Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-03-16
Dailu kennetrl 3ournal.
TRAINING 4 CIRCUS RIDER.
REMINISCENCEs OF \ VETERAN IN rur
RING

RING.
Whoa there, come down there. Have
YOU lost all the little sense You ever did
have? Come down. | say; what's the
matter with You this morning?"
..Oh that's nothing" said Mr.. w. Coup.
the great circus proprietor and manager.
Its only Jim Melville putting a new
horse through his 4. b. C's. and he seems
to have a little touch of the iantrums just
now. but he will soon have that taken out
and come down to work like good lel-
low. Look out through that window and
You can see all operations. and all the
crueties we are said TO practice 10 teach
a horse to perform in the ring. What
nonsense this cruelty business is, Why
if a horse was treated cruelty and became
afraid of his trainer he would not be
worth his salt. No private gentleman
horse is more carefully fed, groomed. bed
ded. and generally better cared Tor than
performing horse. Otherwise they would
not be so smooth and handsome, could not
be relied upon to do the tricks they are
called upon to perform twice each day dur
ing the circus season, and would not half
the time be so full of the devil. Bnt You
should see Mr.. James M. Melville. the
champion star bareback rider of Australia,
and a man who scarcely has his equal in
the world He don't seem TO know what
fear is. hestates at nothing which can be
done on the bare back OF horse, and is
a sort of curiosity even to old circus men.
He don't agree with many men, and par
ticularly with ladies who have riding hors-
es they dote on. He says these stories of
the Arabian steed's love for his rider and
all that sort of thing is mere stuff; that
a horse has very little brains. no affection
for his master at all. but is very hand
some, useful sort of beast if he is well
cared for. But you would hardly think
his notion exactly correct il you were TO
visit the stable with him. The brutes
know his step and his voice; they whinny
him welcome and when he comes near
them YOU should see their noses explore
his pockets to see if there is not a stray
appie or bit of sugar somewhere in them.
Candy he never gives them. lie saws 1t
won't do to give circus horses such stuff.
though it NAV do to feed to dear little
children and give them pains under their
aprons. never saw him strike IA horse
blow in anger in my life. but | have seen
him give a careless hostler who had neg
lected his duty to the horse II clip under
the ear that would great deal rather
he should catch than |. Jim Is not large
man. as YOU see but he has the strength of
a giant, the agility of a cat, and though he
is usually in u jolly good humor, when he
does get his dander up get out OF the way
as quick rs possible. There, he will be
in here in Il minute now. See, he has
turned the horse over to the groom, Civ
ing him a pat on the neck and twi;ch of
his name for good bye, and, gracious
;the horse let both back heels fly in the
air, coming within foot of Mr.. Melville's
bead.) That was Il close scratch, WASH
it but Jim is so accustomed To that sort
of thing that he does not seem to have
even noticed it. Now. when he comes in.
YOU tell him he is the youngest looking
grandpapa you ever saw. and he will tell
YOU all YOU want to know. His daughter
not long ago had pretty. bright-eyed lit
tie baby. and il is difficult to say which is
proude.t of it, its mother and father or its
grandpapa.'
At this moment Mr. Melville entered.
still warm and rosy from the work he had
Just finished, lie is not tall, only about >
feet ) l-2 inches high, about Ii years Of
age. and weighs 100 pounds. but he is
compact sinewy, with grip of the hand
like iron. quick and decisive in his motions,
bu. not in the slightest degree nervous.
He has a keen penetrating eye that one
can easily believe would control an ami
NAL After pleasant little compliment
to the mostactvc. youngest-looking grand
papa out of doors. Mr.. Melville warmed
up and spoke freely.
Yes said he, Il guess know lit
tie something about circus life, but it is
tunnv. for my father and all his brothers
were boatmen. Their father was boat
man before them, and they all thought it
was in the family. ] was born in lnver-
ness. Scotland. but was carried to Austria
liza when Il months old. There | was
soon put in a boat. and. when | was only
l6 years of age, won atwo-and-a-balf-mil a
race in a shel-boat. and shortly after act
ed as coxswain with a crew which won ~
out OF u at sydney. But boating was not
in nv line and liked horses and the cir
Gus better. and so my father, knowing
what young daredevil was, and likely
to have nv own way. appreDticed me to
learn to be horse-rider. Then was In
my glory, tell you.
There was no objection TO apprenticing
lads to be made riders in those days. and
the bows were better for it. Ii was hard
work. though. We had to help clean
horses, bed them down, lead them around
for exercise when they were not at work,
and we had to 90 to school. and know our
lessons. too. Then we were taught gym
nastics and the first points Of equestrian
, ism. and the boy who tumbled the most
times and got the most bloody noses,
black eyes, sprains. twists. was simply
e the one most laughed at for his cluinsi-
, ness. But there was no cruelty-that is a
popular fallacy. II a boy has any fear of
horse. shows any hesitation at attempt
: ing difficult. and perhaps perilous feats,
which are never forced on him too soon,
, but come in the regular course Of training.
he is never whipped and forced to try IL.
il for no better reason than that it would
not pay the managers to keep him. lie
, would never make rider. a boy who
does not enjoy the wild excitement Of the
race, who does not like to fly around tnc
ring on the back of galloping. excited
!. horse determined to accomplish his feat