Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-03-21

adopt and teach the business to little Sissy
Jupe, whose father, the whilom clown Of the
establishment, had, in fit Of dependency,
run away from her. And who will forget
how these riding and tumbling people, 80
heartily despised by Mr.. Gradgrind, the man
of "facts, sir, facts" afterward did that same
hard man a most essential service by conceal
ing his felon son, and running him out of the
country, being moved by no hope or promise
of reward, but only by their simple gratitude
to the man who, despite his hardness and
harshness to them, had yet been kind to little
Cecilia, who had, when very baby, been one
of themselves.
In gymnastics, the youngsters are taught
first some posturing and the dancing positions,
then comes what is technically known as the
"split," which consists in spreading the feet
apart till the legs are at exact angles with the
upright body, a feat which any lissome lad or
lass Of six years or less can do almost without
practice. Next they are taught blending"
which means to throw the head back as far as
possible toward the heels; this being learned,
grown person places his hand under the
back of the youngster, when slight toss, by
throwing the feet over the head, transforms
the "bend" into the "somersault." When the
child has mastered the backward and forward
"somersault" the hardest of his education as
a "tumbler" is over. The other feats come
easily by practice-"vaulting," "battoute
leaps, spring-board somersaults," ,""Aip-faps"
"hand.springs," "cart-wheels" and. the like
are learned in few months.
If the young person, either male or female,
is to learn the tight rope business, he or she is
not, as one might suppose, exercised at first
on a low rope stretched near the ground. On
the contrary, the pupil is placed at once on a
rope at as great an elevation as is required in
the regular performances, and from the very
first, learns the business as it must afterward
be done. There are two reasons for this =
first, it accustoms the novice at once to the
height; and, second, it gives space for the EN-.
ployment Of the "balance pole" long bar Of
twelve to twenty feet in length, and which,
were the rope stretched low, would constantly
embarrass the learner by striking the ground
on either side AS it is absolutely necessary
to future success that the performer should be
perfectly bold and selfpossessed, and not be.
come timid by reason of hurts received in the
falls which at first are unavoidably many,
men are stationed on either side the rope, into
whose ever ready arms the youngster falls,
and so never comes to grief, however frequent
are the tumbles.
When children first essay to ride alone, q
heavy leather belt is buckled around the
waist; from this belt long and strong cord
passes through ring in the top of the "pad"
or "surcingle," and the free end is held in the
hand of the "ring-master." IT, being thus
protected, young master loses his feet, an in
stantaneous pull upon the cord draws him fiat
down on the back of the horse, and by no
stretch Of infantile ingenuity can he get un-
der the animals heels.
The apprentices frequently learn to ride the
"pony act," in which the tiny pattern Of q
man, dressed as jockey or courier, urges
on his steed, with bis shrill cries and many
wavings of his little cap. This act is always
ridden on two ponies, and theyoung rider will
contrive to slip and fall between his miniature
steeds, while thrill of horror pervades the
crowd, who applaud most Justify when, the
next minute, the plucky little fellow regains
his feet, picks up the reins and drives on fast
er than ever. The compassionate audience
need not waste their sympaties, however; this
fall is merely one of the "tricks of the trade"
introduced simply for "effect," and the cord
before described, would not let the rider fall
if he wanted to. On the whole, the improve
ment in the manner of training children for
this sort of life is most marked and commend
able. It is not business to which every pa
rent would care to bring up his little ones
but, after all, "people must be amused" and
every one of these circus children is a thous-
and times better off in having an honest,
though perhaps humble, trade than are the
of miserable little waits that swarm
in our streets and alleys, whose present con.
dition is utter poverty, and whose surest ex-
pectation of rise in life is grounded upon
hopes of future of successful and undetected
thievery.
One word more personssuppose that
"circus riders" are invariably and inevitably
given to drunkenness and dissipation. Never
was there more unjust aspersion-there are
black sheep everywhere, but there is quite as
great proportion of true, honest wives, kind
ly loving mothers and as faithful husbands in
this as in any other line of life-their misfor-
tunes in this regard is the same as that Of the
theatrical profession, viz: that, owing to their
public lives, every scandal in their ranks is
known and magni6ed, while people in quieter
walks of life may, perhaps, be ten times more
licentious, and yet not one-tenth as notorious.
The artist who has to back fiery horse at
night, or do trapeze performance at height
80 great that fall from his dizzy perch would
be almost certain death, is not likely to shake
his nerve, or loosen his grip by the use of in
liquors, 80 there are few instances
of habitual drunkenness among this class Of
professionals.
A WORD MORE TO THE YOUNG MEN.
In Wednesdays issue, we touched, in a cur
sorry way, on the duties and prospects Of the
coming campaign. We attempted to show
that silent influences are more potent than
loud harangues; and that to the former we
must look for even partial success. The
question now presents itself, "Who can exer-
else this influence, and who will prove the
most efficient agents in the work Of political
reform?" Wereply, the young men: In them
are found that enthusiasm, that elasticity of
spirit, that energy, that physical vigor, which
are essential requisites of successful workers.