Omaha daily bee., 1883-06-15
kindred market that the organization
Ia moosted.
TAE CIRCUS OF THE FUTURE.
Permanent Locations at Great Cen.
tors, as in the Days OF lmpe-
rial Rome.

Permanent Locations at Great Gen.
tors, as in the Days Of lmpe-
rial Rome.
Boston Hei aid.
1t Ia not possible that anybody has
forgotten the circus CT his boyhood
days. Then they we're used to hav.
ing an elephant or two. They had o
camel and o few other animals. There
was but one ring, and the performers
did not live at hotels, but tried to be
~contented with whatever good things
more likely they we're bad-the
gods sent them. There were no
sleeping oars then. The happiest man
was he who could pick up a nap here
or there on the road, when the fit took
him undisturbcd by the roaring Of the
lion or the loud talk of his keeper.
| Clrcuses then went to small towns,
comparatively speaking, such as the
big shows of this day can not afford
to visit. One tent, n braus band,
one rope. walker, n elephant, or
possibly two, one great rider, and a
few other individual specimens-these
made up the show Of the days of our
fathers. Talking with q friend just
now, he recalled the memories of his
frat circus down In Plymouth county,
and more thad fifty years ago. There
was one elephant attached to that
"Eet," by nsme,-snd she not many
years after crushed the head of her
keeper, which he oon6dingly placed In
her mouth. Foolish man, foolish els.
plant. The animals of this day are
better trained and held In closer sub
lection. In the old days some Of
these shows exhibited In the open air
In the tavern yard, or some other
convenient place. While here at the
north, one doy or two was enough; In
smaller southern towns, q show would
stay q week. Here, fifteen miles was
as far as you could expect q man to &c
with his family to q circus. Down
there, fifty miles wasn't a great dis.
lance.
There Is nothing particularly new
about the circus of the present. There
Is an awful lot more of it-too much,
some psople think. But Mr.. Watson
had other Ideas of tho CIRCUS of the
past. Els recollection went no fur
Their back, but his suggestions did.
There have been circuses for swo thou,
sand years, and, IL one thinks for 6
minute, 1t will BIO seen how easy wal
the transition from the old circus oil
classical days to that of these late,
times. Twenty centuries ago they
did things on q tremendous scale. II
Rome, for example, there wss the cir
Gus Maxlmus. In the time o.
Sulius Ce'ar 1t was 1876 feet Ions
and 625 feet wide. The depth of th'
buildire surrounding the space wa,
about 312 feet. Its dimensions wer,
subsequently much greater. All tn,
ciroi In Rome, of which there were
considerable number, are nearly ob
liberated, but a circus on the App,0.
way, about two miles from Rome
known as tho Circus of Maxentino, 1
still In o state Of preservation. 1t
construction Is believed to have diff
f9red very little from that If othe
ancient buildings for similar purposes
Along the sides and at the end wer
ranges of stone seats for the specta
tors. At the other end were the car
ceres, or stalls, covered and furnishe,
with gates, Ia which the horses on,
chariota were driven, terminating a
both ends In milae, or goals. Tn
games were inaugurated by o procea
sion from the capitol, In which per
sons bearing the images of the god
went frat, and were followed by til
performers In tho games, tho consul
and others. Tho circus Yves psrticr
lsrly designed for races. A pitche
battle was sometimes represented
Sea fights were occasionally exhibited
Vast sums Of money were expeude
under the empire for the killing {
{ Wild beasts. Pompey gave public OK
B hibitions In the circus for five sue
= cessive days, during which FIVE hur
2 dred lions and twenty elephants weE
destroyed.
"The circus of the future" said Nj
Watson, "interests me much nor
3 than the exhibitions of the days an
years gone by. Think of Its possibill
ties! We can't do things on the sea-
of the Romans. The coming showma
I will consider our big shows too bi,
: Even now people look with ~suspicio
I upon the man who honestly advertise
Q that he can seat fifteen thousand pc,
pie under his canvas. But what q III
tie handful that is compared with IL
8 throngs who were accommodated, I
the existing ruins show they could b
: at Rome and Athens aud Alexandra
In Jerusalem, 1t may interest son
people to know. there are the ruins
Q great circus building. But none
these were to be compared to Rome
Circus Msxlmus, which had affairs ar
n chapels, images and statues Of IL
deities. In 1t was an iron railing
high as one man upon another, or
also a ditch to protect the people fro
possible injury from the performer
Now, what this suggests to me Ia tn
n the circus of the present will disaT
pear; the circus of a half century az
nobody wants. The circus of TWEEN
centuries ago we can not have. VIII
n we shall have Ia q combination. I'll
o msgniicence and permanenoe of struc
ures of the Roman empire, the Gin
d pliclty and %singleness, SO to speak,
@ the more recent days, but no tire
0 ring displays. They sound we'll Wit
II you read an advertisement, but fe
n people can lookintwo direotionsa at on
IT They are the best we have, but by al
by we shall have better; the best t
o world can afford In the way of move
II ties and feats of skill and daring, b
70 an much superior In style and 81
rs roundlngs to tho show of to-day as G
h be imagined. A combination of L
~oooao .oIlJitr xalth Ao,o.toan ank.