Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-06-14
Farm and FareSade.
cuILDRR.v or THE s.1uv.DUsT.


Many of our readers, we fancy, have of
ten seen and admired the pretty children
whose graceful performances in the circus
ring are always, 10 very many people, by
far tho most pleasing portion of the enter
tainment. There Is, however, a popular
belief that these children are cruelty treat
ed to make them learn these various tricks,
which some suppose to be hurtful to the
infant frame. As this consideration of
course detracts much from the pleasure
that tender-hearted people would other
wise feel in witnessing the performances,
we would say that the fact is that the things
child is taught TO do in the ring are al
most the same things that nine out of ten
healthy children are continually doing on
the green sward or on the carpeted floors
of the parental parors. Your own little
boy, kind hearted madam, who gazes so
pitifuly at the little circus children-if he
is a healthy and well developed young
chap, will stand on his head, with his boots
in the air, or pitch himself head over-heels
hundred times day-thus keeping him
self topsy-turvey half his waking hours
if only he has got some place where he can
do IL and not hurt himself What your
boy does is almost precisely what is done
by the circus children, only they are taught
to accomplish their feats in the most easy
and graceful way.
The cruelty is a thing of the past, and the
suffering of gymnastic and equestrian APP
prentices of the present day are purely sup
positions.
The children of the ring are put into
training as soon as they can fairly walk,
though in these days it is not usual to see
"a boy ofless than five or six years introduce
ed in public in the acrobat business. In
the case of equestrians, however, the case
is difierent-some ambitious riders bring
ing their offspring before the public much
younger than this.
The first acts in which the little ones are
allowed to appear before an audience are
what are technically known as "acrobatic,"
or "pOsturing" scenes. Those who watch
these performances carefully will notice
that the youngest ones of the party have
very little 10 do, save to stand in the prop
er position and receive an occasional toss
from the senior member of the group,
which toss or throw sometimes looks as il
very carelessly administered, but which in
reality is done with the greatest care and
gentleness. In fact the modern system of
teaching the business by emulation, instead
of by threats and blows, make the young
est so ambitious that they are always beg
ging to be taught new acts, and nine out of
ten of the triflng falls they get in the ring
are brought on by the attempt TO accom-
plish more than they are really at the time
capable of achieving. The love of applause
is Unborn with us all, and jealousy some
times so rankles in the baby bosoms of
these spangled little ones that they would,
if unchecked in their mad career. often
break their tiny little necks in trying to
Guido each other. To many ambitious
youngsters the greatest possible known
punishment is being debarred the privi-
lege of appearing with his exultant COM
panions in starred and tinseled finery, and
exhibiting his hard earned accomplish
ments to the applauding multitude. Most
of the children in the profession at present
are the offspring of performers, who are
not afraid to have them taught the bust
ness, as the teaching is now done. For
merly "circus actors,' particularly the
mothers, would rather have laid their lit
tie ones in their collins than see them
brought up to the business of their parents.
Remembering the blows and stripes OF
their own apprenticeship, few mothers
could bear the thought of dying and leav-
ing their tender babes exposed to the bru.
tality of which they themselves had such
sad experience.
In gymnastics the youngest are frs
taught some simple posturing positions
then comes what is technically known al
the "split," which consists in spreading
the feet apart till the legs are at right an
giles with the upright body feat whicl
any lissome lad or lass of six years or les
can do almost without practice. Next the.
are taught "bending." which means t
throw the head back as far as possibl
towards the heels this being learned
grown person places his hand under tn
back of the youngster, when a slight tos,
by throwing the feet over the head, trans
forms the 'bend" into "somersault.
When the child has mastered the backwar
and forward "somersault," the hardest (
his education as a tumbler Is over. I'll
other feats come easily by practice-"vaul
ing" "battoute flaps" "spring-board son
ersaults," "hip-haps," "hand-springs
''cart- heels" and the like are learned
few months.
If the young person either male or {
male, is to learn the tight-rope bushes
he or she Is not ns one might suppose, e.
ercised at first on a low rope stretched ne
the ground. On the contrary, the pupil
placed at once on the rope at as great I
elevation as is required by the regular pc
formances, and from the very first lear
the business as ii must aherward be don
There are two reasons for this--tirst, 1t q
customs the novice at once to the heigh
and second, 1t gives space for the emplo
ment Of the balance pole, long bar
twelve or twenty feet In length, and whic
were the rope stretched low, would co
stanlly embarrass the learner by striki
the ground on either side. As 1t is abs
lutely necessary TO future success that
performer should be perfectly bold al
self-possessed, and not become timid
reason of hurts received in the falls viii
are at first unavoidably many, men q
stationed on either side Of the rope, In
whose ever-ready arms the youngster fal
and SO never comes TO serious grief, no
ever frequent are the tumbles.
When children first essay to ride aloi
n heavy leather belt is buckled round
waist from this belt long and stro
cord passes through ring In the top OF
pad or surcipgle, and the free end