The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-10


other nonsense uttered by the modern cir
Gus clown.
Hut Here's one to q very doleful tune. how
usurers wife was brought to bed OF twenty
money-b bags at burthen. and how she longsd TO
eat adders' heads and toads carbonsdoed.
Mop Is IL true, think your
Ant. Very true, and but month old
Dor. Bless me from marrying usureri
Aut Here's another ballad OF Ash, that ar
peared upon the coast on Wednesday the four
score of April, forty thousand fathoms above
water, and sung this ballad against the hsrd
hearts of maids: It was thought she was
woman, and was turned into cold fish, for she
would not exchange flesh with one that loved
her: the ballad is very pitiful and as true
Ben Jonson in his "Alchemist" alludes
to the early use of the circus poster. Pup
pets are mentioned in 1641, and Punch as
early as 1866. In 1854 Evelyn saw the pro-
totype of the Happy Family" OF the mod
ern circus in shape of ''tame hon that
played Familiarity with lamb, sixIegged
sheep and a four-legged goose" lie re-
fers also to famous Spanish rope dancer
who performed before King Edward the
Sixth, and to q bearded woman who ex-
hibited herself. Nell Gwynne's first lover
was rope dancer. A favorite contest IN
cluded among the public sports in the time
of Queen Elizabeth was between two
old women grinning through morse
collar for a prize. In 1862 Will
lam Stokes published picture which
showed him vaulting over horses
and leaping on them, whether bareback
or wearing the saddle. The Duke OF Bur-
gundy kept giant and dwarf, and every
court in Europe had monster OF some
sort, and Walter Scott introduces the
famous dwarf, Godfrey Hudson, into his
picture of the court of Charles the First,
which eliminates his novel of "Peveril of
the Peak" The menagerie dates back in
England to Bartholomew Fair, in 170S,
where was shown a leopard from Lebanon,
an eagle from Russia, great mare of
the Tartarian breed, and a Titles hairy
monster from the desert of Arabia" A
"young mermaid, taken on the coast of
Acapulco" was shown in London in 1748;
the showmen anticipating Barnum by
nearly $50 years as humbug.
The founder of the modern circus was
Ashley, who began in London In 1870; he
died in 1914, and was succeeded by his son
who died in 1921. The Astleys were the
first to introduce elephants, camels, etc.,
into their horse spectacles, and they
founded Franconi's famous circus in
Paris. They were succeeded by Ducrow,
who was the first to introduce the eques-
trian pageant and performing elephants.
Tent or travelling circus began in England
in 1905, and on the start had but two
horses and but few feats by single per-
former. Ashley once had a prizefghter
added to his show, Clutch SAM" even as
a circus in our day once employed Sulli-
van for time. The American circus dates
back to 1880, but was feeble plant until
1880, when Purdy and WEIGH organized a
circus of twenty-four gray horses and
full band of eight members.
A first-class circus company includes 500
or 600 men, 300 to 400 horses, 20 elephants,
hundreds of other animals and canvas
outfit worth $4,000. The running ex-
penses are from $1,000 to 1900 day; the
total investment 100000 or more. The
enemies Of the circus business are bad
weather, poor crops, exciting politics or
local epidemics. Mining and manufacture
ing companies dread circus day. Pater-
SON, N. J., makes the license $1,000, and
Newark manufacturers estimate the loss
by the circus unsettling their workmen at
$4,000 day.
The modern circus bears so many birth
marks of its parents, the old mummeries
produced at the fairs in the Middle Ages,
that it is clear the calling of showmen of
this sort must have been, like the dramatic
profession during the sixteenth, seven
teenth and eighteenth centuries, an hered-
itary pursuit.