Omaha daily bee., 1899-04-09
EVOLUTION IN THE CIRCUS
Wonderful Advancement Made in This Line
Of Amusement.
HOW TO MAKE A MODERN CIRCUS SUCCEED
John RinElinE Tells of the Early
Years OF Himself and Brothers
and Talks About the Up-
to-Date show Business,


ton in the circus business during the last
few years and the circus OF today is far
from being the circus OF our ooyhood days"
remarked John Ringing, one OF the Ring
ling Brothers, who have been coming to
Omaha each season during the last eight
years.
While John Ringing was not billing
omaha, he was arranging dates and at the
same time visiting an old Omaha friend.
Speaking OF his original circus venture. Mr.
Ringing said: Some ten years ago my
brothers and myself, who were then living
on rocky farm over in Wisconsin, con-
ceiVed the Idea OF having a circus. As boys
we had played circus with the other boys
OF the school. We had visited all Of the
travelling shows that stopped in Baraboo,
and after they had gone we organized a
circus We had a couple OF trained dogs,
cat and n sheep Like other boys. we
showed in the back yards and the barns
and accepted pins and marbles as pay for
tickets to the reserved seats. The Juveniles
or the town visited the performance and
brought their parents along, all of whom
pronounced 1t the greatest show on earth.
This whetted the appetite Of my brothers
and myself and one night while we were
sleeping in the loft in the old farm house
We concluded to take to the road. There
were five of us brothers.
"Baraboo Is not much of a show town.
but one fine summer morning the old cit-
zens were surprised to see advertisements
posted upon the dead walls calling attention
to the fact that on certain date Ringing
Brothers circus would give its initial ap-
pearance. The bills were not four sheet
posters, gaudy in bright colors, but instead
they were plain affairs. the printing being
OF the scrawly kind, such you would
expect from boys. Well, the long and short
OF 1t was that few days later myself and
my brothers had a circus We had tent
that party of surveyors had used and in
this we exhibited a learned pig, a COW, a
dog and some hens.
Beginning of Successful Life Career.
THE experience in Baraboo was the be-
ginning of a life career. 1t meant that we
were all to be showmen and that we were
to be in partnership. The next year we
bought a spotted calf that had six legs and
in modest way and under a little tent we
started out, making some of the nearby
towns. We made little money and the
next year we added a camel and hired
man who could ride horses and do acrobatic
turns in the ring. At the end of the season
we had made more money and the next
year branched out. We bought a few
animals and hired a few performers. With
us every promise was a pledge, and We
showed nothing that we did not advertise.
This was the beginning of our success, and
since then things have been coming our
way as well as could be asked for. Each
year we have added to our show until now
when we think that we have one of the
best shows on the road. From a show that
had only spotted pig, we have built up
concern that travels by four trains. We
hay Dennle ia roll and have
q salary list that requires the expenditure
OF $1,000 per day. to say nothing of the
expense for moving, feeding animals and
the like
'As to Omaha, We regard 1t as one Of
the best show towns in the country and
when we get here always feel certain
of doing good business. We have been
coming to Omaha for years and expect to
do so right along. This year we open the
season in Chicago on April 10 and remain
two weeks. AS we have not billed out from
that place 1t is difficult to say when we Will
get into the Missouri valley.
How to Make Circus Succeed.
Like all other lines of trade, in order
to do business you must have the biggest
and the best. There was a time when the
one-ring show that travelled over the coun
try was good enough for anybody, but now
II man would start out with such con
Germ he would go broke inside of thirty
days unless he had an unlimited bank ac
count To draw the crowd you must come
into town with a blare of trumpets; yol
must first have your gilded advertising cal
and then you must follow this up with you
smooth advance agents, who can drive goo'
bargains with such men as my friend here,
pointing to Mr.. Pryor Markell. "Afte
this you must have lot of boomers wh'
come couple OF days in advance of th'
circus and then as the climax you mus
have the show. or course with the show
there must be lot of gold braid and tin
sci, but, on the whole, it must be SHOW
that is worthy OF patronage.
Tho circus showmen are the best pai'
people in the land. Last year We had
troupe OF six jugglers, each Of whom drew
800 per day. 1t is doubtful II they earne'
the money, but We had to have them AM
as an advertisement they were great draw
ing card We could have put on some
thing cheaper, but we did not want to hum
bug the people, and there you have 1t.
1T Is a fact that the people OF the coun
try like to be humbugged and no bette
evidence OF this be cited than the Car
diff giant which Mr.. Barnum exhibited
number of years ago. The first season tina
the stone figure was out 1t was made ap
parent that the exhibit was nothing bu
Q carved block of gypsum from the quar-