Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-04-09

N--"--J
Merry World.
Special correspondence of Gaze.te and journal
New YoRK, April 3.-The circus has
come to town, and every man, woman and
ghost feels at least 20 years younger while
every small boy is at least assured that
there is some happiness to be gotten out of
life. The. elephant is as stolid and us
funny-looking as ever-civilization has not
added to the length of his tail or suited it
better to his size; the tigers glare at you
and give you the shivers in a most fetch
ing way; the lions look as dirty and smell
as bad as formerly; the performing horses
and dogs are as awe-inspiring as they ever
were.
THE INFLUENCE OF THE CIRCUS.
It's marvellous how young the circus
does make you feel You return to your
first ambition. If you are a woman you
long to be the beautiful lady who, wearing
short skirts of tulle, rides a white horse
bareback and jumps through paper rings
like fairy-at least as you suppose a
fairy would do II You are man. You
don't know whether you would rather be
the clown or the ringmaster, with his long
whip but you incline to the ringmaster.
he circus is the one place on earth where
the rich and poor meet together and enjoy
themselves alike Providence made them
all, and Barnum achieved the circus, at
which the laugh of the beggar is as keen
as that Of the millionaire; and the lion
and the elephant gaze with equal COM
placency on velvet or rags, provided both
are accompanied by an apple. You don't
get one bit more pleasure out of tho
riding, or the ponies or the dogs, or
the trapeze performers if you are in q
box than does The poorest ragamuilin on
one Of the highest seats Talk about the
odors of Araby They are simply no.
where beside that Of the sawdust While.
if you are a real human being, the blood
dances in your veins, your eyes feel MS if
YOU want to see everything at once, and
your heart gives great throb of ecstasy
when the first crack Of the ringmaster's
whip heard.
FEAST OF APPLES AND PEANUTS.
regard the circus as a great moral fac
tor in society, and | think with me in this
opinion have every small boy and every
large boy in the United States one great
JOY of the circus is that you can eat All
the men who have studied Arabic and
know the secret of the Sphinx and won't
tell it, are yet unable to explain the reason
why sawdust gives an appetite; but you
can consume peanuts BY the quarts apples
by the dozen, and the most dried-up
sponge cakes you ever saw are eaten as if
they had been fresh and dainty and Just
from the oven of the gods. fur myself,
draw the line at mlnt-sticks; but, once
within the odor of the saWdust and the
animals, feel like calling uut, Give me
liberty to eat, or give me death p | gen
orally get the liberty to eatat least al
ways have.
WHY IS THE CIRCUS EDUCATING?
will tell you. You see there are all the
animals that meandered around in the
ark, and you get to know Il great deal from
the acrobats about balancing yourself in
moments of uncertainty, as, for instance,
when you are on the top of ladder which
is not firmly poised. You learn the value
of a pleasant manner when you see the
most famous rider in the world kiss her
hand and smile at the boys all over the
house, and then hear the applause that
follows; and YOU learn how valuable it is
to be generous when you circulate among
the elephants distributing apples, for the
next elephant, who is expecting one, has
his mouth open wide, and gives you the
most expansive grin you ever saw.
NOAH AND THE TURKEY
In your early life did you have an inti-
mate acquaintance with Noal's Ark ? And
In the best-populated one did you ever see
a turkey2 There are ducks beautiful
ducks, some red, with blue spots on them,
and some brilliant orange dotted in a
minute way with purple; but never, never
did you see turkey. That miserable,
dried-np bird wasn't recognized as worth
saving in the days of Noah. Without any
exception he Is the most tasteless and the
ugliest beast that ever lived; and Noah
showed that he was man who knew IL
good thing when he saw ii when he ex-
cluded the turkey from the ark However,
perhaps he didn't exist in those days and
he may be the result of civilization il has
fathered SO many offensive things. have
always had an idea that Noah was the sort
Of man who would know how to order
dinner.
woMAN's IDEA or NoAns ARK.
You remember how he slooks? In any
ark he has onayelow frock,
while siiem wears q green one and Ham is
radiant in q pink one He would call
them in and he would say, Let's have
good dinner to-nightn And they would
say, lou order it; You have got good
ON the half shell, turtle soup, oyster crabs
chicken livers en- brochette nm underdont
duck, green salad with a bit of cheese
cup of coffee; he would drink a good bottle
Of Burgundy during his dinner, and h6
would finish up with a glass of coguac
Now most Of these things were on the
lrk, so they didn't have to go to market,
md what they hadn't ON board Shem and
Ham could fish for overheard. You see,
here was great deal of forethought about
the ark-it is a pity people
ion't give. as much nowadays to
Z
,hildhood who didn't possess Noah's ark.
i figured largely in mine, and that is the
'eison | love 1t. | have seen numerous
,rothers made sick by their efforts to get
III the sweetness possible out of the Noah
amily when the German toy-makers put
movable paint on them, and green mouths
md blue ones, and tongues of lurid red re-
uted. They never seem to hurt anybody;
nd, please goodness do give your baby
uch things to play with, and not whatare
nown as educating toys'-let them he
lissfully ignorant for a little while, at
east. Just fancy hearing one child say to
mother, II like YOU Madeline, but can't
ak to you, because my mamma Is afraid
hat you will have bad effect on my
.nglish.' OF course, want children to
peak good English. OF course, | think
he only way for them to learn is to hear
but when the hearing of it continually
lakes nasty little prigs like this l should
refer that my daughter spoke darky, or
oWery, or even Sixth avenue. The
lildren and the people who never have
avs of ignorance never know days of hap
mess. Isn't that so?
WILL THIS CATCH MS EYE?
With the spring young woman's fancy
ot only turns to thoughts of love AMI
aster bonnets, but it drifts again 10 tllu
and parties are made tln Ia
e what will be the result of the sunliGcr
.mpaign. Mine proved rather disastrous.
mike the last woman, who told ;ntMF4.J
ought to have been al artist, this 55i5-l
sted that l ought to have bcla 4 atil--
an. Now, love TO listen 10 aii ih H.. nl
Heetly sung, 1 DO not care ipi ihe @!y !.
UGH rather hear a good haH,lar.tt
e popular airs of the day. Sirs r.0.
would marry very late IL L. !, ,...,