The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-10-24
The New York Circus.


hlr. Lents company Of bareback riders, aero.
bats, gymnssts, clowns, tumblers. and auxiliarie.
are fairly settled down to their seasons work, and
crowded houses reward the e1ertions Of the mana.
ger. Last weeks performances were OF a varied
and interesting character. There is OF necessity
much sdmeness In the sports Of the arena season
by season. for the circus Is place for the exhibition
OF felts OF Craftsmanship and muscular training and
offers no such opportunities for variety OF enter.
tanment as the theatre So long. however, as the
sentiment OF admiration for the noblest Of
domestic animals and the perfection Of
physical culture survive, long will eager crowds
throng TO the omphiihea,rc. But in comparison
with tie tanner and more critical appreciation o.
adult circus-goers, II is delightful to witness the
enthusiasm of children, as, with sparkling eyes, they
follow the headlong rush OF horse and rider or the
wonderful performances Of acrobat and gymnast
How Irresistible the sound OF their merry laughter
speeding the oontasion OF mirth far bey0n1 the
natural limits which the desperate r;i.iclsms o; the
uaia;ed clown would otherwi.s -each. II mist be
cyriH OF the G.Shsrind school who could
as ~aS given last week without wishing
700! fortune ard long career to these pnrveyors OF
iunoccut JOY. The bill nightly offered to our New
York audiences il most excellent one, comparing
most nvorabp with the hippodromes Of the Faro.
pean capitals. The fourtcenth street building Is
letter appointed aud far more elegant and comfora
ble than the one in High Holburn, London aud
equal TO Franconi's In its best days There il
ntish In tie star performers abroad aud in fact, the
leading men familiar to American audiences i'm
ported here nom Europe at high salarios. 4 mis-
taken notion prevris that, "a class, circus per-
formers are profirate and intemperate. Nothing
could be further from the truth. No man c,n at
tain to any eniuenco In this profession except he
i've a. regularly as the Harvard Boat Club before
a race. HE eye must he 90 steady, his nerves 20
highly strung. his muscles so hrm his brain so
clear that, at each critical moment, whether the
bare back Of his running horse, or the perilous
perch OF the flying trapcze, or In the whirne somer
saut through the air there shall be no miscalcua-
ton, hesitation, or tremOr, the pCnilty OF which
might be instant death. Ills athletic training be-
tinuos daily, year in and year ont until at forty he
gives place 10 younger generation. The rela.
tive Importance Of the different members OF
a circns company is indicated in the classification
given above, and their salaries are graded accord.
ingly. The greatest bareback rider In the world is
all over the country. He comhres with reckless
daring and perfect mastery over the horse a grace
and fnish of performance In which his competitors
are mainly wanting. Without wishing to make un.
lair distinctions In an entertainment so uniformly
20 Il, We were specially pleased with the graceful
acrobhtc ieats of tie Melville family, and the per-
formances Of Mr.. COnrad's trained dogs, the latter
displaying intelligence and docihty in marked degree
Mr. Lent introduces tonight the first OF number OF
Euro lean celebrities, with whom he has contracts
ogc Don Lconu, WHO IrJoces in a grandoquent
title Lard to spell and harder to translate, but which
Wal make MS skill NJ less appreciated by the New
York public lie II one Of those blood .curdltng
men who spend their spare time in carecring he
tween heaven and earth, and occasionally falling ike
law 81 -raNitdtion though with anything but pleas.
0ut results to themselves