Evening star., 1935-09-22

THERE have besn SO many out
standing mens who have con-
tributed their wit, humor and
N other pleasure producing tai
ents toward the entertainment of
the American public that it would
be a difficult matter to determine the
one person who has accomplished
along this line more than all the
rest. Naturally, the question is a
debatable one, but, after all, it is
quite safe to say that If the matter
were decided on the basis of historical
data, no one would stand higher
for what he accomplished in the
amusement field than did the cele-
brated Snowman, P. T. Barnum.
Barnum was not humorist, a mu-
sician, poet or writer of fiction
of note, nor did he to any extent
personally perform before the public,
but he had the genius for seeking out
and producing for the peoples pleas
ure the worlds best talent as well
as freaks of nature, curiosities, mon
strosities and, indeed, everything to
an1use and please mankind in gen.
eral, and to do this he frequently
went to the greatest amount of trouble
and expense.
That at times he did put over some
rather raw deceptionS on the public
is generally agreed, and not denied by
the great entertainer himself who
believed-as he is credited as having
said-"that the people like to be
humbugged," and with this thought
in mind naturally he did produce
some sensations which were not al
together genuine. Generally, however,
his deceptions were cleverly worked,
as happened to be the case with his
tent signs, one of which read: This
Way to the Ingress," and the other
This Way to the Egress," which got
the crowd into one big tent and then
decoyed them to the outside, much to
their astoniShment. But the Ameri-
can has always been good sport and
Tor a long while those thus deceived
were responsible for passing the joke
along and working it on thousands
Of others no better informed on the
meaning of words than themselves.
But all this brought pleasure, en-
Joyment and happiness into the hum
blest OF homes for trifle of expense
Tor, after all, this noted Yankee was
no different from all the other per-
formers or producers of entertain
ment we might mention in not being
averse to charging for his services.
But he at least gave the public its
moneys worth and no one could con-
sistently ask for more.
PHINEAS TAYLOR BARNUM was
born in the town of Bethel. State
OF Connecticut, on July 5, 1910. and
died in Bridgeport of that State Apr.l
Z. 1891. Like thousands of others who
had humble beginnings and who &C.
complished much during their lives,
Barnum had hard shedding in his
early life, and the usual amount of
difficulty in acquiring a higher edu-
cation. But in the end-and it is not
unreasonable to Say-his name was
known farther and wider than that
Of any other American, including the
name of Washington himself.
An Illustration of this is given in
an interview which once took place
between Gen. Grant and the great
Snowman, in which Barnum said:
General, since your journey around
the world you are the best-known
man on the globe" mo, sir" the
general is said to have replied, your
name is familiar to multitudes who
never heard of me. Wherever I went.
among the most distant nations, the
fact that I was an American led to
constant inquiries whether / knew
Barnum."
Rarnum first entered the show busi-
ness in 1885, when he purchased for
81 200 Joice Heth, who claimed she
was once owned by Gen. Washingtons
father and that she nursed the gen-
eral' when he was Q baby, Her re-