The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-18
DRUMMING UP BUSINESS.

The Efforts Put Forth by the ModsrA Cir
Gus for Patronage.
For the past day or two the little and the
big people of Helena have been studying
the pictures of scenes in Forepaug's circus,
which will show in Helena August q. Al
most everyone believes that the great
est amount of work connected with a CIRCUS
is in putting up the tents and carrying the
animals and people from one town to
other. Geo. H. Robinson, the first advance
agent of the show. arrived in Helena Tues
day with his advertising car and eighteen
assistants, and Yesterday talked very inter
e~stingly about his business. Mr.. Robin
sons car is No. 4 md is known as the Fly
ing Dutchman. It generally precedes the
show about two months, and came to Hell
ena directly from Salt Lake, with a thirty
day stock of Autographs and banners, a
buted about Helena and posted in every
available place. The car itself is quite a
curiosity. In one end is the private
office of Mr.. Robinson and the
rest of the car is taken up with
compartments in which are kept hun
as to be conveniently handled. Over these
lockers are berths, the same as in Pullman
coaches, for the use of those who travel in
the car. About the first Of July another
advertising car will bs in Helena. with
other styles of posters. and these will take
the place of those o displayed. Follow
ing this ear will come two others before the
date of the circus, with still other adver-
Using matter. Then III addition to the cars,
grip agents will travel over the route the
circus intends to follow, distributing a diff
fereEt kind of literature. All of the mon
in charge OF these different advertising
az ncies are selected with especial refer
MIA tn thar ffnosa for tina nnolt10n md
because of their experience. In addition
to billing the city where the show will
stand, men are sent 100 miles north, south,
east and west, and every available place is
used for advertising purposes. Each of the
four agents in charge of cars pursues this
course.
Blu. this is only the beginning of the cam
paign for patronage. Following the first
poster agent comes tho newspaper man.
The duty of the latter is to advertise the
show in the newspapers, write the display
advertisements and the local notices. and
do everything to keep the place Of exhibit
ton and date before the people. Following
the newspaper agent comes the man who
selects the ground for the CIRCUS and looks
after some other details. Then comes the
most important man OF oil. SO faf as the
country people are concerned. This is the
one who sees the railroad officials and
makes the arrangements for excursion
rates. His is delicate duty because he
wants to make the rates low enough to in
duce people to come to the circus from q
distance OF fifty miles or over, and to do
this he must guarantee the railroads a GER
tain amount of traffic.
EYES," said MIR. Robinson yesterday, "the
circus has now Cotton down to d legitimate
business basis. The two most extensive
shows in the country, Forepaugh's and Bar
NUNS, leave no stone unturned to bring in
all the business there is in any locality
where they show. More than 100 men are
constantly in the field as advance agents.
eral manager. This latter official makes
his headquarters in Philadelphia till the
show gets west of Chicago. Then he di-
reefs movements from that city. From
Chicago he will go to Omaha, and then to
Portland. Every man on the road reports
to him daily by wire, telling what he has
done and what the prospects are for bust
ness. 1t is not the fault of the general
manager if every person in Montana does
not know when our show will exhibit in
Helena. Then, again, these two sh%owshave
concluded that the most profitable way to
run each is to keep out of one
another's way, and since 1885
there has been no conflict between
them. For two or three seasons previous
to that time there was a great deal of
rivalry on the white elephant proposition,
and each lost money owing to it. This is
the first time ForepauGh's show has visited
Montana. If we are successful OF this trip,
next year Bnrnum's show will follow our
route of this season and we will take his.
In this way the people have a different show
each year, and it pleases them better, while
the circus people make more money. Why,
these big exhibitions have got the thing
down 80 fine now that no lemonade vend-
ers or faklrs of any sort are allowed in the
tents, and they keep wedding the employees
out year after year, until to-day the man
who travels with this show will compare
favorably as regards sobriety and good be-
haviour with any class of ordinary labor.
Our people spend about 5000 every day,
from the time the show leaves Philadel-
phia in the spring till it returns in October
and they depend largely on printers ink to
make this and a profit besids.o
Mr.. Robinson goes from Helena to Butte.
then to Missoula and then on to Spokane.
The show will only exhibit at three towns
in Montana, Helena, Butte and Missoula.
Fireworks! fiIework! at Wholesale only. The
Bee Hive has a large lots of fire works for Fourth
OF July celebration which they are selling a,