, 1889-08-22

opera, does not exist, except on the
stage"
"fIow Is IL that your racc takes natur
ally to Juggling and balancingY'
THAT Is difficult to explain. II re.
quires quick hand and eye to juggle
and those requisites seem to be possessed
by my fellow countrymen in an eminent
degree. Little boys IN Japan, instead of
playing baseball or going in swimming
Will amuse themselves balancing feathers
on their noses and juggling balls from
one hand TO another. Boys, there as
well as here, are initiative, and they try
to do what they see so often in shows
| think that japanese boy Is more pro-
cocious than an American. We have in
the company q twelve-year.old boy who
can do most anything, and his intelli-
gonce is surprising. ! confess that early
training has tendency 70 nuke n boy
mature more quickly. IL does not ncccs-
sarily injurc him physically or mentally.
one of Japan's greatest all-around
acrobats and barrel balancers Is over 40
years of age, and still in the vigor of
nanhood. He began when he was an
infant, you might say, ana has had
little, II any rest, from that early period,
lie has taken care of himself and cN-
cmpliiies fully the splendid preservation
that awaits old age If dissipation Is
avoided, Some of our great athletes in
Japan are skillinl fcnCers and horseback
riders, and the arena I'm my country Is
often the scene OF u magnificent tourney,
where swordsmen, mounted on pranCing
stecds, meet in mock conflict. Our peo-
pie are fond Of exhibitions of that kind,
and encourage the use of weapons of de-
| fense. In ancient times the Japanese
were noted swordsmcn, and many
| legends have been handed down of the
prOwess of famous warriors. The minute
technique, so to speak, of great Japanese
"A lt.tlN
! pletely lost and unupprcclated in the
| large three, four and five ring circuscs
| in America. The audience Is too far
| away to appreciate the fine points, and
the confusion of other performances
going on at the same time III other rings
Is very distrncting In thoator the
Jap can do his tricks with more success
and aplomb. Sumugato swinging
like monkey on II pendulating polo,
looks easy but 1t Is difficult feat and
requires great agility, strength and cool.
ness. The vast audience In the circus is
simply struck with the boys pictur.
esque costume and Ia Is Japanese fan.
Imagine swinging pole, slick as can
| be, and just large enough for the boy to
get his hands two.thirds around, placed
before you for the purpose OF climbing
| 10 the top of the tent. Well, q pole that
| is stationary is hard to climb with the
/ bark on IL, 80 IL is not ditiicult.to under
stand the skill required To ascend and
| perform in midair upon u penduluting
| slick pole. What is the secret of his
/ success? Early training and natural
/ aptitude. We teach rope walking i'm
/ Japan, but we have no pole to balance,
| indeed, nothing to give assistance, save
a small fan, which is really no help.
/ There are some acts which seem to fol.
low each other naturally Ia the roper
toire of a firSt.class performer Sulnu-
| gato's repertoire comprises seven dill
| cult acts, each requiring II physical
ability peculiarly fitted for that partcu-
| lar performance"
RIVALS now
Do you think that in time Japanese
| performers will rival the Eurupeans?n
In our unique way we rival them
now. What we do as athletes, iugglcrs
or high rope walkers we certainly do
well. We never initiate in our perform.
ancos. What we know and do has de.
sCended to us from our ancestors. and Is
essentially Japanese. The Anglo SaNon
] has gathered his experience and odticu.
| ton from the civilized and uncivilizcd
nations. He does not initiate, he en-.
gratis and utilities everything To his ad.
vantage. That Is right, because IL is
| progress. We have our peculiar customs
| and habits, and for many years they
| have remained unchanged. OF late we
I cVinCed a desire for progress. and to-day
our people are studying and advancing,
Our jugglers and acrobats perform
| throughout the civilized world and
while they may not do any tricks here
| they have learned from \ 0cricaus, vet
as soon they go back hong they will On.
graft and utilize just LIKE the Anglo.
| SaNuns.'