Struggles
and Triumphs, Or Forty Years' Recollections of P.T. Barnum,
By Phineas Taylor Barnum
In England Again: p. 237 . . . nr Kenilworth Caste. . . .We spent half
an hour in examining the interesting ruins and then proceeded by post-chaise
to Coventry, a distance of six or eight miles. Here we remained four hours,
during which time we visitied St. Mary's Hall, which as attracted the notice
of many antiquaries . . .
p. 238 We also took our own 'peep' at the effigy of the celebrated 'Peeping
Tom,' after which we visited an exhibition called the 'Happy
Family,' consisting of about two hundred birds and animals of opposite
natures and propensities, all living in harmony together in one cage. This
exhibition was so remarkable that I bought it and hired the proprietor to
accompany it to New York, and it became an attractive feature in my Museum.
(During 1844-45, Barnum toured with Tom Thumb in Europe and met Queen Victoria,
who was amused and saddened by the little man, and the event was a publicity
coup.)
Early in his career, P. T. Barnum
created an exhibit, entitled "The Happy Family,"
consisting of a cage housing a lion, a tiger, a panther - and a baby lamb.
The remarkable display earned Barnum unprecedented publicity and attendance
figures. Some time after its opening, Barnum was asked about his plans for
the happy family. "The display will become a permanent feature,"
he declared, "if the supply of lambs holds out."
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Barnum
saw and bought Happy Family at Coventry -
They visited that same day Kenilworth and Coventry, in which latter
place Barnum discovered the exhibition known as the "Happy
Family," about two hundred birds and animals of opposite natures,
dwelling in one cage in perfect harmony. He was so delighted with it that
he bought it on the spot, and hired the manager to accompany the exhibition
to New York, where it became a famous feature of the Museum.
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P.T.
Barnum, by A. H. Saxon in the mag: 'The Universal Yankee'
- p. 133 - The following happened in 1844 (Coventry)
It was also during this initial sweep through the provinces that Barnum
set out, on 5 September, on a whirlwind tour of the Shakespeare country
in the company of the London author and journalist Albert Smith. Smtih,
who was later to become a showman and popular lecturer himself, most notably
in his entertainment based on his bibulous 1851 ascent of Mont Blanc, and
who loosely based the character of the shoman Rosset on Barnum in his 1845
novel ' The Fortunes of the Scatterfood Family,' eventualy recorded the
adventures of their crowded day in a two part article for Bentley's 'Miscellany.'
As he described their travels - which commenced at 5 AM in Birmingham and
went on to take in all the Stratford sights, Warwick and Kennilworth castles,
a far being held in the vicinity of the former, and Coventry - Barnum attempted
to purchase everything that struck his fancy along their route and was indignantly
rebuffed when he offered to buy the 'wonderful relices' of the legendary
giant, Guy of Warwick. In Coventry, however, he did manage to acquire 'a
wandering exhibtion of animals of dissimilar habits all in one cage' - the
American Museum's original 'Happy Family,'
obvious, Barnhum himself devoted considereaible space to this trip in his
articles for the 'Atlas' and, to a lesser extent, in his autiobiography.
He makes no mention in either source of trying to purchase Guy of Warwick's
trumpery, but does tell how he complimented the guide who shoed them these
outsized articles 'for having concentrated more lies than I ever before
heard in so small a compass.' Thje guide laughed at this remark and evidently
felt gratified. At the fair conncected with the Warwick Races, the inquisitive
showman was knockd flat by a Canadian giantess when he raised her dress
to see if some trick was involved (he was right: she was standing on a pedestal).
The purchase of the 'Happy Family' cost him $2,500.
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No. 884. -- CASE -- THE
HAPPY FAMILY. A miscellaneous collection of beasts and birds (upwards
of sixty in number), living together harmoniously in one large cage, each
of them being the mortal enemy of every other, but contentedly playing and
frolicking together, without injury or discord. At the time of the issue
of this book, the family comprises 8 doves, 4 owls, 10 rats, 2 cats, 2 dogs,
1 hawk, 3 rabbits, 1 rooster, 8 Guinea Pigs, 1 Raccoon, 2 Cavas, 1 Cuba
Rat, 3 Ant Eaters, 7 Monkeys, 2 Woodchucks, 1 Opossum, 1 Armadilla, &c.,
&c. THE LECTURE ROOM, ETC.
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From
Traveling Show to Vaudeville, By Robert
M. Lewis. Dog Days of the Museum. "The Happy
Family" menagerie, one of its best-loved attractions, exemplified
this appeal. Within the one large cage, predator and prey coexisted harmoniously,
'contentedly playing together, without injury or discord.' Puzzled visitors
marveled that hyman agency could create the peaceable kingdom foretold in
the Bible where natural enemies might lie side by side. Mark Twain was less
than impressed by the condition of Barnum's Museum in 1867. The old museum
had burned to the ground in July 1865 and Barnum had opened a new premises
with an entirely new collection farther up Broadway, between Spring and
Prince Streets. But it was smaller, dingier and for all Barnum's resilience
and waning enthusiasm, less interesting.
