The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-06
EDDIE HANLoN, ACRoBAr.
Only Six Years Old. but the Most Fronts
Ing Child Now In Training.

Only Six Years Old. but the Most Pronfo.
Ing Child Now In Training.
The gymnasts who are in New York at pres
ent and have seen six-year.old Eddie Hanlon
practising in an uptown entertainment hail are
predicting that he will be the greatest acrobat
in the world. This is extravagan; praise to be
given to anybody. 1t is all the more remaIka-
bic when IL is lavishCd on q mere baby who has
been practising only about three weeks. Yet.
every one that sees the child agrees that he is q
prodigy,
Eddie Hanlon comes naturally by his Gift.
His father Is Robert llanlon. who now claims
the distinction which every one is predicting
for his little son. Eidie's mother is known pro-
fessionally as Miss Marlin. who is a crack shot
and physically a splendid woman. She won
the prize Mt one OF the international beauty con-
tests In Europe. Eddie is Il years old and weighs
about forty pounds. His little body is 1.-the and
supple and the muscles stand out in knots on
his chest and shout iers.
He is a handsome little fellow. with the most
extraordinary concentration of gaze. a phenom-
enally alert expression, and n perpetual smile.
This smile is emphasized by the fact that .
number OF his " baby teeth" have Just dropped
out, and no others have come As yet to take
their places. When this infant. with his tooth
less gums and his cherubic smile, goes swinging
from ono trapeZc to another IL is worth seeing.
He does not know what fear is. He allows him
self to be tossed about and ~juGgleu from one
person to another with no sign Of emotion ex-
cept n deep glow Of content. The bicyclists
who perform on the roof garden take him on
their shoulders ana 20 spinning around the hall
on their wheels, while he holds himself stitfiy
erect above their heads, gripping them with his
tiny feet, his face shining with delight.
He has pluck enough for twenty grown men.
HIS hands, OF course, were as tender as n baby's
when lie commenced with the trnpeAe. and the
blisters came in short order. Now there are
perhaps n dozen raw spots where the hlisters
have been rubbed off. but he doesn't let IL make
q bit OF difference to hun. His hands are not
Large enough to reach around the trapeze bars.
he never loses his hold. or course, his hands
hurt him very literally like bla2es; But he
never lodges the bar, and his smile hardly
ceases while he stop, a minute to blow on his
almost bleeding pains.
that The older %ecrobats worship the plucky 1T
tie chap. And. speaking OF Worship, how he
does AXE to the work; \ duck, never took to
water with such evident satisfaction as this
baby shows when he gets ON u high, psrch, with
one trapeze stripped in his left hand, holding on
to the rail with his right. and watching for his
When his father CALI Go" he seizes the bar
with both hands and launches himself into the
air without II shadow OF hesitation.
The ,Hhnlons know they have u treasure in
he we're 4 gold mine. They are careful in their
own Way, So~errr. He has n governess and he
father and his uncle watch him ike cats as AZ
p%Tactises. and 1t would be next to impossible for
ordinary boy playing rough and tumble games
with. other boys. But although they are so
careful of him they are putting him through .
seems an II his pluck Is now indomitable
and his lack Of fear absolute; but IL IL
:hose qualities, His father says that In a month
from now Eddie will be advanced enough 10
make his bow den before n New York audi
ence. but II is hardly possible thnt a permit
could be obtained. In, the mean time The little
chap is fairly Unsuitable when IL comes 10 prac-
Using. Even when his father will not let
him do. anything more, on, account OF his
hands, Eddie VIII not St9p, and persists In turn
walking on the big ball. Or, II no one win
work with him. he, runs and Jumps Just from
pure muscular exhilAration. Unless SomethinR
happens the name OF Eddie Hanlon will he'd
the list OF tho acrobats OF the future.