Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-07-10
LIFE'S GREAT SURPRISE.
Something That is Evident in All u
Undertakings of Men.

Something That is Evident in All the
Undertakings of Men.
There is q certain desire planted in the
breast of man, wherever man may be
found, which keeps him continually on the
lookout for something surprising to turn
up, something to awaken his wonder and
astonish1ent. This is evident in almost al
| the undertakings OF men-the minister, the
doctor. the soldier, the lawyer. Eve-y
man, according to his means or his calling,
likes to surprise his fellow-man, whether
by his experiences or his oddity, accord.
ing to the inclination Of the man or the
circumstances by which he is surrounded.
From the earliest times men have congre-
gated togetherin thousands for the purpcse
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 temples, and nations
gave great national fete-days, upon which
occasions whole communities turned out
en- masse and sought to appease this desire.
As the world grows older the desire re-
ierred to grows also, and now, in this age
OF huge events, the amusement-loving pub
lie embraces all the sensible, happy people
in this not too happy world.
The class OF amusement which is the
most popular ID the circus, and the cir
cuses OF to-day are 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 il popularity
in accordance with the degree OF merit pos
sessed by them, it is a natural result 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
Brothers Monster World Menagerie and
Great Quadruple Circus, which will exhibit
at Butte, July %. 1886. Why it is SO we
propose to tell in this article. In the first
place, the Big Sells Show is composed Of a
whole world of wonders to he seen with no
other show anywhere on top Of earth; il
he's the largest and best menagerie ever
collected anywhere, which embraces all the
known types Of zoology, including all and
excepting none. There is not more than
one chance in a lifetime allotted to a man
in which he can see all the known quadru-
peds Of the brute creation. Chief among
the various attractions to be witnessed in
the great menagerie may be mentioned Il
pair of huge hippopotami, q mammoth
male and monster female hippopotamus-
huge, shambling river horses, which sweat
huge drops OF blood at every pore. Another
rare and very singular feature il the 81
RATES. to be seen in this great aggregation
an animal heretofore considered entirely
too delicate tr be kept a prisoner.
and which is quite ephemeral in existence,
requiring the best care and utmost atten-
ton; the only pair OF coal-black African
tigers, and the only black named lions on
earth. 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 beautiful.
There is q striking feature connected With
the managerie which, by the way, occurs to
us now. The auditor who enters the men,
agerie tent is 10th to leave it, even after
the music strikes up for the grand arenir
performance to begin. We find ourselves
nov in the same box-we want to say
something OF the wonderful Touring show,
but we find it almost impossible for us to
tear ourselves away from the Great Worlds
Menagerie to refer to a circus which is
~immeasurably thelargest and indisputably
the best o earth. Two hundred frst-cIass,
all superior 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 host in himself. Whole troupes,
composed OF first-class stars, including
Wm. Sells, the wo~rld-renowned bareback
rider; Don Jere Bell. likewise illustrious;
Frank H. Gardner, another also honored;
the wonderful Stirk family, whose unicycle
and bicycle riding astonishes the world
and so on down the two hundred. To
attempt to do justice in detail would be to
attempt an impossibility. We must only
say that each is good, and that all are
great.