The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-15
UNDER THE CANVAS
Sights Seen In One of the Great
Modern Circuses.
MAINS IMMENSE SHOW
Great Crowds Witness the Two
Performances.
-
AN OVATION TO JOHN LONLOW
The Good Old Time of the One-Bing
Show Which Our Fathers
Loved Have Passed
Away.
MAINS IMMENSE SHOW
AN OVATION TO JOHN LoNLow

the whole city, and Of the surrounding
county as we'll, were turned toward
Mordecai's old field ON the northern
suburb of the town. And l am almost
ready to aver, after making a careful
investigation of that locality, that
most of the owners of the eyes were
present there also.
Men who claim to be something of
statisticians say that there was over
800 people under the canvas
at both performances, while
there was something like an
other Thousand outside, prin-
cipally negroes, who never entered the
CIRCUS. Certain it is that there was
hardly a vacant seat in the great tent
while the performance was going on.
And the side-shows-they were crowd
ed all the time. The bigger humbugs
they were the greater the crowd. 1t
| is wonderful how American people love
to be humbugged.
But it was a good-natured, holiday
crowd. There was no disturbance OF
amy kind, and everybody was IN a.
high hun1or; and no wonder. 1t was
a splendid show and the spectators
realized it ait a glance. There was the
everlasting lblaring of the band IN
which the bass-drum played mo insig-
nificant part. I'm the menagerie were
dens of wild beasts snarling at their
attendants and tearing at their cages;
camels, elephants, lions, monkeys, ser
pents, giraffes, and a half hundred
other strange beasts. Gaily liveried at
PENDANTS were running hIther and
thither. In the main tent were the
| circus rings, with long tiers of seats
mounting higher and higher around
/ them. The rings and platforms, and
| cross-bars and Swings We're alive with
a confused tumble of men and horses
| horses walking ON their hind legs,
| kneeling as if in prayer, jumping
/ through hoops of fire-riders in the air
| and on horseback Tumblers and
| acrobats lby the score were dislocating
| themselves, strong men were perform
| ing feats with impossible weights, and
| above a network of swings, trapezes
| and nets we're a swarm of flying, turn
| ing gymnasts. There were races of
| men, races of animals, running races,
chariot races, wheel-barrow races.
1t was all there-the tapping can
vas, the narrow escapes, the uncom-
| Portable seats; the red lemonade, the
| sticky popcorn, the stale peanuts, and
| the motley crowd-everythin except
sawdust. That was the only defect OF
| the show There have been many
| changes in the circus since the day
| when our fathers went to the one-ring
show ''iust to take the boys" but none
| that / felt more keenly and nothing
| that | missed more sorely yesterday
| than the pungent smell of the pine saw
| dust which used to be a necessary adj
| iunct of every well-regulated circus.
| But there was no sawdust at Main
| circus yesterday. 1t was not neces-
sary. Nature had provided a thick,
| rich carpet in heavy growth of grass
| But that is not all. If it. were it
would have been AN insipid affair and
the crowd would have been disappoint-
| ed-disgusted. There was a host of
| shrielsing, idiotic clowns; and above
| them all--easily king of them all-was
John Lowlow, in his time-honored and
original role of Talking Clown. He is
well-lqnown here and has many person.
| al friends in Raleigh His appearance
was greeted with storm of hand
clapping and & early every sentence
| he uttered was heartily applauded. He
| is a Southern gentleman of the old
school and loves the South and North
| Carolina. He spoke of the State and
| her people in most affectionate terms,
and there were almost tears IN his
voice when he referred to Vance as
North Cardinals dearest idol and
one of the Nations greatest states
men" But he did not dwell on serious
themes long and his audience was
soon convulsed with laughter at his
new jokes and bright sayings. Lowlow
| is the browning attraction of Mains
| circus, as he has been of every circus
with which he has been associated for
the past quarter of a century.
Things have changed wonderfully
since Lowlow went into the ring. He
began with John Robinson way back
before the war The show was then
quite q different thing from what II
is now The circus of eve olden time"
had only one ring and the managers
were simple enough to think that one
thing at time was as much as an or
binary mortal with only two eyes ana
one brain was capable of looking at
and enjoying to its fullest extent.
But in these fin-de-siecle days, with
their feyerish, bustling, nerve-raclcing
pace, the modern Snowman has chang
ed all this. The monster show now has
two rings and platform for actors be
tween them, and bewildering maze
of swings and nets and trapezes
stretching a-bove-and all going at the
same time.
That is the modern, up-to-date circus
as 1T was seen yesterday. You know
how provoking it was. You fastened
your eyes on a daring woman rider in
one ring and pistol shot called your
attention to man balancing himself
in the air ON one slender piece Of a
ladder which had fallen to pieces. You
have been waiting to see that famous
acrobat make most daring leap from
one swing to another, a hundred feet
from the ground, it seems. He must
fall, he will never make 1T. See, he
is preparing to jump. A friend calls
your attention 10 a coumtryman trying
to ride a bucking mule. Tt took but
second to fash your eyes in the dires-