The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-04-13
Reminiscences of eoyhood.

The TecOllectIOns Of twenty years ago IN Homo
lulu, are revived by reading IN the San Francisco
MyrHia2 call of February 18th, q graphic and
amusing description Of the - Boys Circus Goats
and D0nkeys under Canvas, written by one Of
the =. bows The article Is altogether too long
for reurinting in our columns, but for the enter
tainment Of our readers, who Will recognize the
names, We make 4 few extracts
"oUR CROWD"
Bows always form gangs or cliques. In Honolulu
about 8 dozen youths, the Oldest not more than
thin teen years, and from that age ranging down TO
nine, were always TO be seen together during play
hours. They were sOnso OF ~we.l-tO-do merchants, doc
tors and lawyers, and nearly all attended the Mission
School at PunaEOu, where they learned just as little
a. was possible. Honolulu Is eminently cOsnopolitan,
/ and this little CLIQUE represented several uatiUualItIes-
Bloody noses sometimes followed discussions on the
relative Importance Of nations. Emile, the French
boy, could never be convinced that Napoleon was
vanauished at Waterloo, and Albert, the son OF
English parents, ever insisted that treat Britain
could have - whopped :" the rebellious American
colonies had she 80 desired. Such were the boys
who had become infected with the mania for circus
performances, and longed to display their powers IN
the sawdust rings. They set to work with all the
energy and single-miudedness which characterizeS
boys Of their age. Every evening they practised
acrobatic feats on the green sWard in front OF one Of
the boys fathers house, never quite willing 10 deslst
and 90 home when nine O'Clock was announced from
the window. On Saturdays, and after school hours,
they patiently worked at training their circus
horses " and preparing the gymnastic apparatus for
the great show.
THE CIRCUS TENT.
Great were the difficulties to be overcome by the
boys before they were able to secure a tent, and
many consultations were had before it was obtained.
Fortune and q wreck at length befriended them. A
bark from Boston ran ashore one night on the outer
reef, and went to pieces three days after. Some OF
her cargo was saved, but in a damaged condition, a
part consisting Of white drilling. To purchase two
or three pieces Of this was the ambition of the lads.
Each begged as much money from his father as he
could, and the balance of the necessary fund was
Z pafsa D. ~ nrpnaturp galpG of tickets of admission 10
the performance, which were issued at the rate of
hapIo0mi (six and a quarter cents) each, and pur-
chased in quantities by the good-natured merchants
down town. An old sailmaker instructed the boys
in the method of cutting and sewing the cloth. and
after a weeks hard work, Ap. &. acting as foreman
of the shop, the tent was completed. The Saturday
on which it was raised was an eyentful day for the
boys. A stately mimosa tree in the yard Of DR.. -
served as a tent pole, and about this the saltwater
stained tent was stretched. That night the boys
congregated - under the canvas with torches Of
klgtui nuts for lights, and held their regular weekly
meeting. Sam c. in the chair.
The proceedings, at first amicaole, grew stormy,
and q rupture was threatened. Two factions ap-
peared and fought for supremacy. Ap. C, Emile
F., and two or three others favored n performance
which should chiefly consist of acrobatic and GYM
nastic feats. The other clique, including Dick N,
Billy l., Jimmy F.. and ALT. c., favored riding and
pad-saddles. The first combination would have I'M
d~ouUtedly carried the day had it not been for Dick
N, on whose fathers grounds the tent had been
pitched, and who declared that if horses Ito wit, his
donkey, "Peula," were to be excluded, he would
not allow the circus on his premises. This threat
brought the stronger party TO terms, and a COM
promise was effected. 1t was agreed that the enter
tainment should be both equestrian and acrobatic.
Then came the
SELECTION OF OFFICERS,
Which, after great tumult, resulted as follows
: Grand Director (UuIguS, rfngmaster), Sam.
CT g First Acrobat, and the Young Samson
Emile F.; " Head JESTER Ap. CT (this selec-
ton was made chiefly because APP. Glanced to be the
happy pCssessor of a song and jest book, issued years
before by some old circus CLOWN; lester, with
trick mule - (Peuld, the Donkey, Dick n" Daring
Bareback Equestrian Fred. c.; Rider on four
horses" Ed. McF.; The Fayorite Lady Rider, -
Henry McF. After these apportionments there re-
manned but one of the larger boys unprovided for
Billy IN, who Indignantly protested against the
slight. There was some anxiety here manifested by
the boys, for Billy was q valued member of the
company ; he was depended on for the candles with
which to illuminate the tent, and which he was to
procure from his fathers c~handlery store and yet
he was not of the least use. He was eminently q
&c left-handed boy;'' he could not ride, nor could he
ever learn, although he devoted hours of persevering
study to that branch of physical science, TO turn a
respectable sommersault. SO, IN the emergency,
Billy was made Treasurer. At this he grumbled !;
there was no honor in it. But when the boys told
him of the immense responsibility which appertained
TO the office, and finally promised him a dry-goods-
box for an " Office with a hole in it, through which
to sell tickets, Billy smiled and sWelled with import
ance and accepted the position.
THE PERFORMANCE.
Saturday evening had been set for the initial per-
Torrance of the Grand Equescurriculum,' and
Saturday night came around without any atmospheric
CONFUSION or terrestrial quake, as might have been
expected. Billy had provided the candles as per
agreement, and the light from the circus tent illu-
minated the surrounding fig trees and gUava bushes
in the Doctors yard. Within, a neat circle of saw
dust-diameter twelve feet-surrounded the mimOsa
tree, and beyond were seats for the audience. Rude
benches OF plank resting on boxes constituted the
- pit - chairs in the close sward of mdRidnia grass
formed the dress circle, to which entrance was secured
on payment of a real. Long before the hour an
nounced for the performance-seven o'clock-the
9 pit . was full of native youths, with a few foreign
or white boys in their midst. Later, the " reserved
seats - were flied with parents and boy and girl
friends of the performers. Many a dignifed mer-
chant and Government official seated himself within
the little tent that night and explained to his chill
dren that this was not a real, wicked circus, but only
a pidy-circuS, by 1.-The Boys as the little clique
was known all through the town.
The performance on Saturday evening is de-
scribed very humorously, and how it came to an
end by the celebrated trick mule "Peula, -
boiling out of the ring over the benches and
through the canvas, and the story thus concludes
And SO the circus company's first performance
came TO an unfortunate end. 1t was never repeated.
Little jealousies crept in, and the company broke
into fragments These fragments are generally doing
well-One is a portly grocer, another is q locomotive
engineer, n third is skipper of a small schooner and
original company has failed 10 do anything in this
world-Dick N. He has found Life to be the
most difficult Of trick mules, and wonders how long
he has yet to perform in the Circus of journalism.
No. TN2o1-- I