MR. BARNUM UPON THE ART OF HUMBUG.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XVI, Issue 5183, 2 June 1885, Page 3

MR. BARNUM UPON THE ART OF HUMBUG.

The Groat Showman of the New World is aggrieved. Some one the other 'day'^at- 1 . tributed his enormous takings,'to ■" humi!'Abug." But "there is no humbug ;abou£ v Barnum and his the world's marvels." Therefore Barnum has despatched to" the Pdl( : MaiL ? Gazette the following vindication of '<'tfcr Greatest Show on Earth" and; its creator " which we print as a perfect specimen^--the kind of humbuir-noVin its lofferisive-A sense-by which Mr Barnura has tiaeii to: . his present proud pre-eminence arabngtheiw ahowmon of the world./ ;i ;'f ;In a recent number:of your'joumal 1 f read a statement whioh is perfectly ; true—- v/ namely, that the show wore last year about £200,000.';--, Tho iU other part of the ; v myprofits, after paying ■tjieso enormous ' • expenses, were also £200,000— ib correct within £60,000-thß real profits being; to f act r ,7oo,ooodol, or £140,000; pense's and profits' have, beeniabout'the*: same for the last five years,i and -a- third leas for 15' consecutive: But 'you X most unwarrantably add that this is all the - result of" humbug." I meroly. give the gist of your article, the paper, having be- ■■•:. cpme mislaid. If by" humbug" you mean t' deceiving tho public, I think you "aro ■ teaching a false and dangerous philosophy.si':" On December 29,1858. (26 yeara ago)-I' gave, a ; lecture on "The Art of Money- 1 getting" in-the Great St.James! Hall, Pic- - cadilly, London; and repeated it 60timesin '" that .hall, arid in "other parts of Britain. This: lecture lioaertcd in: my; autobiography; more than a million cqpieß have been printed and sold, anSan'average number: of 40,000 copies are sold each 'season under my show tents.' ; ' I Bendtyptt^: a;copy of the book by this post j-yoli-iftP see that when speaking of the of advertising good;and:-genuine ahfl the disadvantage of: adVertising'BpVri-*!.. bus goods, 18aid,'among:dUier\tmrig8f aal it'll' ■ ' "' ■- .'■'!• -f ;"'i 0 t«»;li<' follow8,:r. >;-:...;,,;;.■.:;,: .; "Advertise yourßasioeßs.~Those"wiip Vdeal,with the public must be their" goods are ; valuable ;i'{hat tiiey, afj'": genuine, and will give;satißfaction,^hwu ; you get an article which you know is going " to please your customers, and that when they have tried it they will feel theyiityf' f got their money's worth, then letj tha,fact.i be known that they-have got it. ; ; 'Be fill to advertise it in;'spme shape;'brv^her^: because it is evidentthat if a man nas-everk' so good an-article'for eaty arid knbwsit, it will bring him'no; \ a manias a genuine article; there^is ! ;ho"wayin which he can; reap■more .']*, geously than by tb.tho public in'' this way, ■-; He must, of• *-; really good article, arid one which will ,;■/; please:his customers; anything.spurious*■': will not succeed permanently, because the public is wiser than many imagine. Men ■: and women are selfish, aridr we all prefer' purchasing where we can get the most : for our money:; and;we try to find butift; where we can most surely do; 80.C You v; may advertise i apiiridus article, and in--w----duce manypeopleto call and buy it; bnCßj' biit they will.denounce you as an impostor •: ; and swindler, and ypur business will gradu-f:- ; ally die out arid leave, you poorv: right. Few people can safely depend upon? ' chance custom. '> You allv need to bavo v your customers return and purchase, again, ".' 'j-.'.;./ • •; v;^r .''' ;

;'' Preserve your integrity.—lt is more ' -..■ precious than diamonds or rubies. 5 old miser said to his sons/| Get : mpneyi;.' get it honestly if you can, but get money.?' The advice was; not only atrociously ,7 wjcked, but it was^the;very'essence';of stupidity. It was as much as to" you.find it difficult honestly, you can easily get it dishonestly*',;;. Get it in that way.' Poor fool I : NQt;.tq,it know that tho most difficult thing in, liferfi is to make money dishonestly; not to that our prisons are : .full, of- men ,wb,o, atr-.v» terapted,; r to, follow this"advice;: understand that no man.can be without soon being found put,-andj tba,t when his lack of principle js discpveredAjf, nearly every avenue to siicceßsliß, against: him ■ for ever. The publio-vpryiEt properly shun all whose.;integrity doubted. '■ -.^iwv

u I have been a public |orV;-' nearly .half a century, and jit. has ;alwa'y^,|. ; been said tktlgivolhe'public ;; to be found nowhere else, and that :.tn^ Vj patrons receive their jnbney's. worth told. ''The only fault' ever 'aitrib|ted < tp f j;! -' my' Greatest Show on'Jarth' " ' too large, and contains more maryoKthanif} canbewellseon and comprohended at,a/i single inspection.' It is obvious, ~there-t> fore, that my millions of patrons will say that there is no humbug, in its offensive.;, sense,, about Barnuni;or: his combination of the world's: tiiafvols. But I ; plead guilty (if itis guilt) o£dhat kind - of ' humbug' which consists '"of .flags, bannors, skyrockets, uniquo ;■■ advertise* ments, attractive coloured show-bills, grand street pageants, bands of music, So.",'all used to attract public'attention* to: *- the very best exhibitions oxtant.: This is thei kind of humbug Wliich : pli»ced-\W ! {i&!f' scription'" on tli'e, Egyptian «Try Warren's^blacking,-! ; London', of,,this tisement, in j=uch a placej gave the; black- ; , ;) '[ ing maker great notoriety—(-the p'eqpje |bjlj tlie blacking, and- finding, it '<go6d,iy, M&|tado.aifortune, much.of. which ;if way o|^dver||^