The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All AgesBarnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor)
General
The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages
Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor)
Impostors and imposture
I will specify only one more of my collection, of yet another kind. This
is a printed circular appealing to a class of fools, if possible, even
shallower, sillier, and more credulous than any I have named yet. It is
headed "The Gypsies' Seven Secret Charms." These charms consist of a
kind of hellbroth or decoction. You are to wet the hands and the
forehead with them, and this is to render you able to tell what any
person is thinking of; upon taking any one by the hand, you will be able
to entirely control the mind and will of such person (it is unnecessary
to specify the purpose intended to be believed possible). These charms
are also to enable you to buy lucky lottery-tickets, discover things
lost or hid, dream correctly of the future, increase the intellectual
faculties, secure the affections of the other sex, etc. These precious
conceits are set forth in a ridiculous hodge-podge of statements. The
"charms," it says, were used by the "Anted_e_luvians;" were the secret
of the Egyptian enchanters and of Moses, too; of the Pythoness and the
heathen conjurors and humbugs generally; and (which will be news to the
geographers of to-day) "are used by the Psyli (the swindler mis-spells
again) of South America to charm Beasts, Birds, and Serpents." The way
to control the mind, he says, was discovered by a French traveler named
Tunear. This Frenchman is perhaps a relative of the equally celebrated
Russian traveller, Toofaroff.
But here is the point, after all. You send the money, we will say, for
one of these charms--for they are for sale separately. You receive in
return a second circular, saying that they work a great deal better all
together, and so the man will send you all of them when you send the
rest of the money. Send it, if you choose!
Now, how is it possible for people to be living among us here, who are
fooled by such wretched balderdash as this? There are such, however, and
a great many of them. I do not imagine that there are many of these
addlepates among my readers; but there is no harm in giving once more a
very plain and easy direction which may possibly save somebody some
money and some mortification. Be content with what you can honestly
earn. Know whom you deal with. Do not try to get money without giving
fair value for it. And pay out no money on strangers' promises, whether
by word of mouth, written letters, advertisements, or printed circulars.
CHAPTER XXIII.
A CALIFORNIA COAL MINE.--A HARTFORD COAL MINE.--MYSTERIOUS SUBTERRANEAN
CANAL ON THE ISTHMUS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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