About the new display
of Barnum, wrote Mark Twain: : "... Neglected in a corner, and
in some large glass cases are some atrocious waxen images, done in the very
worst style of the art. Queen Victoria is dressed in faded red velvet and
glass jewelry, and has a bloated countenance and a drunken lear in her eye,
that reminded one of convivial Mary Holt, when she used to come in from
a spree to get her ticket for the County Jail. And that cursed eye-sore
to me, Tom Thumb's wedding party, which airs its smirking imbecility in
every photograph album in America, is not only set forth here in ghastly
wax, but repeated! Why does not some philanthropist burn the Museum again
. . . The
'Happy Family' remains, but robbed of its ancient
glory. A poor, spiritless old bear - sixteen monkeys - half a dozen sorrowful
raccoons - too many mangy puppies - two unhappy rabbits - and two meek Tom
cats, that have had half the hair snatched out of them by the monkeys, compose
the Happy Family - and certainly it was the most subjugated-looking party
I ever saw. The entire Happy Family is bossed and bullied by a monkey that
any one of the victims could whip, only that they lack the courage to try
it. He grabs a Tom by the nape of the neck and bounces him on the ground,
he cuffs the rabbits and the coons, and snatches his own tribe from end
to end of the cage by the tail. When the dinner-tub is brough in, he gets
boldly into it, and the other members of the family sit patiently around
till his hunger is satisfied or steal a morsel and get bored heels over
head for it. The world is full of families as happy as that. The boss monkey
has even proceeded so far as to nip the tail short off one of his brethren,
and now half the pleasures of the poor devil's life are denied him, because
he hain't got anything to hang by. It almost moves one to tears to see that
bob-tailed moneky work his stump and try to grab a beam with it that is
a yard away. And when his stump naturally misses fire and he falls, none
but the heartless can laugh. Why cannot he become a philosopher? Why cannot
he console himself with the reflection that tails are but a delusion and
a vanity at best?
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Student
and Family Miscellany - published 1854, USA: Many years
ago, upon the Surrey side of the Waterloo Bridge, in London, there might
be daily seen a cage, about five feet square, containing various quadrupeds
and birds living together in harmony. The originator and keeper of this
collection, John Austin, was a stocking weaver,
and a pigeon fancier. He was very fond of animals, and spent much time in
learning their habits and dispositions.
After conceiving the idea of training animals of different natures, habits,
etc., to live together, he continued adding to his collection until, during
a period of twenty years, he had thus accumulated about seven hundred animals,
and these all lived in content and affection.
It is not too much to believe that many a person who gave a penny to look
at Mr. Austin's Happy Family may have had his
mind awakened to the effects of habit, and the influence of gentle discipline
and kindness, when beholding the cat, the rat, the squirrel, the dog, the
hawk, the guinea- pig, the rabbit, the eagle, the fox, living together in
peace.
He who trained these animals to live so happily in each other's company,
a few years since passed away; but his mantle descended upon his two stepsons,
by the name of Sutton. Others have attempted
to make similar collections of animals, but nearlv all have failed in maintaining
harmony among them for any length of time.
The first successful effort at an exhibition of such a "Happy
Family" in this country, has been made by P. T. Barnum, of the
American Museum, of this city. He employed John Sutton,
one of those before referred to, to come to this country, and bring with
him a collection from the animals which he and his stepfather had trained.
The cut at the head of this art of training them by Mr.
Sutton. The wire cage in. which they are kept is about twelve feet
long, some three feet wide, and four or five feet in height. This family
consists of about seventy members, including cats, doves, dogs, rabbits,
eagles, house- rats, blackbirds, monkeys, white rats, parrots, squirrels,
starlings, hawks, ant-eaters, guinea-pigs, magpies, etc.. . . aside their
natural prejudices, and live together in as perfect harmony as if they all
belonged to the same species.
The eagle, hawk, blackbird, falcon, owl, and starling, may often be seen
together on the same perch, without the ravenous ones exhibiting the least
signs of their natural disposition. Frequently the dog, rabbit, cat, rats,
and. ant-eater will all sleep together in a corner of the cage, resting
upon each other.
The most amusing members of this family are the monkeys. They are always
active, running about the cage, sometimes boxing the ears of the rabbits,
then examining the teeth of the cat, and playing with the guinea-pigs, etc.
The keeper often lets these animals out of the cage, when the monkeys runaboutthe
room, examining pockets, and performing various tricks displaying much intelligence.
At the command of the keeper they always return to the cage again.
On inquiring how these animals had been taught to live thus in peace, we
were informed that each had to be taken separately, and trained for a long
time, or until it became familiar with its master, before it could be placed
in the cage with others, and that the means used in this discipline is kindness.
Here is a noble lesson for those who would teach humans to live in harmony,
and happily. If kindness can tame the savage natures of the brute, devoid
of reason, how much more ought the influences of love to sway and control
the passions of men, and incline us all to "love our neighbors as ourselves!"
And 0 what a shame it must be, for boys and girls, who are members of the
same family, and who ought to love each other dearly, and treat each other
kindly and tenderly—what a shame it must be for them to quarrel and
try to injure each other!
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