The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-06-09
TRAINING AcROBATs.
How Boys A re Taught the Tricks of the
Circus RinE-Experienee ola veteran
Trniner--The Possibility OF Accident.
fNew York P ost.l


n TOO heavy to be thrown gracefully
from shoulder to shoulder and tossed
and twirled like barrel ON his feet, he
looks about for a promising younger boy
TO put In training for the next season. If
he has no son of his own, he picks 'up"
"A boy In an institution or Of the streets;
or more frequently, takes ms apprentice
the young son of friend, or the little
~brother OF one of the boys he has brought
up. There is no apprentice law in this
country 10 protect him; SO that, If he
does not feel inclined to adopt the boy
outright, and has an eye to keepin z
him, after he has made him valuable,
his choice falls on one who Is friendless,
or one with whose parents he can enter
into an agreement, with reasonable
surety Of Its being .honorably fulfilled
He will not take a runaway boy, for he
knows it would make trouble for him
eventually; and boys are plentiful for
his purposes, without running unneces-
sary risks.
Albert Millette, of the "Millette Fami-
ly," a French Canadian understands
(senior acrobat), who has been travelling
the globe over for twenty years, and is
famed in the CIRCUS world as a trainer,
has brought up twelve boys in his time.
and ascribes their success, not alone to
uare and good treatment, bus to his ju-
nicious selection.
In the oidIcircus days, when the law
gave the master certain authority, the
apprentices had 10 defence against abuse
In one form or another; but in these
days, the boy has the upper hand. He
may run away at any time, and he
master has no redress; and he has O sure
safeguard against beatings No ring
master will permit boy to appear Sin
the arena" disfgured with bruises; and
every boy must at all times be supple
and strong II the "aot" is to be kept up
to the standard required. Boys are
abused. even today; but an abusive mas
ter Is the rare exception, and soon gains
a reputation sin the profession" that
makes 'stop-mounter'' exceedi ngly
difficult for him to obtain and keep. he
requirements of his work make the ap-
prentice almost certain of good food, Sc
licitous care, kind treatment, and con-
tinuous advancement up to the time
when he strikes out for himself In the
eyes of the circus proprietors he is as
good as his master, since he is usually
essential to the act; in the eyes of the
9th er performers. he is a man as they are
for he does the same work, and is quite
as valuable; in the eyes of the women of
the show he is little boy. and is coddled
when ailing.
The only way to make an acrobat, ao-
cording to the experienced trainer re-
ferred to, is to inspire him with confi-
cence in his mates. to whom he must
trust his life and limb twice day every
day of the season. Some promising boys
cannot be taught this, and have to
abandon the circus profession or go into
some other branch of it that calls only
fer Condolences in themselves as tumhling
Or bareback riding. .
A second and absolutely necessary re-
quirement is the sustained confidence
that IA somersault can be turned, always,
by certain physical movements; many
boys have to learn this, and others, who
lose heart before eaon trial, are given up
because they cannot learn it. So far as
the body Is concerned, the boy must give
promise of approaching nearly the ia
miliar acrobatio ideal; if he is knock
kneed or thin -chested, or marred in face
or form in any other way, he Is not con-
sidered. If he is particularly well formed
his beauty" as it is called, works
strongly in his favor, and he As almost al
ways taken on trial. III he is to be
trained for 'top-mounter' he must be
snort from the knee to the sole; il he is
TO be an understands" he must be
large boned; If he is To be a middle
man" he must be near the average.
At ten years is the best age to put a
10y in training, but children born In the
circus learn TO turn "Hip-hap' soon
after they learn to walk, and sixteen
years is not too late to begin. The time
when a serious training is undertaken is
between the circus seasons. when the
acrobat is at hume with his family and
has time on his hands. A mechanic"
is rugged in his room; this is long rope,
run through two pulleys fastened to tbs
ceiling ten feet apart; the rope Says to
the floor between them, and at the slack
Is wound round the boys waist. The ac-
robat stands the lad under the pulleys
and between them; then he takes the
ends of the rope in his hand, gets good
grip, and pulls it tight.
Put your heels together" he says.
Throw your shoulders back; put some
life in yourself. When you jump, spring
high; draw your knees up and catch your
thighs with your hands; then throw your
head back and you'n turn. Let yourself
out and you'Il land on your feet. Now,
when say go, jump"
This is the point at which the boy loses
peurage. He cannot fall. for the trainer
has tight grip on the ends of the rope
and would lift him out of danger if it APP
peared that he was not about to light on
his feet. The boy finds 1t hard to commit
himself to the strength and alertness of
the man; and at this, the critical point,
he must be taught the confidece he needs
at all times.
"Gol" says the acrobat.
The boy jumps, and gets "in tuck"
as drawing up the knees is called, easily
enough; but seldom has the courage TO
throw his head back, an essential move
ment. If he chooses to make the turn
and land safely on the first trial. he has
but little difficulty thenceforth; but if he
comes down sprawling and ID narrowly
saved from hard fall, his timidity is in
creased senfold, and IL is SO much the
harder for him to learn at all. 1t takes
a day TO teach some boys to turn a somer-
sault; 1t takes two months of continuous,
patient training with the mechanic to
leach others.