Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-07-17
THE WALTER |. MAIN SHOW.
What the People Demand Now Is the
Real Genuine Goods.


People nowadays want to see the real
thing. It does not make the slightest diff
ference what 1t is, so long as 1t is just
what 1t Is claimed to be. or course. every
body remembers what the late +. T. Bar
mum said about the American people Tx
ing to be humbugged. II the old Snowman
were alive to-day he would doubtless
modify that statement. When he made
1t he was exploiting successfully THE
Woolly Horse" the What is TIP and
similar attractions that could not find Q
place in the Great Walter L. Main Side
Shows Of to-day. A single imposture OF
that sort was enough for a whole show in
the days when Barnum made his famous
historic utterancc. Even he lived long
enough to regret the statement and In his
latter days he frequently said to his
friends privately that the utterance was a
sad mistake. but 1t was too late to recall
It. Now it Is the best remembered thing
he ever said. No. the reverse Of that state
ment is true now. The old reliable pro
gressive Snowman knew It, and he govern
ed himself accordingly. When Snowman
now says that his show Is the oldest, lar
gest. and best show travelling 1t must be
so. or the public Will know 1t and he Will
suffer a loss OF patronage. or course, the
public will tolerate any sort of claim and
say little IL anything about 1t but is Is the
truthful Snowman who makes the most
money, and that fact Is being found out
and followed. AS a plain matter of un-
deniable fact, there is only one big reliable
show, and that Is now the Great Walter
l.. Main tremendous aggregation. The past
season has rounded out eighteen contin-
uous years which Mr. Main has been The
sole owner and manager of his now man.
moth institution. No other show on earth
has such an enviable record, and during
all that time ne has shown to the world
an upward trend In the tendency of amuse-
ments unexampled In history. Mr. Main
believes that amusements. judiciously de-
vised and properly presented, is one of
the needs Of our great social existence
that the people will and must have amuse-
ment: that the scope Of the circus among
all ages classes and conditions. but par
ticularly among the youth OF our land. Is
much broader than in any other branch OF
the circus ought 20 attain the highest pos
sibe perfection, both in Its nature MS a
popular entertainer and as an important
moral educational factor In the great
social system. In keeping with these ideas
Walter l.. Main has transformed the ma
ture OF the circus so materially that to-day
1t bears a far different relation to the
world than it did two and n half years
age In tho past decade It was not unusua
| to sec a horde Of dishonest, greedy and
rapacious camp-followers and like vam
pires OF society infesting the routes OF
| travelling shows. 1t must be confessed
that in a number Of instances this condi
ton still prevails, but such institution.
are now Stunned by the majority Of think
Ing people and only exist by reason of tbs
patronage OF those unacquainted with theii
| character and by the spells of their dis
honest practices. They cannot however
visit the same place twice. except under
different aliases, which the keen public
eye usually penetrates Tho Amusement
patron has a peculiar market in which t
select the recreation. The price is usually
the same, the advantage to the purchaser
is in the character and magnitude OF tn,
goods. The advantage to the amusement
manager is in securing the greatest patron
age, and this he can only do by having
the very best to offer. With this poin
IN view. the Great Walter L. Main ha!
given character to his enormous shows
which. both in magnitude and moral ma
ture, is without rival on either continent
and to-day his patronage is SO far in ex
cess of that of any other show as to full!
he demonstrated and established. TIL
Great Walter l.. Main big shows is super
Tor over all others. coming In all its en-
tirely. Monday July 90 to Burlington.