The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1880-07-22

zen to us the other day. And we Joined
him in the wish, for it is terribly dull in
Winchester. And, if there is anything
in this world that makes us forget the
cares and troubles that attend upon
life; if there be nepenthe to, exhil'
crate our spirits, it is circus--with its
horses galloping around a ring, and the
clown acting a wise fool, in his striped
pants and slouched hat, and his stale
jokes upon the ring-master, while some
little girl, about 30 years of age, waits
patiently, upon her great flat saddle,
for the word to go, And then they
"bring in another horse" and she rides
both, jumps through hoops, rides back
ward, turns somersaults, jumps nimbly
down and courteses to the spectators as
if she was the ninth wonder in the
world And the crowd all sorts OF
people, from all parts of the country
little and big, old and young, babies
and nurses, white and black, without
regard to Grace, color, or previous con-
dition" Everything in rush and ev-
erybody happy, waiting to see what Will
come next Then all the horses come
in, the band plays, and for awhile we
are excited to an intense degree of pleas
ure with all this flourish of trumpcts,
this fummcry and nonsense. It's only
when the thing is over and we feel
"short" several dollars that we are in
clined to abuse the show and call it poor.
Nevertheless, every circus that comes
along draws big crowd. The huge
bills, printed in all sorts Of colors and
covered over with lying pictures, do
have n wonderful effect. For weeks
they are gazcd at by our people gazed
at by many who abuse circuses and say
they will not GO. But when the circus
comes, and Il grand procession through
our streets is had, they all want to go,
and generally do. As for our part, we
have never said we did not intend to 90
to circus. And, pray, where is the
harm? Who is corrupted by looking at
the horses, and wild beasts, and listen
ing to few Jokes? Why, all Of US COM
nit more sin every day of our lives than
by going to a good show, The preacher
who takes it upon himself to abuse them
from his pulpit always appears to MS as
one straning at giata. We'd hate to
have such puritan for our father lie
would make Us ten times worse in our
maturer years by denying US Il little
pleasure in ouryouth, just as the stream
may be damned up for awhile, but ere
long it breaks over its confines with ten
fold power. Sirs, we are wicked enough,
Heaven knows. But if We had been
denied the pleasure Of going to shows
when boy, we would have been a
worse man to-day. We We're denied
the privilege once when a boy, and we
haven't gotten over it yet.
But, say some of these rigidly right
eous ones, who think evil Of their neigh
bors: The shows take our money from
the county. So it is the money their
relgio-avaricious souls are worried
about, and not the immortality Of the
thing. That is the milk in the coaca-
nut. But we believe that circus or
menagerie will bring INTO circulation
lots of money that the possessors would
never Use for anything else, not even TO
pay their honest debts. So, upon the
whole, we believe they do good, and if
we had our way we would repeal the
odious, ungenerous, and undemocratic
law which imposes $500 tax upon cir
cuses for each day they exhibit.
Oh for a circus! It is so dull in dull
Winchester.