Connecticut western news., 1889-10-02
IAN ACROBAT'S LIFE.
HOW TUMBLERS ARE MADE AND ; HOW TREATED.
Hard Times With a Big Cirous---All Fines and No Fun.

Fines and No Fun.
 A pleasant faced gentleman with 8 thick neck, short curly hair, blue eyes, big arms and chest like barrel was sitting in hall the other afternoon.
 It was Fred Herbert the acrobat.
 Mr. Herbert was in communicative mood and in conversation with re- porter, let out some of the secrets of the business. .
 E'The first thing for you to do if you want to be an acrobat" said he ''is to learn to jump. The rest will come in time.
 "In instructing small child we us- ually commence by teaching him to stand on his hands. As soon as a child can walk on his hands properly we teach him to do split, which is getting down on the floor and stretch ing out the legs. No bone is broken as some people erroneously suppose. Any child can learn to do a split by continued practice, every day gaining little more until he gets all the way down.
 "The double somersault is turning two revolutions in the air before alight- ing on the feet. In teaching this we invariably use the rope or "machine," !" to prevent accidents, for sometimes the learner will balk or stop in the air, and were it not for the precaution taken would get very bad fall. By steady practice with the machine one can soon do the somersault, if he has the heart and nerve, for it requires heart, nerve and grit in our business, and the performer gets many a good hard knock which the audience never sees. He takes them without wincing, sus- tained by the excitement of his act, and suffers afterwards. The three high fall, or, as some call it, the ''tip;'' is simply to hold together stif1ly and keep in position on each others shoul- ders as long as possible: so as to get the feet to roll over, which does away with the shock and jar man could not we'll bear. This fall can be done sideways as readily as in front. s'In catching performer we aim to get squarely under him, getting his gauge while he is in the air. Occa- sionally the man in the air does not turn sufficiently, or keeps his feet too closely together when he is sure to catch the other acrobat on the head or ears. My ears have been caught so often that they are mass of Jumps and I have lost feeling in them. They still bleed freely, however, whenever caught, and I seem to be bearing an injury very heroically, when the fact is that I do not know anything at all about | it.
 "Acrobats, strange as it may seem, are never ill the slightest degree fatigued by their performances. On the contrary, after we get through our work, we are just begining to feel in good condition. l have often felt Gall broke up'' before going on, but after coming off could go on again and do better act. Take the general run of acrobats or circus people and you very rarely hear of sickness among them.
 .'Nowadays, with the large shows, performer is little better than slave. His interest is the last thing looked after by proprietors. With his fellows he is compelled to eat in the cook tent on the exhibition lot or what is called by courtesy the dining car. He has to ride horse in the parade for three hours in the morning covered with tin armor in the hot sun, and to do two or three acts during each performance CWlCc d uay. 11c lS llllcu II IlOC Icduy for parade, fined if not on hand to sing in the chorus in the clowns song, fined if not prepared for the entree, fined $25 for getting ''full'' and S25 for fighting. In short he has all excel lent chance to pay back all his salary in fines, and his salary is less than he could get in a theatre or variety com bination. On a Sunday route he will fast if he does not purchase his food the day before and take it with him. "In the small circus-commonly called the ten cent circus-the per former fares much better. His salary is larger, the accommodations superior, and he is boarded at good hotels, Besides, he has all the morning to- him. self-no three hours on horseback and that is why he can do better work in the ring. He is not altogether tired out when it is time for him to appear" <"
 Chicago ys. New York. Sounds of dire conflict came from