Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-02
CIRCUS DAYS OF OLD


yes" remarked tho griszled man with
the frazzled st0gfe, ssI'm going to tho CIR
cus-for q sure thing. Am going to take
the wife and all the young ones. And In
spite Of that frayed. Old gag, I'm not going
to take 'em jYst to give myself an excuse
to go. but because they want to go. and
want to take them. 81 don't have to cook
up any excuse for going to the circus.
Never did have, to. 80 to circuses because
like to go to them, and I don't believe
ever met a fellow who went to them for
any other reason. or who ever found it
necessary to mention to me that he was
only going to take the kids
Talking about the young ones and cir
cuses. though, + only got to thinking this
morning, when I. rode by q circus bill
board-and, say. the circus bills now are
Just Just about DO, the same old lovely pieces OF
L got to thinking about how different the
young ones Of this day regard the circus
from the way they. did when was tad.
was every bit as big affair as Christmas
or the Fourth Of JULY don't know but
what. IN way, It was bigger than both of
them In the first place. the anticipation
OF 1t, plastered before our eyes in tangible
form. lasted longer than the anticipations
either OF Christmas or the Fourth. In the
town Where l was brought up, just as.
suppose IN all OF the small towns Of those
days. the circus bills used to be put up
from two to two and half months before
the arrival OF the show. The big. brightly
painted bill posters car would crawl onto
the sidlng. and the paper and paste ID
De unloaded by this advance guard of the
snow. and from that hour our anticipation
OF the arrival OF the circus would begin.
wed stand in awe-stricken wonder be-
Iore the boards every day on our way to
and from school and then figure on our
knuckles just how many days would have
10 elapse before the circus would hit the
town AS the period would gradually les
sen 5. our excitement would grow. and when
1t got to be only matter of days we'd
begin to forget our sums in arithmetic
i've gone to bed early on the night be-
lore the arrival of the circus just sos /
Wouidnt have to stay awake and count the
long hours before 1t would rumble along
And say, how many youngsters of the
present day in Washington dye suppose
get out OF bed before daylight to go down
TO tne railroad station to see the circus
unloaded from the train? Not many, I'll
gamble. in recent years anyway. My boys
never did 1t, and they're just as much pure
boy as any know. But that was big
Part OF the proceedings with us-to scran-
Die out Of bed long before sunup and hus-
tie into our clothes and race down to the
train to see 'em unload. The circus had
always arrived just little while before 1
arrlved-but that doesn't matter-I tried to
get there In time. And what a delight 1t
was to see the big mysterious cages pulled
Off the cars in the mystery of the early
morning darkness with the rough foremen's
voices cussing the workmen. and the elc-
plants and cames prodded out of their sur
ly sleepiness with their keepers goads.
We always made it point to hang around
the keepers Of the elephants and camels on
the chance, the glorious chance, that we
might be hired by one of the keepers to
pack water for the animals when tho
circus grounds were reached. I've nailed
the water-packing job for the elephants and
camels on several occasions, and on some
occasions I got the ticket for the afternoon
show that had been promised me, and on
others ! was hurried off the circus lot by a
blue-painted stick in the hands of my de-
ceptive keeper or some measley tentman.
I'VE used to watch em forming the
parade on the grounds and follow 1t all
around the town for miles 1t used to hurt
me terribly when my good mother would
gently request me to go to the corner for
loaf Of bread or q sack Of salt, when 1t
never hurt or bothered me to take the
dust Of those circus pa
rades all over town-never so much as
tired me. I'd imagine that the unshaved
ducks in the red riding coats and the rid
ing women in the frayed and frazzled vel
veteen habits were just about as near the
crest of society as 1t was possible for hui
man beings to. be, land no splendiferous
princesses that Id ever read or heard Of
were in it for a minute with the worn-look-
ing women in the tinsel who rode In the
parade on the'backs OF the elephants.
Il wont attempt to describe the delirtouS
delight Of visiting the show itself-and no.
tice that my Boys don't appear to be par
ticularly enthused over the interior of the
big tent. at that. It used to simply hold
me spellbound. but burned If my boys don't
kick If they haven't got some place to rest
their feet while they're watching the ring
show-rest their feetl Well Ed like to have
seen the boy of my date who needed to rest
his feet while at a circus
But the gloom of the day after the cir
Gus had gone away! The misery of awak-
ening on the morning after the show day
and of gradually being compelled to accept
the knowledge that circus day had gonel
The pain of that was mighty acute. I'm
telling you-it was almost more acute to
me than the misery of awakening on the
morning Of the fifth of July and of having
to feel that all Of the frecrackers were
mere busted bits of red paper scattered
all over the lot! But there was always one
remaining consolation on the morning after
for the kids Of my day-they could-and
did-go out and trot around the side-broken
and deserted main ring where the great
gentlemen and ladies had performed their
miraculous stunts on their ambling steeds
In going out to the deserted main ring
however. we'd have to pass by the bill
boards. and how different and dreary they
seemed, now that the magnificent things
that they portrayed had gone!"