Explore "The Humbugs of the World" by P.T. Barnum on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Modern heathen humbugs -- Fetishism -- Obi -- Vaudoux -- Indian powwows -- Lamaism -- Revolving prayers -- Praying to death.
A scale of superstition and religious beliefs of today, arranged from the lowest to the highest, would show many curious coincidences with another scale, which should trace the history of superstitions and religious beliefs backward in time toward the origin of man. Thus, for instance, the heathen humbugs, whether revolting or ridiculous, which I am to speak of in this chapter, are in full blast today; and they furnish perfect specimens of the beliefs which prevailed among the heathen of four thousand and of eighteen hundred years ago; of the Chaldee and Canaanite superstitions, and equally of those of the Romans under Augustus Caesar.