El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-24
Told BY the Always Interest
ing Ex-CIown Mis-
SiOnary.
GEN ER0SlTY ITSELF
Mas Dan, and He Never Missed
Chance To Do Little kindnesses-
How Cold Nerve Softened the
Heart OF a Great Raiiroad-What
II Means To Be a Successful
Snowman

ranutation of giving everybody justice
by it's good words for Ringing BROS.
said the ex-clown street missionary,
and its kind words for these noted
showmen were not at all misplaced:
They are showmen in every sense OF
the word. Don't you know that the
average man. the outsider or layman as
we call him. does not understand what
constitutes a Snowman?
..He mistakes the CRATER. the short
change man or the roustaDout LOT u
Snowman. Let me tell you there Is
lust as much in the word Snowman as
in the word gentleman and II Is Just
as often appIied to the wrong indivld-
uaI. Just because a man Is conducting
what he calls a show is no sign he
is "a Snowman in the true sense OF the
term. A man to he n Snowman must
know how to treat the public with
honesty and courtesy and to see that
all of his men do the same lie must
know how to make contract Win
railroad company. hotei iahnioru OF
a newspaper manager. And sometimes
he finds il necessary To make a good
talk TO a legislative body and must
know how to do that. He must under
stand the law. so that he VIII not step
beyond its bounds and be able to keep
others from depriving him OF his legal
rights He must be cosmopolitan
and so train himself as TO meet in
good order all classes of people in all
the walks of lI1e-
Among the greatest showmen OF the
nineteenth century was the late Col.
Dan Rice. He was an ideal Snowman
Every Snowman or wouId-be Snowman
in existence could take him for a mod
Il and he benefited by so doing. He
was a man that could draw more mon
ey for playing clown than a man can
= - i've of -.
ton. HE has received a thousand dol
lars per week for his work. | am
speaking of the time when he worked
for "A salary.
There was never "A more liberal.
generous-hearted man living than Dan
Rice. He was also the friend OF edu-
cation and Christianity. He built
school houses and churches. II was
Dan Rice that gave Paducah. KY. the
first fire engine that town ever had.
He did more for humanity than all the
other showmen now living all together
ever did.
TDan Rice took great pleasure in
doing little acts of kindness and some
of his good deeds. the longest to- be
remembered probably. were bestowed
upon the little ragged street urchins
in the towns in which he gave per-
formances. In the south he often
amused himself by going to the en-
trance after the sow-goers had about
all gone in and taking his seat near
the door he would draw up to him by
signs all the little barefooted negro
boys he could see. and you may rest
assured there were many of them col
lected around on the grounds with
their eyes watering for a glimpse of the
inside. That is apicture | like to dwell
upon. Fifteen or twenty little black
boys gathered up at the main entrance
of the big tent. with their short. curly
hair showing through holes in their
old straw hats and clothed in gar
ments much too large all of which had
seen better days. In the midst of that
picturesque group sat Dan Rice. talk
ing and joking with them. Then he
would ask them if they could dance.
OF coSe. boss. they could and he would
pat Juba for them and the best show
on the grounds would commence at
the front door. After a few minutes
of this comic performance he would
motion for them to- march in and he
would follow the little black cloud of
youthful humanity into the big tent
and see that they got seats from which
they could get good view of the show
'One incident which I will always re-
member and which is only sample of
the numberless ones OF the kind that
happened in the show life of Dan Rice
occurred at Covington. Ky. The af-
ternoon show had opened and Dan
went to the door to look for the kids
without the price. They were there
as usual. many of them being white
boys. that is they were Caucasians but
you could scarcely tell il for the dirt
on their faces. After he had collect
ed them around him he asked. Boys.
why don't you go to- the show Good
reason. Col. DAN answered one of
I..s,
long would il take you boys to run
down to the creek and wash your
faces? asked Dan. referring to a
OF water about quarter of a
mile from the show ground. oh. not
long they answered in chorus and he
said. Well. go on and make the time
as short as possible. then come back
and go in the show They We're soon
back with radiant. clean faces and Col.
Dan was as good as his word. as he al
ways was.
In 1873. during the money panic.
Rice was heavy loser by having
most of his money in a bank that
closed its doors and the finances of
his show We're at low ebb In ApriI
1874 he called his men to him and
stated to them the plain facts in his
case He told them that he had no
money to- pay them OF. but if they
would stay with him he would man
age to pay their expenses and il there
was any good luck in the future for
him they should share i'm it. They all
said they would stick with him. come
what may. and signed papers to that
effect lf they had been the only ones
with whom he had to settle. things
might have been brighter for Dan. but
at this time he was not the owner of a
train as the average circus man of to-
day Is. but he had his stuff transferred