The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-03-16
BARNUM ANGLICIZED.
The Greatest Show on Earth" no

The Greatest Show on Earth" now
Thoroughly English.
New York Sun: When the late Phin-
cas- Taylor Barnum took the smallest
man on earth TO England and introduce
ed him to royalty and others, 1t never
occurred to his fertile Connecticut mind
to incorporate Tom Thumb there under
the Limited Liability act as perma-
nent British institution. He brought
him back, and Tom died an rnadulter.
ated American citizen. So did Barnum.
How different is the destiny Of the
Greatest Show on Earth. the enterprise
which was the creation OF Barnums
genius in Its maturer phase, and co1sti-
tuted both his monument and his leg
acy to the great and gay American
people! 1afI
We have before us the prospectus OF
"Barnum & Bailey. Limited" COM
pany now being i!oated on the London
market in the ordinary, that Is to say.
the non-Barnum fashion. The Greatest
Show on Earth Is to be expatrIated. Its
headquarters are to be removed from
Bridgeport, Conn.,, 10 Stoke-on-Trent
Its elephants are TO become British ele-
plants. Its monkeys British monkeys.
Its simultaneous performances On four
rings British performances in British
rings; all capitalized at 100000. In
100000 shares of one pound sterling
each. The programme of Its future OPP
eratIons Ignores the continent which
produced Barnum. Provincial tours In
Athtnp 1ntrp for o,,l
Then will occur continental tour &C.
cupying at least two gears. Nothing
definite Is said In the purely British
prospectus OF this now purely British
grand aggregation Of Its return at any
time to the shores where repose the
bones Of Barnum AS an American
grand aggregation It has passed, per-
haps forever, beneath the eastern hori-
Zon.
1t Is not surprising that the accom-
plished advertisements have appealed
So often and never in vain to the imag-
mat and the pockets OF the American
public, should attempt to break the
force OF this national misfortune by the
statement with which he has favored
US. We note change already In Tody
Ham!lton's style. The tone Is :ipologet-
ic, not triumphant; the adjectives are
at least three cctaves under the old
pitch; and-will 1t be belIeved?--he re-
fers to Bridgeport rs bridgeport,
Conn. U. s. A." Tody's old American
heart Is not in this proclamation.
1t Is In vain that he attempts 10
dismiss cheerfully the sadder internal
tional aspects Of the repatriation OF the
Greatest Show on Earth by calling 1t
'the latest gift of America to England,
adding another link to the friendly
chain binding the two Anslo-Saxon
countries together" 1t is In vain that
Tody holds out this vague prospect:
at IA further stated that one oi these
days the big affair will revisit the land
OF the free and the brave where the
big show was born. reopen some fine
spring day in Madison Square Garden:
and make the usual tour OF the United
States-but with nm absolutely new,
grand and most magnificent show, with
every department augmented with new
animals, new acts, new attractions,
new everything. to again capture the
plaudts OF the people of America, and
reinS:atc Itself once more in their
hearts"
Pathetic, indeed, Is this effort. coming
as It does from one who was so recent
~ at the head Of his profession!
It only remains for the Wild West
show to rcorganIze at Berlin as the Nit