The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1882-11-29
TnE CIRCAssIAN GIRL TRADE.
How They Are Got Up for CIrcuses und
h.InNNn-

1
Shows.
A Circassian girl" in Chicago
show has talked thus frankly to re-
porter:
$50 you want TO know something
about Circassian girls, do you? Well
1 can only tell you Of the circus genus,
for to the best of my knowledge Inever
saws n genuine one"
The reporter was deeply grieved. His
hopes had long ago, when he visited
the sideshow, been blasted as to the
beauty Of Circassians, but he wasn't
quite prepared to give up the idea that
some of the girls exhibited around in
tents were from the wales Of Circassia,
and that they had been ruthlessly
snatched from fond lover, perhaps by
mercenary spectators, and brought
to this country to help enrich The
greedy circus. But the woman again
asserted that she did not believe that
there was genuine Circassian in the
business.
elbow do they make up then ?"
asked the scribe, for there was in his
recollection of Circassian girls a
wonderful luXuriance of tresses and
an almond-shaped eye, coupled with a
shining, dusky skin, that did not sug-
gest the evident daughter of Erin
before him.
"You've got to have the material to
make Circassian in the first place."
declared the curiosity, as she settled
herself for a chat on what was evident
ly charmed subject to her. "Ittakes
black-eyed, brown or black-haired
woman, While art does the rest. l
have seeA blue-eyed Circassians, but
they did n6tekake There is a regular
market in the@ummer for Circassian
girls, and they make up early in the
season sometimes. There is an old
woman lives on Bleecker street, 1
think, in New York, that can take any
girl of good shape with plenty of hair
and black eyes, and turn her out
daisy in about two days. They COM
mence by shaving the eyebrows at the
ends down to point. then taking
pencils and painting them on out to a
line with the corner Of the eyes, only
on the forehead. They pencil the
corner or the eyes so as to give the
eyes an almond shape. Then they dye
the face nut brown with preparation
that do not know anything about.
The lips can be stained or colOred each
day with carmine. Most of the girls
have the lips stained at first, when
about to hire out to the manager of a
side show, and afterward color them
with carmine. Then the hair has to be
treated. You know how a Circassian
girls head looks, all bushy and with
the hair standing out all over the head.
Well, that's done by the use 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 tomuss up the hair until it
has set, all kinlly and beautiful, in its
bed of beer and molasses, and then she
was Circassian girl"
1t was not such an artistic operation
as he had at first imagined, and the re-
porter remarked that he should think
the woods would be full Of Circaseian
girls.
"There are too many to make it pay
much," she candidly remarked, but
it's such fun to travel with a circus.
sleeping on the baggage when travel
ing and eating in the hotel tent that
accompanies the show. Some of the
curiosities, as they are termed by the
show men, are fed by themselves at
separate table, and others who get good
salaries, like livin' skeleton, eat at
hotel in the town where the circus
stops"
How about the pay Of curiosity ?"
"Well, Circassian girl, if she's
cute, gets from $12 to $50 a week and
expenses. Then the manager gets her
a lot Of photographs taken at some
good studio and she sells 5hem and
gives him royalty. A good many Of
them are married to performers, Jug
| glers, cannon ball tossers, snake
charmers or something of that sort,
and he looks after her affairs and
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