San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-04-27
A CIRCUS GIRLS LIFE.
Plenty of Hard Work but a Picni
in Some Other Respects.

cakes and ale"
So spoke Lille Meers, the cham
piOn equestrienne of England, now
travelling in this country.
"WOmen bareback riders COM
mand first-class salaries" she con-
tinued, "but they must be first
class performers. We have to be
as near perfection in our various
acts as possible, and consequently
we are obliged to practice for
hours each day. Exercise is an en-
cellent thing, but there is such a
thing as OVer-eXerciSe. Often L am
unable to stand erect or walk after
a rehearsal.
"The next drawback is the ele-
ment of insecurity, or rather, posi-
tive danger, in the business. We
never know at what moment we
shall come to "copper" and be laid
danger that makes our salary
SO high, for after we are disabled
the circus has no further use for
us. Few girls have the luck of
Katie Stokes. She had bad
fall, broke both legs, and
had to give up the white
tents forever. When she recovered
sufficiently to walk about, she
went on the stage at salary equal
to about One-tenth Of what she had
been drawing. She proved an in
different actress; but Manager
John StetSOn, of Boston fell in love
with her and made her his wife.
That fall in the ring made Katie
Stokes fortune; but similar mis-
haps have ruined many other girls
for life and driven them to grind
ing poverty or to drink.
THAT reminds me of another big
drawback. | allude to the temp
tatiOn to drink. The eXertiOn the
late hours, and the necessity to
keep ones nerves strung to the
highest tension, all act as incen-
tives to drink. | know many girls
who began with glass Of 'arf and
'arf just before going into the ring,
but who wound up with
whole quart Of whisky after
leaving it. Such girls have
inevitably been forced to leave the
circus business. Some Of them
disappear, and probably sink into
the lowest dregs of society. Others,
who have children, devote their
lucid intervals to training their
little ones in bareback acts. When
old age comes on, these wretched
women look to their children for
their support and the replishment
of the whisky or gin bottle which
has become second nature to them"
Miss Meers said that while these
are some of the must important
disadvantages of a riders life,
there are many advantages.
For me. a circus has so power
full fascination that | do not be-
lieve | could bring myself to IeaN e
it. There is something indescrib-
ably delightful in the constant
change from place to place, the
frequent sleeping under canvas
and the general happy-go-Iucky
condition Of things which belong
peculiarly to our caravans
Miss McprS says that very well
known eQuestrians get from $40
to $50 a week; while no female
bareback rider is paid less than $40
as weekly stipend. In addition
to this all necessary food is sup
piled free by the circus. The food
is graded according to the status Of
each particular performer, and is
50 good that they never had cause
t0cOmplain of its quality.
eve are permitted to eat our
meals either at the hotel where we
stop, or in the general eating tent
on the grounds. For my part eat
on the grounds as much as possible.
There is something picnic-like
about such diet"
Here Miss MeCrs was called away
to ride one of her horses into the
ring.
Hum an Grasshoppers With Wheels.
"Have you noticed" observed a
st. Paul merchant, "that the BIZ
cycle stoOp has struck this town
with full force? 1t has, for a GER
tainty, and the result is a num-
Der of human grasshOppers
astride of flying wheels. 1t may
be a source of pleasure to the bike
rider to bring curvatures of the
spine upon himself for the sake OF
flying around the streets like
a streak of creased lightning