The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-24

and inspiring TO sense and sentiment, is
the circus poster 1t brightens the land
/ scape and offers fair barter to the sun for
its Illuminating rays. Perhaps the circus
poster falls to appeal to our imagination
so greatly as il once did since the up-to-
date circus is developed almost to the
characterized the show bill and we are
made to feel that the things of the bill
are no longer dream, bewildering flc-
tion, but the, chances are, we shall find
them closely approached somewhere
under the three ringed tents. We guess
IL is not so easily possible as it used To be
TO produce circus bill that shall offer
something much more wonderfully lumi-
nous than the circus itself The glory of
the latter, it may we'll be believed. has
confounded the imagination of the pic
ture makers. So many things that were
once regarded as miracles come true in
! this miraole-making age in which we live
that dream and fancy can hardly keep at
all ahead of the commonplace.
If, however the Offering of the poster,
splendid as it Is, is impotent to appeal to
our Imagination as once il did. 10 still
remains, without any possibility of ex-
ception, the most glorious Of out door
mural decoration. And 1t still retains
the charm of familiarity and ohildhood's
association. There is the circus tent with
flags gaily flying to the pink sky,
thronged about by folks in red and blue
and green and yellow suits of clothes and
gowns, all crowdng for admission. There
are the wild animals, every mothers son
In sharp and pleasing contrast To their
display OF temper their keepers and keep
crosses stand in the respective groups
quite at easo and In full control of the
situation 9s depicted There is the sleek
limbed gentleman of the flying trapeze,
always flying, but so easily and gracefully
| that one may gaze upon him for minutes
Mt time without feeling anything of
that sense Of fatigue that comes from
long contemplation OF a stiiily poised fig
ure in work of art. He is the Same fly
| ing trapeze man that over was. He has
"a beautifully curling black moustacho
and the loveliest complexion ana his hair
Is spatted back glossily. demonstrating
most careful attention to his soilet, while
his pink tights fit him as If they wore
painted on, as of course they are when
You como to think of it. There is the
clown and the little trick dogs aud the
donkey, but these never did so strongly
attract as the other efflgles of the circus
| poster since no art or imagination could
| equal the real thing in the way OF clown
and dogs and donkoys. which fact Illus
trates that in some things nature is su-
preme
We miss from the modern poster one
figure that used to be particularly fetch
ing. That Is the circus girl. 10 be sure
there is "A girl. plenty of her. on the poster
but she isn't our old fayorite by any
means Costumed either in trunks, like
the men, or in tho now tangled ACCORDION
skirt suggesting serpentine dances and
such fantasticos, she bears no relationship
to, and we don't think she Is In IL with,
the creature who stood on the tip OF one
toe on the back Of fast charging and
richly caparisoned horse-she, of the most
beautiful smile and the brightest eyes,
clothed etherially, but decently, IN pink
tights ana a sufficient gown Of gauze that
made white circle all about tho middle
of her figure. We miss this presence from
the circus poster today We long to have
her back again dedicated as it were TO the
beautifying OK the bleak black side OF the
oiN % JN1 VI hht iot'niNt Nnoic All
else of landscape art was patent medicine
and gents clothing II we had barn to-
day we would oheorfully paddock the door
and donate all the four sides OF IL to her.
We would permit her 10 be pasted on so
securely that she would stay thero all
winter. Wa are confident that she would
bc as much dream today as she ever was
because, under the white tont, we know
we shall never find her original any moro
that we ever could. She is the ore crea-
tion of the circus poster that has not come
true with the development Of tho circus.
And II we sought her now or in the future
we are but sure we should look in vain.
But the circus men might give her back
10 us on tho poster II only they would. We