Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-06
Circus Privileges.

1 What They Are. Their Worth and the I Language in Which They are Talked About.
 l From .hs New York Sun -.. In offering his services to managers for the approaching tenting season, circus man de; 1 scribes himself iu advertisement as Ca good, square hostler," and furthermore af ! firms that he ''never had superior as gene l rsl fxer. particularly street and licenses
 thorough handler of all privileges" In some inexplioable way the men of the sawdust arena have made unto themselves a language peculiar and to very great degree unintsIli gible to the uninitiated. Much of it un- doabtedly comes from gypsy sources, was talked generations ago among the horse riders of England. and was imported to this country by the Cooks and other old circus families Here fertile imaginations have en- l larged and enriched it with newly-coined words, idiomatic phrases and slang, Runtil it is l almost ss copious and queer as the ''thieves' batter" of London, with which, by the way, I it has much in common. Those by whom it | is most commonly used are the canvas men. hostlers, grooms, ring supernumeraries and other members of what may be chased as the humber divisions in the circus army. The I aristocrats of the ring-Dutten, Fish, Mel vile, Robinson and others-are seldom heard using it outside of the profession, and, ex- cept in dealing with their subordinates, hard \ ly ever is word of it allowed to pass the l lips of proprietors like James A. Bailey or P. l T. Barnum. But it is absolutely necessary ! for them all to know that language in order l to hold easy and clearly understood necessary l converse with the majority of minor circus | employees many of whom would have ex- l ceedingly limited vocabularies were their pe- ! culier ''patter" eliminated from their stock | of words Those who habitually use this | 1,,fr find o1on ! in the power it gives them of exchanging 1 ideas, purposes and warnings in presence of ''outsiders' who may be hostile to them l without being understood by others than | their comrades. In fact, 1t answers for 1 them most of the uses of a foreign tongue, l and they employ it at times without 8 | thought of it's comic incongrulty in the | gravest situations.
 Several years ago 8 circus company left I behind in Chicago a sick canVasman- The | poor fellow was not likely to recover, and 1 the best they could do for him was to put 1 him in a room of the Mattison House, and l make liberal provision for his care until the l end should come. Another canvasman, one l of his oldest and dearest friends, remained 1 behind to attend him. After few days of l pain nature began to give way. Beside the | bed sat his friend, 8 big, rough, but warm hearted fellow, over whose bronZed cheeks l tears of grief were flowing fast who looked ! up at the minister who had been called in | and said in 8 choking voice Stag his gog- I gles. he's goin'." [See his eyes, he is go l ing ]
 It is related that one time circus showing I in little Ohio town suddenly lost one of its l canyasmen After the canvas was ap and be- | fore time for striking it he wandered of l about the town. A revival meeting in a little l church attracted him. He listened to thrill | ling exhortation, felt himself 8 great sinner. 1 seated himself among the mourners, and | ,7rl ] The show went on and left him, but the l treasurer sent back to him the wages due on his account. He settled down in the town, became 8 member of the church, found plentS of profitable employment as carpen- ter, and lived an irreproachable life, but never could get ri& of his old habits of speech, except the swearing, which he left of entirely. Three four years went by du ing which circus visited that town. Then one came, and in its train of employees was 8 canvasmRn who had formerly been the converts closest "pard.'' The unregenerate newcomer chanced to meet his old friend and saluted him with profane explosion of exubera1t joy, to which the latter, while warmly grasping his hand, replied, pointing up to heaven 'tSilence, cully; stow your cackle. His Nibs hears you /" Never was an admonition against profanity more earnestly meant, but the mode of It's expression might, in the ears of the hypocriticaL have seemed to mar it's solemnity. He meant simply
 ssilence, comrade; restrain your words.
 God hears you"
 But this is Aggression suggested by that word s'hustler," which, an old circus man
 says, means Ca good. lively, industrious
 worker" nothing more. The general fix
 er's" business is the getting of licenses for
 showing in towns and cities, and obtaining
 permits for street parades An experienced,
 capable man, agreeable and smart, can save a
 good many dollars to show in the course of
 i'm dnin fhok unrE1 hx,, ks.l-
 cts as good as money to petty officials and
 occasionally, in some rough western locali-
 ties, the tact and good nature of ''fixer''
 have been of almost inesfimable value in
 making friends ahead of the show 'Fixer'
 Is shorter word than negotiator, and, for
 all practical circus purposes, is as good. That
 reference to the handling of privileges touch-
 es wider and more important ground The
 word privileges" when usad in circus asso
 citations, is meant to include all the various
 devices for capturing money in and about a
 circus other than the "big show itself Four