The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-10-29
AM US EN- ENTs.
Barnum's Great Moral show-The Only Hip
popots mus, the ScaIv Rbinoceres. the Ten
der CITRATE, and the Miscbievous Monkey.


giraffe, the rhinocerus uucornus aud the lively
kangaroo form the advanced guard Of Brother
Barnum's managerial army, the like Of which,
he says, was never marshalled In a metropolitan
tent before. Combining a circus, menagoric,
and museum in one. tho only Barnum has In
vaded the garden scenes OF Shook & Palmer,
turned Moody's lecture room into a circus ring,
converted Sankey's choir loft into an amphl-
theatre, and transformed tho base OF the mag
nincent cascade into bath-tub for his $4,000
hippopotamus. There IA, OF course, n great deal
OF buncombe about Barnum, but so there was
about tho late st. Paul STILL for all that, the OK.
hibtion at Gilmore's Garden, weak as It is In
some elements, possesses certain features,
unique. odd, and attractive, to which / purpose
calling attention.
Mr.. Dnnum says his hppopotsmus cost him
$4,000. That's great deal OF money for such
an ugly brute. Imagine q tolerably fat hog,
Weighing about coo pounds, with a reddish skin,
sweating blood from a thousand pores, swing
ing a horrd little tail, and trottlng around after
DIR. Kohn, his keeper, like dog. Tue creatures
head is a curiosity. II looks like papier machs
pasteboard about fifteen inches long by six or
eight inches wide, darker In places than In 9TH
ers, with Chinese eyes and curioussli,s for ears.
Its mouth. when closed, looks like biscuit.
When open, It discoses n nasty lot Of milk teeth
and a cavity into which babies could easily he
flung. This horrld animal Ia only is months
Of age, but is as large as q three-year old hog.
When It attains Its full growth It will be At
teen feet long and stand oiRht feet high. DR..
Kohn, who has charge OF the brute. will be re-
membered by all who ever witnessed the dis
gushing idiooies OF the what-is-It at the Museum
on Broadway. He has tho youthful hippopota-
mus completely under control and manages him
like a trick pony. The present diet OF the
animal 10 candy and mashed vegetables. When
he demands infants the public will be duly noti-
led. The late Mr.. job remarked that this
singular creature ais the chief OF the ways OF
God" 1 must respectfully differ. The inspired
writer also says; "He maketh the deep to boil
like pot; he maketh the sea like pot
of ointment" The trouble with Job was
his tendency to exaggerate. For instance,
the hinpopotamus does stir up the water
In the great basin toleraoly lively when he takes
his bath, but where the pertinency OF the pot
OF ointment strikes in, Is more than can see.
The keeper is educating the youth In tricks that
ere vain. lie endeavors to stand on his HAD
legs, to show that Job knew what he was writ
ing Of when he said, " His bones are as strong
as pieces OF brass his bones are like bars OF
iron" He also oOeys the cali Of whistle OF
voice. and IL ALWAYS docile when fed. lie mas a
bad temper. however. and will doubtless be
feroctOus in about a year.
| was greatly Interested 10 the rhinoceros.
Batnum well saws: This pachydermatous trop-
teal monster Is the invuluerable monarch among
the many mammoths In my international 20
illogical gardens" q nod. 80 she ~. she's big
enough aud ugly enough to be a whole circus
all by herself. She stands most Of the time IN q
&c, on wheels, barred IN before. behind, and
on either side OF her lmagtne a Tremendous
COW with an awful hea', covered all over with
a series OF overl pping shields, over which
boarding house steak-and tougher. That's
the rhinoceros. She IL very lonely, and pines
for the society ana consolation OF a comrade.
How old the lady may be no one knows, out her
tail has evidently been In use these many years,
1or Its almost worn out. For hours together
the great. black, shameless heap rubs her mead
and sides ana thighs against the bars. Now
and then she wells. frequeotly she means, and
pretty cons sntly she grumbles at her lot. We'll,
IL Is rather lonesome after all. she can hear the
monkeys lanber ana the sea lion splash:
watch the glitter OF tho cascade. SIC surely
must take pleasure In the Centennial comment
OF the bucolic visitor In buster ana umbrella.
and the periodical prod of her keeper serves to
remind her that monarch as she NAV be, shes
still slave. but what she wants and calls for Ia
years ago. she Is single still and perforce con-
slant to the love OF her youth. IL seems to me
that Barnum Is missing philantbIopic oppor-
tunity in not getting her mate.
