The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-26
-TWASA GREATSHOW
Nearly Twenty Thousand
Visited RobinsOn's Circus.
4 GRAND BIBLICAL SPECTACLE.
c.,osssl Procession Features, Bewitch-
ine Ballet and Impressive Sacri-
fetal Ceremonies.

Robinson's circus has come and gone
after delighting nearly, If not quite 10000
rerson, at its two performances yesterday.
The reputation of furnishing the best
things obtainable to his patrons, which
followed "old John Robinson's" show
throughout the life of its founder, did not
die with him. 1t holds as good today as
Il did twenty years ago. The menagerie,
circus and hippodrome features at the two
exhibitions given here yesterday were
fully equal if not superior, to those pre-
sented to Seattle audiences last summer by
Sells Bros. and Forepaugh, while the mag
nificent spectacle of Solomon places the
Robinson show beyond comparison. 1t is
the best circus that has ever visited Seat
lie. There was every possible arrange
ment, too, for the comfort and conven-
fence of the spectators. Polite attendants
supplied their wants, while the pro-
eramme was carried through with an I'M
usual promptness that was refreshing.
No less than 5000 people hocked to the
tent in the afternoon and II, 600 in the
evening, and in either of those great
throngs it would have been like the pro-
verbal hunt for the needle in the haystack
to have picked out single individual who
could argue himself out of the idea that he
had his moneys worth and more, and
there was not dissenting voice in voting
the pre-eminent feature'to be the represen-
tstion of the glare and glamour of the
court of the ancient Jewish king. The
settings were on an excellent scale-done
BY the brush of John Retteg, the famous
artist Of Cincinnati, who prepared for the
- - 4
of Babylon, Rome Under Nero, and
Montezuma. On throne of glittering
spendor King Solomon, in his royal vest
ments, reviewed the companies of armored
soldiers and trains of attendants who
passed before him.
The scene of the burnt Offering was i'm
pressive in the extreme. The entry and
reception of the queen of Sheba with all
the pomp of the Orient was a beautiful
scene. Preceded by heralds announcing
her coming, and slaves bearing caskets
filed with the riches of her domains as
presents for the great king, she was borne
along on platform adorned upon the
greatest scale of magnifcence. Following
her welcome came a grand triumphal pro-
cession-a dazzling pageant in which near
ly 500 people participated-bands of &C
coutred soldiers alternating with COM
panies Of bewitchingly attired dancing
girls in the escort of honor.
The acme of the grand spectacular expo
stion was reached in the scene represent
ing the ballet before the king in honor of
his distinguished guest. A vast number
of girls, dressed in the most lovely cos
tunes, danced before the royal lookers-on.
ov,ia IF cd
in robes of yellow, red, lavender and olive,
with glistening decorations that fairly
daazled the eye, gllded through the dreamy
movements with a grace and precision that
denoted the most careful training 1t was
hundred dancers doing the serpentine at
once, the attractiyeness of the dance great
ly enhanced by the remarkable comblna-
ton numbers made possible. A more
wonderful display of the rhythmic move
ments of the human body could not be
imagined, and it ELECTED frequent bursts of
applause from the charmed spectators. The
spectacle closed in burst of glory, the
brilliant costumes of the ballet empha-
sized under the glare Of the electric lights
and the colored rays of the calciums,
while the beauty of the effect was greatly
heightened by the streams of fragrant in
cense rising from the great censers and
chaices. In the background grouped the
soldiers and attendants, while the royal
pair on the throne made a fitting center
piece.
But the attractive things of the show
was not confined to the spectacle. There
were all the necessary features of the first
class circus-bareback riding, tumbling,
feats OF skill and daring, contortion and
balancing acts-all in the first rank of
their kind. Next to the spectacle. proba-
bly, the most popular part of the pro-
gramme were the hippodrome races. Ex-
cept those intended for burlesque. they
were all sharply contested, with desperate
driving finishes Of the kind that set the
blood all atingle.
To sum up the performance needs only
the statement that it excelled in every
feature. 1t afforded everything promised
oy the management to the public, and
even more. 1t is certainly the best show
mat has ever visited Seattle.
AN ABLE ADVANCE MANAGER.