The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-24
AMERICAN CIRCUS IN ENGLAND
ITS PRoDIGAL BIGNEss GIVES JOY
AND WONDER TO THE BRITONs.

Nerttseu win NOiumhS OF It rec
Reading Notices, Discussed in
Drawing ROOms-HOw Canon VIII
Berforce Chose II New Name for
Freaks-The Typical English Cir
Gus Crowd and How # Acts-MOney
Making Abilities Greater In Eng
land Than in AmericR-Mny Never
Return TO This Country.
New York, Dec. 22-All things American
are popular in England just at present.
Perhaps the most popular of them all is
the American circus. BY this designation
do the Britons everywhere refer to our
dear old greatest show on earth with
its forty horses. band wagons and per
formances in three rings proceeding at one
and the same time" and all the rest OF
the familiar phrases. The" American
show they say, confident that even this
country of big things cannot have pro-
duced another entertainment caravan Of
such proportions
1t is upwards of two years since the
Barnum and Bailey aggregation left the
United States. At the time of its depart
ure the move was considered a doubtful
venture. For some time even after its ar
rival in London the circus did not attract
extraordinary attention.
It was not long, however before the
Londouers began to realize that this was
not as other circuses. If, as some of the
skepucal ones alleged on viewing the lith-
ographed glories of the arena, 1t was a
case of American bluff" at least it was
worth while to see what an American BLUM
was like. 1t was not long before the cir
Gus became a center of attraction and
there were crowded audiences at every
performance. Following the London sea-
son the circus set out on a tour of the
provincial towns and cities. This tour has
lasted now for eighteen months and has
taken in all the principal towns of Great
Britain. In the words of Col. ''Tody'
Hamilton, whose fame has now spread to
two continents. it has been "a grand tri-
umphal procession received with universal
acclaim"
Truth to tell the Englishman takes kind
~ to the circus. He is fond of exhibitions
of wild animals and displays of marvellous
horsemanship, while as for clowns If
anybody thinks that a British crowd
doesn't know how to laugh he should hear
the outlaws of the shilling ticket holders
over the antics of the circus clowns.
The circus is an old, old story in Eng
land but the ordinary British circus
would not make even respectable side
show to the greatest on earth" Perhaps
ii Is the superlative degree in which every
thing pertaining TO an ordinary canvas
covered entertainment Is to be found in
this particular American circus that
proves its chief charm In the eyes of the
Britishers. AS an Aberdeen workman ex-
pressed it:
wy. mon for a matter of a shillin' we
can see sum'at to boast of and tell lees
about all the rest Of yir days"
How the Circus Plays the "News-
paper Game"
If Great Britain has taken kindly to
the American show 1t is no less true that
the circus itself is delighted with its new
field Its promoters are delighted with
the readiness of me British public ana
the British press to accept il on the basis
of It's own claims The readiness with
which the Establishments customariy ex-
tended to the newspapers are accepted is
especially pleasing to the press agents. In
their minds it contrasts delightfully."- with
the stony-hearted indifference of the or
binary American reporter 90 newly discov-
cred wonders. As one of the assistants
in this department expressed II:
"The newspaper game is the easiest
graft over on this side. Why, they print the
stuff as fast as we can turn it out, and
we have had 90 take on two new men
and half a dozen typewriters to keep up
the supply"
The amount of space devoted 10 the cir
Gus really is astonishing when one con-
eiders how little attention they ordinarily
give to local news. A railway accident
in which score of persons are killed win
be dismissed with quarter of column
or less in some inconspicuous section Of
the paper. Other local news is sighted
IN proportion. There are only two oeca-
sions when the British newspapers break
over this rule. One of these is a visit
from royalty and the other is the coming
OF the American circus. Pages are will
ingly devoted to these subjects, and 1t
must be presumed from the fact that the
same thing is done in every town Of the
United Kingdom that these are the two
events which arouse the greatest interest
among their population.
Their readiness to print anything that
can be said about the circus has almost
overtaxed the energies of those genial
young men who are known as the press
representatives of the show England
has not been acquainted with the press
agent, at least not i'm the highly developed
form In which he fourishes on the Yam
kee side of the Anglo-Saxon pond. 1t
must be said, however, thet they have ac-
cepted him as a recognized institution
promptly and enthusiastically. On the
the other hand, the press agents them
selves. finding here verdant field, have
not hesitated 90 make the most of it.
All the sou-stirring tales aecumu-
lated since the original Barnum first be-
gan his career have been revamped and
served up to our British cousins. More
over, they have been received with relish,
too The old story of the living skeletons
hopeless love for the fat woman would
hardly stand service in the United States
in the year 1899, but ii "goes" with the
British provincial press. Then there is the
familiar plan of having the Oriental giant
or the glass eater or some other of the
attractions dine with the dignitaries of
the town. This never fails to make
good.
A New Name for Freaks.
But the coup de main of the press agent,
the achievement in which he even permits
himself 10 take pride and The thing that
has done more than anything else TO spread
fame of the greatest show en- earth
through Great Britain took place in Lon
don. In face il formed for a time the
chief topic of public interest, 10 judge
from the amount Of discussion devoted 10