The poor spotted eirahes-how the rustics
them. Poor sad-faced creatures wi,h no tails
TO sneak OF, they r'ise their thoughts toward
heaven, and their backs slant like a. oid-fash-
toned roof. A giraffe Is not 50 costly AZ hip
popotamus, nor as terrible and strange AS
rhinoceros, but he y to me great curiosity and
uud Of provocative to wonder. What he's
good for outside Of a museum L never could
make out.
or course Mr. Barnum has a sea Iona regu-
lar snorter, barker, ndee ter. and elutton. He's
large, nne, oily specimen ol bis iatty race, nd
always ready for IA bite. He's a regular free
lunch nend. ana wnenever any OF tue attend
ants are near his tank. he begs for fish ike a
hungry child, and wnen ne gets them he bolts
them whole. like a naughty child. Near the seal
are lot Of BONES, trick and otherwise. 1hen
come the elephants aud camels. The elephants
are chained at their feet. the imels are tied
with short ropes, so they cant lift .heir heads
nor arch their necks. IL doesn't seem fair.
,iter tue latter have have. been PLAYING sahara
OF the use Of the muscles Of their ueck-. Crowds
stand near them ali the time. an attention which
the awkward fellows acknowledge 10y an OcCa-
slonal wave Of their exceedingly ridiculous tails
These camels do TIER deuOir also In the rug
Prof. Wulte, who manages the entire menag-
erie. has trained the elephants remarkably vol.
Ihey are not very large, out they appear TO Oe
singularly Intelligent Awkward ana cumber-
some as they are. they 20 through great mum
Der Of ring tricks With celebrity and apparent
gusto.
-four Of "A kind" a successful literary quartet,
as pretty is kittens, aud a, Ieacherous as cats.
A.. under tue queuug influence OF toe circus
music, the pretty cuOs sat on their hunkies with
their great bOny heads facing the nag, they
looked Ike children liked" for a photOgr ipn.
II the keepers succeed m raising al four Of
them, they VIII be almost invaluable. In the
other cage are two grown lions. Tue maze Is q
rascal. lie has killed several keepers, and
wouldn't on ject to several more. IA 40 sfl
and sulleu. nut the mastery Of Prot nlte
seems absolute ana certain. lie PAGES MS short
cage continually. Early IA the morning ties At
II. An dty he keeus u up. Inc evening and
the midnight hour mud MIN sim hpace, aud at
no ilMe In the memory If the most ui.sulute
circus man has he come IN at "A late hour Of the
night and found that roarer quiet.
! cIu't conscleutiOusl} say take much inter-
est In the cage OF mOnke s. Other PEOPLE DO
AMI tbat settles It, They are very 60 ic 4. one
old wuite-faced fellow seems TO be The embodi-
ment, the very In sarnation OF mischief. lie
scratches the dog, worries the eat, breaks up
monkey groups, swings pY lis tan, climbs 10y his
paws, and tnen scratches himself with a solemn
air OF resi- guaton which would make his fortune
as a deacon. Hyenas and tigers are not general
fayOrltes IN civilized society, but both tho one
aud the other flud great favor at the menagefie
The hyeua Is worthless creature, unattrict-
i've, sullen. and noisy. lno tiger Is Simply beau
tlful. His exquisite skin j. marked IN a most
! urusuc manner, lie has 3A stripes ABOUT hts
body aud one at the tip Of MS tail CORES pond
with the DAYS Of the year lie Is tull Of HE aud
vlg1r aud teeth. H. would CuJoy "A nall hours
freedom duting the matinee, and " he wouldn't
chaw up the loveliest OF the flock I'm ~ Judge
In this nasty sketch have mentioned Ouy
the rare and costly nimals m the collection.
| Ihei are many others, from the plmpOus cock
atoo to the lazy anaconda. All suits and kinds
OF cuTipsities ordinarily found In exhibitions are
shown here but this Is the only place where
have ever seen genuine hlppOpottmus. IT.
| isn't much to see, nut a. the seed form
hi will an ~ Eaa IL