The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-08-02
NUMBER 81.

been very short-sighted to return to the
locality in which he was wanted, after
getting thousand miles away.
IHE Universalists selected the right day
Tor their picnic at Owls Head last week.
NO exception could be taken to the weather
on Friday, and about five hundred people,
representing religious societies all along
the line, from Northfield on the one hand
TO the valley OF the Connecticut on the
other, met at the Summit" and roamed
through the woods, climbed the mountain,
picked berries, enjoyed the swings. and en-.
tertained themselves in variety of WAYS
The air was so clear that the view from the
mountain-top was very fine, and neither
mosquitoes, midges, gnats, nor black flies
molested the happy party. In the after
noon the capacious stand erected by the
Montpelier x Wells River Railroad Com
pany was occupied by large number, who
were entertained with speeches, songs and
recitations, Rev. DR.. Booth presiding.
Messrs Wright, Cook, Shinn and Smith
made informal addresses; Misses Slayton,
Cutler, Page, Wales and Kinney gave inter.
esting recitations; Mrs. Hambln, Mrs.
Willard, Mrs. Marsh and Mr.. Hollister,
with Miss Healey as accompanist, rendered
some fine vocal selections, and Miss An
drews closed the exercises with the bene-
diction. The success of this enterprise.
inaugurated by the pastor and members of
the Barre Universalist Society, ought to en-
courage them to attempt a similar "union
picnic next year.
The " Great and Only " Barnum's circus
spread its tents on the ancestral acres of
the Nicholas estate last Wednesday, and.
notwithstanding the rain that fell steadily
until nearly noon, an immense crowd was
IN attendance. Those who turned ont at
four O'Clock in the morning to see the circus
trains come in might have taken another
nap, as 1t was after ten before the first train
whistled in. The street parade did not
take Dlace until n'a1ooL ,,vb; ;oL
the sidewalks Of the streets over which the
pageant passed were packed to the curbipg,
The excellent order of the vast crowd was
particularly noticeable. The almost total
absence OF intoxicated men was the best
evidence that but little liquor was sold,
either in the saloons or by pocket-pedlars.
and the large force of extra policemen had
little to do. There were $500 paid admis-
sions at the afternoon performance and
about 3,oo0 IN the evening. No accidents
marred the pleasure of the day. The Gen.
trail Vermont railroad put on some extra
hagmen, and, although the track between
the station and the grounds was filled with
continuous stream of people, no one was
hurt. Before the sun set the congested
condition of the streets was relieved and
the tired white dresses of the maidens from
out of town had disappeared. The per-
formances inside the big tent were deserv-
ing word of praise. Barnum & Bailey
have long stood at the head in tented
dLuuseHeuJS, anu III Is no eXaggeratiOn to
say that this year their past brilliant rec
ords are excelled. The menagerie con-
tanned many species never before shown in
Montpelier, among them "Chico" the
orang-outang. After gazing at him many
new trains of thought were awakened as to
whether Darwin and his theory of evolu-
ton were correct, and whether we were all
distant relatives of this wild man of the
! jungle. The horseback riding, trapeze
performances, jockey and chariot races, and
hundred and one acts that were performed,
were of high order of excellence. The
usual confusion of performances in three
rings at the same time was supplemented a
part of the time with two additional rings,
so that even if one had as many eyes as a
house fly it was impossible to see every
thing. The spectacular novelty, Colum-
bus" was produced with wealth of cos
TUNES, scenery and accessories that were
marvellous under a circus tent, and demon-
strated that the management advertised
nothing they could not produce when they
promised the finest thing of the kind ever
seen under canvas. Frank l.. Perley, the
wlde.awake press agent who accompanies
the show, is a gentleman with whom it is a
pleasure for newspaper men to do business.