchiugs and have bought because
they We're supposed to be ctchinps are ctchinaS or
not. Tho man who has invested Sl2j in a copy
OF this volume on this theory is really it would
seem, entitled 10 know whether he has got what
he paid for, or whether he has not The art value
ne and the commercial value Of an etching and of
phto-etchng or OF any mechanical rcproduc-
ton Of an original drawing are two very different
things. TIE art value is less the commercial
value is less Even the Door wretch who has paid
much less sum than Sl2J Say So for an ordi-
nary copy-would be glad Of an assurance from
Professor IIcrkomcr that the wares sold under his
name are what they profess to be.
Such one is Nj. Pencil. whose interest in
this matter seems % Ike both private and public.
Having failed 10 extract any statement from the
professoretcher Nlr Pencil applied 60 the publish
ers He asked the publishers 20 say that The illus
trations were ctchngs or to return him his money.