New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1910-07-06
CENTENARY OF
BARNUM, JULY s..
Wonderful Career Of Great
Snowman Recalled.
JUGGlED SEVERAL FORTUNES,

ana europe ana Sleared YfOO,VuU
With Jenny Lind-Lost All In Land
and Made 1t Over Again With Circus
and His Autobiography.
How many people have it in mind
that the 5th of July is the one hum
dredth anniversary of the birth Of
Phineas t. Barnum, one of the most in
teresting characters America has ever
known?
Do the youngsters Of today read the
showman'S simple narrative of early
practical jokes, the transforming with
a grand moral show" consisting Of a
fiddler, clog dancer and a clown; the
amazing furore of Europe over Tom
Thumb and his guardian" P. T. Bar
mum; the unequaled triumph of the
Jenny Lind tour; the losses by fire;
the drou and cheeky self ADVERTISE
ments, devices to make the modern
press agent seem bungling butter-in
by comparison?
P. T. Barnum was born in the little
town Of Bethel, Conn.,, July 5, 1910.
His father, Philo, was tailor, farmer
and tavern keeper, whose various &C.
equations served in worldly sense
no better than did those Of most men
Of his time and neighborhood. He sup
ported his family, paid most Of his
debts and accumulated nothing.
Began Business at Six.
. Young Phineas soon found that if he
wanted spending money he had to
. earn it for himself, and by small bar
ter he had when six saved cents enough
to exchange for silver dollar. With
this capital he began his first business,
"a small peddler of molasses candy (of
home make), gingerbread, cookies and
cherry rum, and | generally found my
self dollar or two richer at the end of
a holiday than was at the beginning"
= Barnum was but twelve years old
when he first visited New York, walk
ing from Bethel behind drove of cat
tie a breeder was taking to sell. The
delights of the metropolis as place of
amusement appealed to him much, as
place in which to make money much
more. He was nineteen when he mar
ried Miss Charity Hallett. He was
twenty-four when he gave up his vari-
GUS callings in Connecticut and with
his wife went to New York, seeking
larger and more profitable fields for
his restless energy.
Made Poor Museum Pay.
There was in 1871 at the corner Of
Broadway and Ann street a museum
of natural curiosities of some real
value, but it was a proitless concern,
as it was not forced upon the atten-
ton of the public.
By such advertising as New York
had never before heard of the mu-
scum was quickly made to pay. Bar
mum became its owner and soon his
most perpleXing problem was how
best to spend all his profits in adver-
one year, after reserving 5000 for his
own and family's living expenses.
1t is worth while to recall one of
these inexpensive tricks in notoriety
seeking. Previous to July 4, 1912,
Barnum asked the authorities of st.
L
front of the museum to one of the
trees in the churchyard. Of course
the request was Indignantly denied.
Nevertheless Barnum on the night of
July ran the line and foated from it
number Of the biggest American
flags he could find. The vestry were
Informed, and early in the morning
I3arnum was visited by two very in
dignant church officials, who demand
ed that the rope be cut or removed.
Mock Patriotism Brought Crowds.
A crowd of sightseers were already
on hand. Barnum refused to remove
the flags. A vestryman said that in
that case he would himself cut down
the offending decoration. Barnum
seeming to be in passion, pulled of
his coat and, putting up his hands il
belligerent fashion, declared:
'Well, mister, 1 should just like tt
see you dare to cut down the Ameri
can flag on the Fourth of July! Yor
must be a Britisherp' And he squared
off as if to attack.
Naturally the trick worked. Th'
crowd threatened to lynch the "Brit
ishers'' who talked Of cutting down tn,
flag, and Barnum had some difficulty il
saving the outraged victims of his ad
vertising dodge from injury at tn
bands of the crowd. The ATTENDANCE
that day at the museum made new
record
But these were trifing aids to adver
tising-and money making-comparet
to the great showman's next speeula
I ton. his engagement Of Charles S
Stratton, General Tom Thumb. Latte
day showmen who have studied til,
records have declared their belief tina