National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-04-13
sAwDusr AND spANaIEs.
Opening Day Of the oircus-WhAt the Audi
ar,a Rev. Of. .sllI--.r .aIH

Opening Day Of the Circus-What the AUDI.
ence Saw, slLL2H .lla.
There is nothing that 60 excites large portion
Of community as circus, and the bigger the
tents and the brighter the show-bills the greater
is the enthuEiasm.
Amer purchasing q ticket from man In q
wagon, and picking your way through crowd OF
unfortunates who not SO lucky as you, you slip
into little opening in the side Of the tent and
find yourself IN the mensgerIe. There are hun
dred things to be seen in the menagerie, before
Tenturfng into the circus tent There Is the
giraffe, who keeps his head down IN bis Iced DID
and obstinately refuses to take II out 60 that the
little boys can see whether he really is so tall
that he can pluck fruit from the top OF tree, as
he often does in pictures. There are the altom-
tic rosebuds open by spasmodic movements and
disclose little cherubs, who make one or two me-
chanical movements and are ageinimprisoned in
the rosebuds. Then there is the mirror which
converts little boys into aldermen, with fat heads
and large mouths, and runs fat men ont into one
The band in the inner tent strikes up, and the
visitors after taking last hurried look at the anil
mails and listening TO the final appeals of the men
at the eandy-stands to
BUY SOME PEANUTS
and make their children happy, post into the
other tent to secure a good seat There is consid-
cradle hustle and confusion then, caused by peo-
PIE up to me Top row o. o tSsr and
danger, and women hesitating long time before
stepping from one tier to another and trying to
keep their skirts down for fear the young men on
the bottom tier might make some impudent re-
marks about their stockings There is a big po-
nceDan with little vile and two little children,
who sit down on the lower tier. There is little
man with big wife, who wants to sit on the
lower tier, but whose wife insists on sitting on
the top row, and after much scrambling and lit
ing Of little people from one step to another, the
party finally are settled on the top seat,
with the children on the seat below
WtS ali their might There is laxative m SE
who tells the clerk in the fancy collar and laven
der pants, who sets next to him. what an enter
prising man Mr. Barnum is, and when he per-
ceives that he has attracted several listeners he
informs them that Mr.. Barnum has been burnt
out several times but has always risen out of the
flames like the Phoenix, and then ne kindly goes
into long explanation about the Phoenix, which
occupies him till his attention and the attention
of his audience is distracted by the commence
ment of the entertainment.
There is a snappish man, who stretches his legs
out so as to occupy twice as much room as he is
with a meek little man who objects to his forcing
his knees into his back. Natty young man
climbs about among the audience with baskets
full of peanuts or oranges, or apoplectc sticks OF
candy, or prize packages, with such cries as,
Here's your peanuts" or "Now's your time to
buy prfEe-Package and strike bonanza"
After an hour Of patient waiting, enlivened
only by the occasional appearance OF q man in a
dingy red coat, who is welcomed by cry Of
''sUPE,"
the performance begins. II one wishes to enjoy n
circus, ana mas lOsL Dy age Ilat Keen relish Tor
the clowns threau-bare jokes and the equally
shabby replies of the ring-master, he oug hit TO
secure seat near group Of children, and by
watching tie intense expression on their face
and listening to their CHEEKY laugh he will him
self become again an urchin and swallow every
word that is uttered within that magic circle Of
saW-dust as eagerly as the most enthusiastic OF
the youngsters. How delighted the children are
when the two clowns come running and tumblng
out together, with merry jest, one of them In a
suit OF blue, and the other poured into suit Of
oFapRe-c olored tights,
The little ones all hold their breath when the
wonderful man plays with set Of cannon balls,
he catches the heaviest ball on the back of his
neck. When the elephant climbs up on top of
little box, and stands there on two feet, the
little ones become so afraidthat father might not
see 1t that they tug at his knees and try to at
tract his attention before the sight passes away.
When one rider tumbles off his horse they think
of course, that he must be killed; and when the
little boy rides on his fathers head they all feel
proud that one Of their own age can do so much,
and mentally resolve to become . circus-man.
When the wild Indian comes in one old lady OK.
presses her astouishment at the fact that he
wears fancy goatee. The young ladies were
very much amused when the clown, upon hear
ing that the Indian had dozen wives, asked
him If he were any relation to Brigham Young;
and when he pretended to talk OhoctaW with
him the children screamed with delight. A man
came out with q trained horse, that tipped over
several chairs, and then, appearing to be con-
WINGED with the foolishness Of the act, paved
them all right side up again. After that, one Of
THE FUNNIEST CLOWNS,
with a two-inch border of red around his eve tot
tered out on q mock horse and mimicked the per-
Torrance, much to the delight of three little boys
in the front row, who made the discovery that it
walking On his feet, and the horses body was tied
to bis waist. Then there is q disturbance near
the entrance, and q man apparently very drunk
succeeds, and after little acting, In which the
stranger claimed acquaintance with the clown,
that Individual finally discovers that he is an old
SchOOl.m and promises to get him inn in
circus company. After the usual awkward at
tempts at turning sommersaults and riding, It
turns out, to the establishment Of the youngsters,
that he is q regular circus man. and has q suit OF
tights and slRngles on under his clothes.
Presently Il begins to rain very hard, and the
patches on the top of the tent become more plainly
defined, and drops began 70 ooEe through the
canvas. The little man with the big wife, on the
i0P seS n Sb III tbs Tstsr Srns th aT hN mo
of the little mans neck and makes him sit as far
on the edge Of his seat as possible. The people
on the lower tier
HOIST UMBRELLAS,
which makes the people on the upper tiers very
indignant. One lady, with very prominent feS-
tures, kept making remarks about people who
didn't have any manners when they went out any
MN sS. TiS nt annesp ~ notice az AZ isast diS
not care for two little boys behind her, who were
straining their necks to get glimpse Of the ring
Little puddles Of water began to form here and
there; babies began to grow cross; children grew
sleepy; everybody grew rebellious and hoisted
their umbrellas, and therefore everybody had to
stand up. Finally the clown cracked his last joke:
the ring master made his final announcement.
The visitors picked their way out over the seats.
Some stopped to look at the animals again. Others
departed and filed throuR b the mud past the row
of side shows, before each OF which was posted a
upon the people to embrace their last oppertanity
to pay dime and see the wonderful horned NO.
man or the celebrated fat lady, or the horned
woman and fat lady combined. Papas ran after
cars holding on to crying children; mammas ran
after pRpas and made convulsive motions to the
car driver to stop the car, and at length there
was no one left but the employees and the pro-
prietors Of the side shows, who counted their
money and hoped that the next day would be
sunny.
Hob at Gov Reeds.