The Irish standard., 1891-02-21
TRICKS OF AcRoBATs.
An OId-Time Turnbler Tells How to Turf
q Somersault.

An OId-Time Turnbler Tells How to Turn
Somersault.
sWhat man or boy ever went to cir
Gus or variety show, where troupe OF
acrobats were on the bills, without hav-
ing avague sort Of hankering to be able
to throw pretty somersault or series
of neat .t1ips'? If his blood ever does
flow through his veins at times faster
than at others, it is when he sees neat
brother act wound up with the roll
over accompanied by the familiar Hi
va! Hi-ya of the performers, and the
band playing as if crazy
These remarks were delivered by
short, stout little man, as he sat at a
table in the bar of one of the quieter of
the uptown hotels. Not ten years ago his
name appeared on three-sheet posters
in letters foot high, says the New
York Sun.
'sHard to learn? Why, bless you, no.
All the talk about having to be double
jointed and without backbone is bosh
Of the worst kind. A man certainly
wants the stiffest kind of back, and
good strong pair of legs, or he will never
be tumbler or leaper.
"Mind you, don't allude to this con-
tortion business; that's different. When
say the stiffest kind Of back ] don't
mean one that can't be bent to reason
able extent, but one set up with good
strong massachusetts which, when
called upon for a little extra effort, will
respond with some vim. We have often
heard that it requires constant practice
for years, dating almost from the cradle,
to become finished acrobat Why,
never did flip in my life until was
eighteen years old, and if there was
anybody in the ring who could throw
higher somersault, or get over more ele-
plants than could when was twenty,
l never ran across him.
''How did learn it all? Easy enough.
All you need is set of 'l,1nges' and
mattress.
"May be you don't know what 'lunges'
are. Simplest arrangement you ever
saw. just a, broad leather belt, with a
ring at each side, from which two light
MANILA cords run up through coupleof
pulley-bloclzs screwed into the ceiling.
The ends Of the cords are held by some
body who knows what he is about,
and that's all. With this rigging you
can learn ali there is to know about
tumbling, from plain handspring to
the three-hig} sornersault down to the
bottom mans shoulders, and not risk
your neck nearly as much as you do 60
ing down a toboggan~slide, Give me a
man who is ordinarily active, who has a
little pluck and perseverance, and will
teach him to jump up and turn over be-
fore he is two days older.
''You see, d man is heavier from his
waist down than he is up bove. When
he gets into the 'lunges, no matter how
awkward his attempt is, he is bound to
flop around right side up, providing the
man who holds the ropes don't ease up
on them too much. Why, it's as simple
and safe as eating your dinner!
1.-THE ability to throw sou1ersat1lt,
forward or backward is the foundation
on which all tumbling acts are built,
and this is how to do it: Stand squarely
on your feet. Don't keep them too close
together, and be sure you have q good
balance. Then rock forward little
until your weight rests on the balls of
your feet, then give a sharp spring up
ward, at the same time lifting with the
arms and shoulders. Practice this lift
few times until you get the idea. You
will find it will add foot to the height
of your Jump. Now you are ready to
turn over. The next time you jump up
throw your hands high over your head
and give your head quick jerk back
ward at the same time. If the instant
you feel your feet leave the ground, by
drawing them up under you you will
find that they will swing around so as
to meet your hands, if you want to
reach for them. Just catch hold of your
knees and give little pull and you are
over.
'"That's the back The forward is
Oh the same principle, only the head
and arms are thrown forward after the
lift The only hard part of it is to
make a neat landing and not, after ac-
complishing the somersault, strike on
your feet, and, pitching forward fall all
over yourself. A little practice will en-
able you to know just when to expect
to land, and then you can begin to put
SOne Sbyic luLo JOuI "Cl H. Aou dA .
now ir, fair way to become gymnast.
All the rest is easy when you once get
command of yourself"
Mexican Trickery.
The Mexicans on the border have an
ingenious plan for cheating their Gov
ernment out of postage. In Mexico the
rates are high. Foe instance, it costs
ten cents to send letter from any OF
the river towns to the City of Mexico,
or provinces south of there, and Ave
cents to nearer points. The gceasers
are not at all lacking in triclsery. In
stead of paying the high rates of their
own Government, they simply paddle
across the river, buy two-cept Ameri-
can stamp and mail their letters to any
point in Mexico they please. They
take dollars worth of trouble to save
a few cents; but then the Government
is cheated, and there is some salts
faction in that The officials have tried
to stop the business, but they couldn't
do it.
The Milk Supply of London.