Rocky Ford enterprise., 1901-11-29
ACROBATS PRACTICE.
FAMOUS RESORT IN LONDON FOR
STRANGE SPECIALISTS.
Men asd Women rumbiiss. waikin. on
Their usads. aad coatassiaE Their
Hs.ii~s In . .ynas.t.' school fos FRO
fsssioa.i.-ssm~ sp~ei.i,iss.


There are very few L.ondoncEN who
know tha, down In the unsayory NcN
c'it. on the RICH, hand side as onr
goes toward Waterloo road. Is n little.
srin , window.i .cfycc shop. Above
the door ID the i-kcnd-famlliar enough
heErabouis-"B-ds sispene. night"
II - obviously n poor man'S hotel"
Yet any weekday. from 10 to II 10 ;hc
MOI ming up tilt l o. In the alter
noon. the cufisgs In such matter. may
Observe passia!. IT, and out never
crasins s,rcaa u well-drcssrd and
~cil'sct-up sncn. clean shavcn. spruce
and ale.i. tho very last sort Of inii-
tstnb.H one would imagine To pa,ruu-
Ia. for l;s bosfi or lodging an -ttaS-
lishmChi such rs this. Nor. As "a mat
ter Of fact, do the, do so. Follow any
one OF them ana !, GU will fnd that he
rssssd straight 'hro ish the ilt,l, shop
down dark passage to emerge even
'uaily into a lofty hall. around the wall
OF wh!cI arc rlrFcd all kinds Of S, m.
nastic apparatus. And on the lnpr.
suspended from rings in inid.air.
dangling from tEapcEcs near the coll
inE arc mcn-and vomcn-tumbilnE
nyinE. swinging. walking on their
hands. standing on their heads. throw.
Ing somcTssults by the score aud
twisting themselves into every cunrriy.
able conior;ion to which the human
form divine IL capable OF lending it,
self For this Is n professional nc.
Fohats' Practice room and its name and
fame arc known from end to end Of
Europe. and. indeed. all over the world
wherever gymuasts and such like folk
travel. and they travel far. They arc
largely foreigners. these people. Lis
ten TO the babel of tongues. Regard the
various types. Yon little dark-cycd
lassic. who is turning catherine
wheels" with such seHt. il Scapolltan
and a hcbutanic. apprcnticcd to
troupe by parents who we're too poor
to keep her. Like it, Ask her. Sh.
knows today. poor child. for aImos, the
nrst time In her hitherto sad young
hfeswhat u, means to go TO bed un-
hungry. Here IL an Austrian lady
training under Mr.. Harry Ara. lie
has only been a few months with the
troupe and already The tells you proud
W he can turn forty "nipnaps" with.
out pausing for breath. a child wo-
man. with black elf locks and Jew
ish cast Of countenance. IL HoIsmnIy
engaged In throwing her arms and IeEa
about and around. now like the sails
OF a windmill. anon like the ,pu,acIcs
OF some strange species Of octopus. She
u an Armenian. the sole survivor of
her village. at the time IL was raided
by band Of Kurds early las, winter
of the inanimate things that nrc
ranged round the walls. the most are
not what they seem. 4 billiard table.
Tor instance, which looks as solid as
one OF the best SO guinea match ones.
proves on investigation TO be fitted
with dummy bed" Of green baizc
covered canvas. upon which the pcr-
former can fall hcadforemost. II need
De- from almost any height wIthou;
hurting himself. Originally one of ,h.
naoitues OF the place. says the London
Mali' this curiously situated practice
haII was penny gaff'' of the an.
proved type. ON the little stage n,
the back. blood and thunder meIo- |
dramas were presented night after
hlgnt TO admiring audiences Of boys |
anu slrIs. For the better part OF a
couple OF decades afterward the bare.
sauht nail. masked by the grimy cof- |
zee shop. remained closed and we'll
nlsh FORGOTTEN until one day an enter-
pt'sing pro" acrobat in search Of n
place wherein to practice discovered
u and made 1t known to his brother
ana sister "pros.:" since when II has
'aheh on new lease of life and pros
peri'y. Every day acrobats pass in and
out, bent upon learning new tricks
winch they have conceived. but which