The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-02-23
IT'S ALL in PRACTICE.
IRA PESE WORK rs EASY WHEN ONE
HAS CONFIDENCE.
yumps In the Air Are just Like Swimming
in Water--A Professional Always h"o"s
where He IL Going TO Land.

~, be as much at home In mid-air as
on the ground TO be able 10 see as wen
hanging head down as standing upright
and 10 be able to turn like cat IN the
air with nothing for fulcrum. those
are some Of the requirements that come
20 the expert trapeze artist. The JORDAN
family. with the Trocadero NaudeVi'es'
who have been entertaining Washhslo"
with their wonderful performance rep
resent. perhaps, the highest Development
OF this art that has ever been seen IA
the United states. Little Lena JOLuan'
VINO plays the animated shu,sie 49, 80 ~ Inc
tween her father and mother UP al ~
TOD of the theatre, might be abe 70 49,
some pointers 10 the French scielt's -,
VINO have lately been eNPei I".ei'.'is -
ind out how "a cat MANAGES 10 a" 49, 80
light on its feet when 1t fans She can
turn In the air during even an acciueLIdl
fall and LIGHT in any position she pledses;
And she can do more tnah u4ie dLoI es'.t'
cat. for she can explain her PeiIoIin.anSv,,
saving that 81 is nothing but practice
Hena is "A little mite OF girl, VINO docs
NOT weigh sixty pounds. she IS not an
original member of the JORDAN fanny
bnt IS le:ally adopted. she Is a ndttVe
Russian. and her own name rs rom.
Mr. Iordan IN speaking 10 a Post man
about her said. Il adopted Lena IN Rus
sia because there Is nearly always trouDlo
about child performers in this country
when they are less IMAM sixteen. had
our present act all planned some years
ago when 1 was in Europe and IN all
the places where / performed ] adVer-
t.sed for "A chhd to take the light part.
There were hundreds Of applicants, Dut
l picked out Lena. who was rouIteeh
and very small and delicate. We com
menCed praiice with low trapeze ana
a low net, working half an hour each
morning. She soon took 10 the WORK
and we increased the practice gradually
"a an hour each morning ana dit ,'t go go
and in Il year she was doing the act JUST
as you see her now She developed a
great deal Of strength. but was naturally
small, and has grown but niue heavier
since. She enjoys II as much as an! VI
the rest OF rs now
SERVED Az APPRENTICESHIP.
MIR. Jordan has little girl of his own
now, five years old, who Is the IMAGE IN
miniature of her mother she Is PRAGUE
ing dancing already and is looking Ior-
ward to the time when she can go ON Ihe
rrapeZe Tier father is going 70 start AcI
on easy work soon, ana iSt neI , NJ a.,
81 for a cOuple OF years ill she rs seven
and old enough 10 20 70 school lhen
s,he VII have to drop athletics Tor text
books. though she VIII proDably ies"iho
the work when through school. .-..u,
Mr., Jordan himself is pleasant, lntelll-
gent fellow about FIVE feet eight and
weighing 156 pOunls. Unlike most proIsS-
sional athletes. he did not commence Ms
career by running away from nome, puI
started his apprenticeship ln reg uidI ' en- ~
when fourteen. lie says, Il worked hrot
at tumblng and then at horizontal par
but finally took up trapeze, because lhere
were fewer good men In II ana ~ CON-
manded more money My VIE had never
tried 1t until she married me, eight years
ago. but she's as good as / am now
not better.
ITS all practice. The chief thing IS
confidence. When we commence 10 pIdC,
lice a new trick we may fall hahdFed
times before we get II, but atlef We one
get il we may do il hundred times WIN
out falling. The fall comes just as natu-
rally as any of the rest OF IT, You keep
your senses and your bearings Whlie you
are going through the air, and when you
see mat you are going to miss eaten II
Is the most natural thing TO double up
and turn over so as to fall flat and strike
as much of your body as possible IN the
net On forward fall you can duck
your head in toward your chest and
throw yourself over SO as TO light on your
back, or drawing in your legs or TWIST
ing your body will turn you one way or
another, just as though you were floating
IN the water instead of in the air.
LAT LIKE SWIMMING.
'IiS<act. the Jumps and sommersaults
in the air are Just like swimming. n Dt-
ginner Will grab and founder in the air
like "A drowning man in the water, bnt
when we leave the bar for a eaten we
are just as sure OF where we are solhB
TO put our hands as when reaching out
for fork al the table. When my wife
or Lena let's go in their swing and come
toward me both of us know the minute
they jump whether we Will close up rlsht.
It's hundred 10 one we do. If We don l
we ease up and fail accordingly
in speaking of accidents Mr. Jordan
said: THE only bad fan l ever had was
in Havana, Cuba. ! was lighter then
than l am now, and was working win
another man, taking the part my wife
takes now. our net was shorter than 1t
is now, and right under the pedestal
where / landed was an opening. Neither
of US ever thought of falling there, but
1t was just what | did. My partner
caught me under the armptS on long
swing and tossed me of again toward
my own trapeZe. i just caught at IL
with my finger tips. swung on III / al
most touched the pedestal, and then shot
down through the opening in the net.
fell about thirty feet and lit on my back
in the aisle. AS il happened there was
trap there for getting up scenery, and 1t
was loose with a slight spring TO 1t. /
struck it, bounced about a yard, and fell
again. Everything was in an uproar
People thought / was killed, and so did
j but they picked me up and | shook my
self and found out | was alright. SO
started up again to finish the act. But
INoSt tNClluDlt DpdllidIuS NOultl l HdNt
IL. They pulled me down OFF the ladder
and fired a couple of drinks of brandy
into me. That settled 1t, and | went up
anyhow. | just did a plain leap and re-
turn 10 show them that | was all right
and then quit. for l was shaking pretty
badly. But they thought it was neryy,
and | liked Ii and we were the drawing
cards all the rest of the engagement"
HOW LONG NAN LASTS.
As 10 the question OF training for his
work Mr., Jordan said: THE only train
Ing we do Is our regular night perform
ance. That IS enough TO keep fs in condl-
fion. We eat whatever We want and as
much of il as we want. In fact my only
trouble is to eat enough. OF course we
do not perform just after a full meal,
but with dinner at we are in good con-
dition for our turn at 0. and on matinee
days We take a light lunch at noon and
then go on about 5. l smoke and chew
though not immoderately. and find that
Ii does not hurt me at all.
How long can man last at the bust
ness? Well. | don't know, but If he
don't get fat or ruin his nerves drinking, l
don't see why he should not be good for
a lifetime. Old Frank Melville who is
one of the cleyerest bareback riders Bar
mum has ever had. has been I'm the bus
ness for twenty-five years, and don't
see why shouldn't last as long in
mine if take care of myself"
A French railway has ltely arranged
its telegraph lines SO that at prear-
ranged signal the wires are switched
from the telegraph instruments TO tele-
either to talk verbally or 10 communicate
nv the tolegra phic code at will