The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-10-04
THE GREAT SURPRISE OF LIFE.

There is certain desire planted in the breast of man, wherever man may be found, that keeps him continually on the lookout for something surprising to turn up, something to awaken his wonder and as;onishment. This is evident in almost all the undertakings ofmen-the minister, the doctor, the soldier, the lawyer. Every
 man according to his means or calling,
 likes to surprise his fellow man, whether
 by his expertness or oddity, according to the inclination of the man or the circum-
 stances by which he is surrounded.
 From the earliest times men have cor
 gregated together in thousands for the
 purpose of being amused, entertained or
 surprised, as the case may be, and, at times, for the indulgence of all three of the sensations named. For this purpose the ancients built huge and costly tenn pies, and nations gave great national fete- days, upon which occasions whole com
 munities turned out eu masSe and sought to appease this desire.
 As the world grows older the desire re- ferred to grows also, and now, in this age of huge events, the amusement-loving
 public embraces all the sensible, happy
 people in this not too happy world.
 The class of amusement which is the
 most popular is the circus, and the cir uses of to-day arc far in advance of any class of public entertainment.
 The circus is popular because it is the
 amusement Of the masses, and as circuses, like all things else, increase in popularity in accordance with the degree ef merit ksrt s< sr .ts that one circus must be the most popular, and consequently the best, and so it is.
 The circus now the most popular is the Sells Bros Monster 5oCage Menagerie and Great Four-Ring Circus, which will exhibit a; Little Rock on Saturday Oe,o- Der 4,h. Why it is so we propose to tell in this article. In the first place, the Big Sells Show IS composed of whole world of wonders 10 be seen with no other show anywhere on top of earth it has the largest and bes, menagerie ever collected anywhere, which embraces all the known types of zoology, including all and ex- ccpting none. There is no, more than onA chance in life time allotted to a man in wAleh he can see aHMs knosoa qHad ykpeN Q Me 6yEke eyealios. Chief amongNthe various attractions to be wit messed p the great menagerie may be pair of huge h,ppopotami, a mammoth male and monster female hippopotausps-huge, shambling river horses, which sweat huge drops of blood at every poie. Another rare and very singular feature is the giraffes to be seen m this great aggregation-an animal heretofore considered entirely too delicate to be kept prisoner. and which is quite ephemeral in existence, requiring the bex care, and the utmost attention. There are several other animals almost as curious; and it may be safely said that the tens of thousands of animals to be seen are certainly all rare, strange and wonderful
 There is striking feature connected with the menagerie, which, by the way, occurs to us now. The auditor who en- lers the menagerie tent is 10th to leave it, even after the music strikes up for the grand arenic performance to begin. We hnd ourselves now Tn the same box-we want to say something of the wonderful fous-rlng show, but we find t almost inn possible for us to tear ourselves away rom the Great 50 Cage Menagerie 10 refer to circus which IS immeasurably | he largest and iudisputably the best on | earth. Two hundred tirst-class, all-su- perior star artists. So do the Sells Bros. advertise the performers in their Great Circus, and so do they (the performers) appear. Two hundred performers, and | each one a hos, to himself. Whole roupes, composed of first-class stars. in- ,luding Mir. James Robinson, the world renowned bareback rider; Don Jere. Bell, likewise illustrious; Frank H. | Gardner, another also honored; the wonderful Stirk family, whose unicycle md bicycle riding astonishes the world | and so on down the two hundred. To attempt to do justice in detail would be | 0 attempt an impossibility. We must 'nly say that each is s od, and that all | Ire great.
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