The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-06-10
CLOWNS AND cLowN,sHness.
Ancient and Modern Species of Profes-
sional Nerrymakers.


sionsl Nerrymakers.
Times change and clowns change
with them The clown of We olden
time was as conventional as the red wig
of Shylock before kean smashed tradi-
ton and lifted himself into fame by
playing the hard-hearted money-lender.
minus the aforesaid red top-knot- The
clown of the old one ring circus was the
harlequin of the pantomine. with the
addition of q students voice and pair
of baggy trousers. His duties in life
were to be thrashed By the ring-nas-
ter. with much swapping OF the whip,
to ask that functionary unanswera bic
conundrums. and to assist the gauze-
begirt divinity of the ring to mount her
barebacked steed. His jokes were as
ancient as the hills and as unchange-
able as his costume.
The circus clown of to-day has more
shapes than Proteus ever dreamed of.
His name is legion. he must be an
athlete of the first order, and usually
an athlete with speciality. His fun is
all told in action. His voice is never
heard except in inarticulate howls of
laughter-provoking intent. The most
stentorian lungs could not render the
best known of almanac jokes audible to
the thousands who crowded the enor
nous amphitheater of the modern cir
Gus. The solitary ciowd OF former days,
who was thrashed around the ring
throughout the entire performa nee. is
now replaced by half a score of spe-
cialties who have their exits and their
entrances and frequently play many
parts.
A big show this year has a round
dozen of funny fellows who are con-
tinually racking their brains for new
make ups and extra idiotic per-
formances. One fellow with an enor-
nous artificial stomach gets himself up
in football costume and kicks the ball
and himself around the amphitheater
according to set of rules unknown at
Yale or Princeton. One of them ap-
pears in the makeup of a crushed
tragedian out of job, and turns flip
f1ops" without letting down an inch of
his dignity. One or two others stumble
around on stills. OF these the bright
particular star of the galaxy is
chap whose legs grow longer every
time he takes a step, thanks to
some mechanical contrivance hidden
in his voluminous trousers. One pair
of speckled beauties burlesque the
fencers art, and end up by breaking
their swords over each others backs.
Another couple pound away with enor-
nous boxing gloves.
''Rube," the imitation countryman.
wanders about with his mouth open,
gets in verybody's way. climbs on the
Roman chariots only to fall off again.
takes part in the hurdle race for the
sole purpose of barking his shins on
the timber and tackles everything that
strikes his fancy from an usher up to
the westling bear An illustration of
the dangers which beset the clowns
life was afforded by the enforced re-
tirement of Ruben for season after
the first week of the show. He worked
so hard with his heavy suit of Jay"
clothes on that he got into perspira-
tion and caught pneumonia.
All is not gold that glitters, neither
is all mirth that amuses. The clowns
work is hard, his bruises many. He
must stir his brains continually for new
'.make-ups' and new acts. He must
keep his muscles up to the double sum
mersault pitch, though general disloca-
tion stares him continually in the face
and if any one of the thousands who
laugh at the striped gentleman as he
tries to mount wheel on top of a pyra-
mid of ia bles and tumbles to the ground.
carefully humping himself on every
projection of the structure as he falls,
imagines that it is really an amusing
performance-from the clownish point
of view-let him try it.-N. y Tribune.