The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-23
TIE FATE OF THE CLOWN.
Robbed of His Dignity. He Lives on BIS
Past GlOr.es
From the ChfcaOo Times

4
Past Glor:es.
From the CHICAGO Times.
'There are only few of US left, he said
with a patronizing air that took of the
touch of egoLism-"only a few of US left
Time vas when it took wise man TO te a
clown; now it takes-well, an average fool
don't say much. but bleed inwardly."
Frank Reynolds, the clown. was IN a
reminiscent mood as be stood in the dressing
| tent preparing for the afternoon perform
ance The appointments of the room were
not sumptuous, nor was Reynolds toilet
| elaborate Rows of battered, weather
stained trunks encumbered the space. Heaps
| Of gaudy trappings, the diSjecta membra of
many an assumed character, were scattered
| on every side. 1t was one of tnose ill
| equipped apartments IN which modesty
| finds its sole Green In q vacant stare. The
clowns costume was a mixture of the
antique and the modern. 1t consisted OF
pair Of shoes and a pair Of trousers Prepa
rat0ry to a bath, the star was shaving be-
fore an inch or two of looking-glaSs tackled
to the center-pole. A WATERFALL served as
a shaving mug and the till Of the trunk as q
table.
convenient, isn't itT continued the
clown holding a cake of soap in one hand
and lathering his face with the other. "Ah,
well, such is circus life. Clowns! There
are none nowadays. As class we're like
the mastodon plesiosaurus-an extinct race.
There used to be clowns though-the genu-
inc article w. f. Wallet, Harry Brown,
Jim Seal, Jim Veal, Joe Pentland, Sam
Long, Bob Williams and Dan Rice were
giants. They were the chief attractions of
the shows the features that most advertised.
Tney played IN a small ring where they
made grimsces the people could see and in
dulged in sharp repartee that the people
could hear. They cracked jokes at every
thing and everybody, and the ringmaster
cracked his whip at them. Great days,
those Great pay, tool The clowns then
we're artists, and, as a rule, we're as con-
ceited as they were adoredn
And now"
well, we've nothing left but our ego
tism, and that, owing to our constant snubs,
is pretty well dwarfed. Big rings and null
tiple performances gagged our mouths
years ago. We're not allowed to say any
thing; we could not be heard If we were.
mime, nothing more. The fellow who can
fall --LATEST or most awkwardly, make the
most wretched apology for silent laugh
get in the way and be kicked aside most
frequently-in short. the fellow who has
the hardwood to go before a multitude of
people and make an ass of himself for
pittance when he has the assurance that not
one III JnOusanu is paying Jne SIlSnUeSt AZ
tention to him. is the best clown
Don't see where there hardihood comes
inP' calculated the clown, vigorously scrap
ing the razor over his face without looking
in the glass-an art acquired by fifteen
years OF practice on the road. Just
imagine being the least conspicuous char
acter in host of performers-people to be
looked at chiefly ON account of the tinsel
and the way in which they are grouped for
10. =
in the ring to-day who does not claim pub
lie recognition on account of some trick ami
mal-some measly cur that has the faculty
of turning somersaults, a monkey that can
Keep Its equilibrium on a donkey's back or
an ambitious hog-Lord, how full the world
is of them!-that can smoke a pipe The
clown now is an adjunct of his pets, and
borrows glory from their intelligence
Glorious position to be ringmaster for apes,
ours and Jackasses, isn't it, Grand old Dan
Rloel He doesn't blush to go out temper
ance lecturiDg and get drunk after tue per
formopce, but he would outblush clowns
rouge brush we're he compelled to enter the
ring under the circumstances WE do now.
And the worst of 1t is that our pay has been
cut down proportionately with our dignity"
And the outlook%
''Tbere b no outlook, and there will be
none SO long as showmen persist in crowd
at one time and making provisions for en-
tertaining all creation under a single tent.
The mere intent sof the undertaking neces-
states making up in the number of so-called
clowns what Is lacked IN Legitimate artists.
Barnum, for instance, has little army of
novtces-callow youths who have borrowed
gag here and gag there, posture from
this artist and a grotesque tumble from
that. They attudinize year in and year out
to the tune of eight dollars week. There's
one OF them now," pointing to a beardless
boy who was making love to pet monkey
"lhey originate nothing They could not
say bright thing If their future happiness
depended upon it. Yet they are all clowns,
brook their own mediocrity for the sake of
their bare bread and butter aad immunity
from harder work"
Reynolds, oblivious of the glass, scratched
viciously at his face, the antique part Of his
garb becoming of greater extent as the ex-
ertion caused the modern articles of ap-
parel to gravitate.
YES, there are only a few-but pshawl-
it isn't our fault. When American show
men profit by European examples, there will
be some hope for us. In the old country
they have small rings. The shows are con
Quoted about as our theaters are Instead
of tents, they have elegant permanent
buildings. The clowns study new roles and
go from place to place. They make hit
and profit by it. There is some incentive
to continuous persistent study. But here,
alas! big tents, big programmes, the biggest
show on earth, and littlest clowns Now
please wear your far-away look and I'll take
a bath. No Call again, and I'll tell you
some more about the woes of the profess
sion."