The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-07-05
PHINEAS TAYLOR BARNUM WAS BORN HUNDRED

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 Trade as 1t applies to buying cheap and selling at a profit is as manifest here as it Is in the dealings at a street
 corner stand. or in Stewards store covering a whole square. This is a trading world and men. women and children who cannot live on gravity alone. need something to satisfy their lighter, gayer moods and hours. and he who ministers to this want is in a business established by the author of our nature. If he worthily fulfills his mission. and amuses without corrupt ing, he need never feel that he has lived in vain.''
 Barnum offered s12,ooo for the Amer ican Museum. Broadway and Ann street, New York. in 1s41. Peale.s Museum, rival enterprise, then of fered s15,0c0. and though Barnum's s deal had been practically consummat- ed, he was turned down.
 Then he began to attack Peale's museum through the papers. showed money making scheme. and the price ] of stock fell SO low that the Peale interests sent for Barnum, offered him $3,0O0 per year to manage the place and called him off from further at tacks. The Peale interests had made a deposit of $1 900 and were to pay the balance Dec. 26. Barnum knew well that as soon as he took charge and 1 built up the enterprise the stockhold- CTS would unload and leave him to look elsewhere for his big salary. So quietly he managed to gain control of the museum himself on Dec. 27, and the Peale investors lost the $1,00O they had deposited. Barnum remained in the museum for many years, and ! made a fortune.
 l Barnum's first appearance on any | stage came before he bought the American museum, when he was on ] the road with the circus. A negro minstrel, who nowadays would be 1 called a coon shouter, quit the show, and Barnum appeared in his place, disgusting himself perfectly with burnt cork. Much to his surprise he re- ceived an ovation, and for some time l he continued with this feature of his work. He later appeared in the ca pacity of a lecturer.
 Barnun's career as a snowman was marked by all sorts of daring en- terprise. Whenever he saw an op- portunity to introduce something of special interest, something timely or something that would create a contro- versy, he seized upon it. He had ac- tors, acrobats, animal acts, freaks of all sorts. One of the most notable of the first of these was the Fiji mer- maid, whose manufacture at the hands of the clever Japanese artists is frank ly acknowledged by the snowman in his autObiography.;
 Jan. is, 1844 Barnum arranged to had "discovered' in Bridgeport, to Europe He made a phenomenal suc- cess with the midget. He made a fortune of the European venture, hob nobbed with royalty and kept his eye to business the while. On his return to New York he was given fine re- ception. He had never heard Jenny Lind sing, but her fame had spread so greatly as to overshadow all Flu rope, so Barnum conceived the idea of a grand concert tour through America with her. Her welcome to pageant. Her tour of 95 concerts brought in the unprecedented gross re- ceipts of $712, ,161.34, record never be- fore nor since equalled.
 In 1S49 Barnum projected the great travelling show that now bears his name: Barnum's great Asiatic Cara van Museum and Menagerie was es- tablished in 1851 at a cost of $1o9,0OO. This was exhibited for four years, E travelling about the country and bringing enormous profits. Then the institution was sold out except one elephant that Barnum sent to Bridge port. The elephant was harnessed to plough and used for agricultural purposes, merely as an advertising scheme for the museum that Bar mum still continued to maintain in New York. During the sos Barnum was instrumental in bringing to Bridgeport the Jermome Clock Co. in to the financial entanglements of which he became so deeply involved that ine went broke.
 Later he made a tour of the con- tinent with General Tom Thumb. and regained his footing in the amuse- ment world. By 1860 he was re-em- parked on his favorite ship, the Amer ican Museum. July 13, 1865, Barnum's museum was destroyed by fire. He was speaking against railroad scheme in the Connecticut Legislature when the news was brought to him. He continued his speech, apparently undisturbed, though the news was great shock. Soon afterwards the Barnum & Van Ambugh Museum and Menagerie Go. was organized with million dollars capital Barnum held 40 per cent. The menagerie was housed in the museum during the win ter and travelled in the summer.
 The Barnum enterprise was event. ually united with the Bailey & Rob- inson show and under the name of Barnum & Bailey achieved world wide fame, touring Europe and America and creating furores wherever seen. Nothing seemed too great an under taking for these showmen.
 Barnum's Sacred White Elephant, one of the most gigantic fakes of the show business. is perhaps Barnum's most historical ruse. Painted white, the elephant was represented as an ob- jece of worship in the Orient, and it proved a wonderful drawing card for the mena gerie. The animal died in fire in the winter quarters. Barnum's baby elephant, the first born in cap- tivity. was killed here three years ago. It was the great trump card of the Rarn11n enterprise when the Bailey & Robinson opposition became over whelming.
 Barnum died in this city April 7, 1S91 Besides his numerous public benefactions to Bridgeport, noted else where, Barnum gave to Tufts college a museum of natural history. donating S6O, ,OO0 to the project, and contributing the remains of many rare animals dy- ing in the museum. He co-operated in hundreds of charity concerts. par ticularly with Jenny Lind.
 In private life Barnum was most charming acquaintance. He loved good story or practical joke. and found time enough from his business to keep up a wide social acquaintance. He was strong advocate of temper ance. and he insisted that a high tone of morality should prevail throughout his gigantic showmanship enterprises. SOME OF THE THINGS
 THAT QADMIIM uAc