The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-06-08
THE CIRCUS SEASON.

From youthful days when the whole
school used to take half holiday per-
force to see the morning parade, just as
the Fall River cotton spinners go on
strike for "A days picnic. the circus that
has come TO town has annually
renewed its interest in our hearts. An
observing friend of ours has noticed
that when the small boy goes TO the
circus he is accompanied by his parents
or guardian, his big brother and sister,
his grand sire and grandmother, and
all the aunts and cousins who
can hook on-whereas the small boy
is allowed to go TO Sunday school alone.
This observation doesn't claim to COM
tween the Sunday school and the circus,
but it illustrates the unusually far
reaching popularity of the latter than
which there is nothing to exceed it on
earth. unless it be two circuses-a con-
dtion that is of too much richness 10
imagine without danger of losing ones
mind in very delirium of joy.
The modern circus is tremendous
institution. It's entertainment features
demand three rings and two platforms
given in portable amphitheater that
covers whole acres of ground. It's at
fractions are assembled from all parts of
the world, and may be said to be educa-
tional in very large measure. The
circus of today carries with 1t
menagerie Of amazingly large proper
tions, and we don't see how anybody
can ever tire of watching the mammoth
elephants, the lions and the tigers, the
birds and the monkeys, the hundreds of
lot of even the most familiar
of beasts and birds, even though
having arrived at years of legal, If not
actual, responsibility it is no longer
necessary to make the visit to the
menagsrie merely subterfuge for get
ting a parental permission that shall
ultimately lead to the circus proper.
The organization Of the circus is inn
posing. Its movement from town TO
to town is like the movement of an
army, though the circus organization,
with all its paraphernalia and variety of
life, is far more complex than an army.
Executive ability of high order
and splendid discipline are enlisted
to control the stupendous af
fair. From the day when the
first skirmisher appears in town to get
the license and secure the grounds, to the
arrival of the big caravan, many men
are enlisted in preparing for the coming
show and vast deal of work is done,
the most conspicuous of which, TO the
public view, is the lavish display
of circus posters, today more glorious
than ever before. And when the circus
itself arrives with the main body of the
army, within less than "a hours we may
behold the operation of going into camp,
giving the performances, and pulling up
stakes again, that is more marvellous
than anything the prograln of the en-
tertainment affords.
And the coming of the circus is a good
thing for the town in business way.
II practically leaves all the money it
takes in in the town, except, of course,
the profits. And it not only
spends thousands of dollars for its
provisions and supplies, but it attracts
to the city thousands of out-of-town
people who are likely to spend money
outside the circus among the business
men about town.
We can smell the fragrant sawdust;
we can hear the brassy band, the call of
the lemonade man, and the joke of the
clown; we can see more marvellous
things, more glittering glory, than are
visible in the same time and
same space anywhere on earth
outside the circus grounds; we
can chew the peanuts, the manufac-
tured peanuts that furnish one
'meat" to every dozen shells, and we
can lave our palate with so much Of the
glassful Of lemonade as hasn't rolled
out in its travel from the far end of
the tent; and there is in it ali
an unspeakable Joy that nothing but
circus eau give, because there is nothing
else like circus. Every sense is tickled
into harmony with its fellow sense, the
fancy is inspired, and nothing is lacking
to complete the wholesome cheer and
peace Of soul that combine to a condi-
tion of perfect satisfaction.