, 1889-08-15
alIy 10 iugglIne and bnlnnclnr?o

ally to Juggling and balnncing2'
THAT Is difficult to explain II re-
quires quick hand and eye to lugglc,
and those requisites seem TO be possessed
degree. Little boys IN Japan, instead Of
playing baseball or going In swim ming
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 50 often In shows.
! think that II japanese boy Is more pre-
Cocious than an American. We have in
the company II twclve-year-old boy who
can do most anything, and his iutClli-
gence Is surprising. | confess that early
training has a tendency to- make u boy
mature more quickly. ltdoes not neces-
sarily injure him physically or mentally.
acrobats and barrel balancers is over 90
years of age, and still In the yigor Of
manhood. He began when he was an
infant, you might say, and has had
little, ii any rest from that early period.
He has taken care of himself and cN-
cmplities hllly the splendid preservation
that awaits old age if dissipation Is
avoided. some of our great athletes IN
Japan are skillnll fencers and horseback
riders, and the arena in my country l.
often the scene of magnificent tourney,
where swOrdsmen, mounted on pruncing
stecds, meet In mock conflict. Our peo-
pie are fond of exhibitions of that kind
and encourage the use of weapons OF dc.
Tense. In ancient times the japanese
were noted swordsmcn, and many
legends have been handed down of the
prowCss of famous warriors. The minute
technique, so to speak, of great japanese
jugglcrs and barrel balancers is COM
pletely lost and uuappreciated in the
large three, -four and five ring circuses
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 In other rings
II very distraCNng. In u theater the
Jap can do his tricks with more success
and aplomb. Sumugato swinging
like q monkey on n pendulating pole,
looks easy, but 1t is a difficult feat and
requires great agility strength and cool
ness. The vast audience in tho circus is
simply struck with the boys pictur.
esque costume and his Japanese fan.
Imagine u 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
to the top of the tent. Well, a pole that
bark on it, so IL is not diliicult!to under
stand the skill required to ascend and
perform in midair upon pendllating
slick pole. What Is tho secret OF his
success? Early training and natural
aptitude. We teach rope walking in
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 in the roper
toire of a iirst-class performer. Sumu-
gato's repertoire comprises seven diff
cult acts, each requiring physical
ability peculiarly fitted for that particu-
lar performance
RIVALS NOW.
Do you think that in time japanese
performers will rival the Europeans?"
In our unique way we rival them
now. What we do as athletes, .iugglers
or high rope walkers we certainly do
we'll. We never initiate in our perform
anCes. WhGt we know and do has de-
sCended to as from our ancestors. and is
essentially japanese. The Anglo Saxon
has gathered his experience and cduCa-
ton from the civilized and unciviliZed
nations He does. not initiate he en-
gratis and utilizes everything to his adj
| vantage. That is right, because 1t is
| progress. We have our peculiar customs
| and habits, and for many years thew
| have remained unchanged OF late we
| evinced q 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 Americans, vet
as soon they go back home they will en-
graft and utilize just like the Anglo.
/ SaNons.h