The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-14
VIM q BAILEY ENTITLED TO
CLAIM THE "GREATEsT SHOW
ON EARTH"
THEIR CIRCUS HAS NO EQUAL.
TWENTYlTHoUsAN PEOPLE MAR
VEL AT ETs WONDERS AND
IT'S PROPORTIONS.
GREAT n TRIPLE COMBINATION.
Most Extraordinary Collection OF
Natures Freaks ana CuriOsi-
ties.

After all there's only one circus. Sew
eral thousand people, who gathered un-
| der the enormous canvas yesterday
| Afternoon and evening and witnessed
| Barnum & Bailey's greatest show on
| earth,' are convinced of this. In thus
designating the exhibition. the official
| programme does not make unWarrant-
| ed use of the superlatiVe. 1t simply
! states an obvious truth. Certainly
| there is no show that can compare
with it in mammoth proportions, in
| variety and in quality. 1t is circus
par excellence. Nothing is wanting,
! yet nothing is superfluous. Everything
| that a circus can possibly employ fol
the wonder and delight of the people
| is there. No less praise should be be-
| slowed on the arrangement of the pro-
gramme itself, which is excellent. The
| various events succeed each other
| without tiresome delay, and in such
order with respect to their general
| character, as to avoid a suggestion of
| sameness and monotony. And what is
| fully as important the programme was
! OF just the right duration-two hours
and one-half
a circus is to inadequately express the
idea of it's gigantic proportions and
completeness on which rest it's repu-
| tation and popularity. The circus is
but single department and this cir
| Gus is three old-time circusses in one,
| in respect to size, character and mag
nitude of. the performance. AS the
| three rings and double stages are
worked to- their fullest capacity from
the opening moment, it would be I'M
| possible to crowd any more into a
| single ring even if these rings were
| separate under three distinct tents.
Eight elephants might be exhibited in
| a single ring, but not tWenty-fOur ele-
| plants in thea magnificent triple act
| seen yesterday. One set of trapeZe
artists might entertain an audience
! that could be assembled about one
ring, but three sets of aerialists pei
| forming simultaneously would be an
impossibility under the old conditions.
And SO all the way through the varied
! and remarkable exhibition Mr.. Bailey
simply gives three times as much I'M
der his circus big top as was once
given under the old fashioned round
| top But it is not only three times
bigger circus-it is three times better
and all for the same amount of money
Let those who will, long for the "old
| time show the fact remains that the
| quality Of the present performance,
taken as a. whole, is as far superior
to that of the earlier days as the tent
| is larger. There was scarcely an act
performed here under the Barnum d
! Bailey canvas Yesterday that did not
! surpasS acts previously Witnessed on
the circus grounds In the older days
| bareback riders. were rare, the broad
! platform or rosined pad being the rule
of the ring, and those bareback riders
| did little else than>-p0Se. Bareback
riding is. now the only kind of ring
riding and the riders are accomplished
! acrObats. They leap on and off their
horses at full gallop and turn somer-
| saultS forward and backWard-even
| the women do it, as witness the per-
| Torrance of Rose Wentworth in the
| ring yesterday. This clever young
woman and the Meers sisters, Josie
| Ashton, Nellie Reid and Nine. Maran-
tette are not surpassed anywhere in
| excellence in. their respective schools of
! hOrsemanShip.
One of the most beautiful and eff
! fective equestrian features ever wit
messed in the ring was the tabieau of
| seventy horses, exhibited under the
direction of John O'Brien. Seventy
thoroughbreds execute a kaleidoscope
march in concentric circles and pause
at the word of command. All of the
horse features are admira BILE and some
of them, like the one described, and
the skipping rope and the couchee-
cOuchee dancing steed being unique
to a degree. The high jumpers, AMI
indeed pretty much all Of the hippo
drome work proved vastly entertain
ing.
Other novel and remarkable features
were the trained bull, who permits his
| master to stand on his head between
the animals horns, and to ride him al
full gallOp around the ring, and thu
bull dog who plays football with as
tonishing agility and pertinacity. This
dog contributes the most laughabe act
of the entire show, and all regretted
his departure from the ring.
The Silbons and the Zedoras in their
daring leaps and flying mid-air catches
were watched with breathless inter
est, as were the Dunhams in their I'M.
eXampled feats on the aerial horizontal
bars Among the ground tumblers the
famous Spanish family of acrobats, the
Heras, were unique, their work being
performed in ordinary street attire.
The three women in long skirts were
quite as agile and supple as the best
male performers in silken tights
The foregoing are but a few acts of a
programme replete with unusual and
astonishing feats.
the ClTcuS began,
an hour was allowed within which to
visit the menagerie tent and view the
curiosities and freaks of nature, which
are the most extraordinary ever
brought together Here, too. there
We're three shows in one for there was
a vaudeville entertainment in progress.
The collection of animals is said to
be the most complete of any in the
United States. 1t is certainly superior
to that of any travelling show Thou
sands of dollars have been spent to
secure every known specimen that will
live in captivity, and Mr.. Bailey's
agents throughout the world have carte
blanche, 1t is said, whenever they can
find any valuable addition. There are
herds of animals in this aggregation,
only single specimens of which are
exhibited in cages by other shows
animals that are easily trained to the
halter and harness, and are as harm
less as sheep and COWS. There are
scores of animals, not to be seen else
where in this country, including one
of the only five giraffes in the world
known to be in captivity.
The educated gorilla, Johanna. was
inspected with great interest She is
a greater enigma than most of her sex.
which is saying great deal Johanna
now wears dresses and has adopted
other evidences of civilization. includ
ing the use Of the knife, fork and spoon.
She also smokes cigarettes and holds
daily levee at her cage
But the human freaks are the strang-