Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-10-14

How They Are Got Up for Circuses
and shows.

"Circassian girl in Chicago show has
talked thus frankly to an interviewer:
$50 you want to know something about Cir
cassan girls, do you? Well, | can only tell you
Of the circus genus. for TO the best of nv knowl-
edge never saw genuine one
The reporter was deeply grieved. His hopes
had long ago, when he visited the side-show,
been blasted as to the beauty of Circassians, but
ne wasn't quite prepared to give up the idea
that some of the girls exhibited around i'm tents
were from the wales of Crcassa and that they
had been ruthlessly snatched from fond lover
perhaps by mercenary spectators and brought
70 this country TO help enrich the greedy circus
man. But the woman again asserted that she
did not believe that there was a genuine Cir
eassian in the business.
''How do they make up. them" asked the
scribe for there was in his recollection of Cir
eassian girls a wonderful luxuriance of tresses
and an almOnd-shaped eye. coupled with a
shining dusky skin. that did not suggest the
evident daughter of Erin before him.
you've got to have the material to make a
Circassian in the first place." declared the Gu
TiOsity. as she settled herself for chat on what
was evidently a charmed subject to her. 1T
takes back-eyed. brown or bIack-haired wo-
man. while art does the rest. | have seen
blue-eyed Circassians. but they did not take
There Is regular market i'm the summer for
Circassian girls. and they make up early i'm the
season sometimes. There is an OLD woman living
on Blocker street. / think. in New York that
can take any girl of good shape with plenty
OF mar and black eyes and turn her out daisy
In ABOUT two days They commence by shaving
the eyebrows AT the ends down to point then
taxing pencils and painting them on out to a
me Win the Corner of the ewes only on the
ioreheau- Ihey pencil the corners of the ewes
30 IA 10 give the eyes an almond shane Then
they dye the face nut brown with a prepar,tion
that 90 not know anything about 1.-The Inns
can be stained or colOred each dav with carnine
Most OF the girls have the lips stained at first
when about to hire out to the MANAGER of a sida
show. ana afterward color them with carmine
Then the hair has to be treated You know
how CircasSian girls head looks all bushv and
with the hair standing out all over the head
Wei. that's done By means of stale beer and
molasSes 1t Is applied every hour, and the hair
combed out straight and allowed to stiffen that
way have seen girls sleep on little rolls of
cloth or wooden blocks under the neck so as NOT
to muss up the hair until it has set. all knkv
and beautiful. in its ed of beer and molasses
and then she was Circassan girl"
IL was not such an artistic 0peratjOn as no had
at hrst imagined. and the reporter remarked
that he should thipk the woods would be full of
Circassian girls
There are too many to make 1t paw much. !"
she candidly remarked: but it's such fun to
travel with circus, sleeping on the baprape
when travelling and eating In the hotel tent that
accompanies the show. Some of the curiosities
as they are termed by the showmen are fed by
sheHseAco IT separate table. ana others who
get good salaries, like livin> skeleton. eat a. n
hotel In the town where the circus stops. Some
ieed their side-show people at one table. per-
formers at another and candy butchers at third
table in the hotel tent"
..How about the pay of curiosity?"
swell, a Circassian girl, If she's cute. gets
nom Sl2 to $50 q week and expenses Then
the manager gets hera lot of photographs taken.
and she sells them and pays him a ROYALTY. Then
egoOd many OF the girls are married to per-
formers, jugglers, cannon ball tossers, snake
eharLners or something of that sort Some of
these unions are happy and some are the re-
verse