Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-09-01
#isetlIaneu,ls 8eadimg.
LAMENT OF THE OLD CLOWN.
All Changed at the Circus But the Red
Lemonade.

All Changed at the Circus But the Red
Lemonade.
Seated in the guests section at the
circus here the other day, says a Ma
con, Mo-, letter, was a white-haired
man who looked with disappearing
eyes at the three rings and the plat
form and the network Of ropes and
rods overhead.
The clowns came in and his eyes
frightened. The testers were made up
we'll and were lively. They jumped
around and yelled "Ah-ha!" and "Ya-
hoo!" right Justify, but never did any
thing else. The old mans countenance
fell.
And they call them clowns!" he
muttered in disgust. "The clowns OF
1903! Ye sods!'
He reached for his hat and started
to rise.
Don't co." said the usher. laying a
hand on his arm. 1.-THE best part OF
the SHOWS 10 come yet.
But you haven't any clowns. my
friend, and circus without clowns Is
worse than banquet without cham
pagne."
But he resumed his seat and watch
ed listlessly. 1t was good circus
There was something doing in the
three rings the entire evening. There
was the wonderful bicycle feat on the
loop, a striking performance by two
men and two women on the slack
wire. the leap for life from a high
trapeze. and a hundred other features
but never a joke from the clowns
And in the eyes Of the old man this
was enough to damn the best circus
that ever toured the. country.
The venerable critic was H. H. Will
hanson. As Dan Rice's clown he got
5000 a month for making people laugh
'T we'll remember Rice's first in
struction to me-" said Mr.. Williamson
when 1 entered his employ as Jester
he said: When you enter the ring
you want to be as timber as possible
and be able to fall down upon the
slightest provocation. If you can't see
anything else to stumble over, fall over
straw. Then pick the straw up with
both hands and hurI 1t outside Of the
ring as II you were handling fence
rail-
"'Pay no attention to the audience,
but give 1t all to the ringmaster. Re-
member that the ability to make people
laugh is more a matter Of magnetism
and facial expression than the words
you use. I have seen clowns that
could keep the audience in an uprcar
without ever opening their mouths
"Dan Rices popularity was occa-
stoned as much by his generosity as
his ability as a Snowman. Once we
were showing at Mankato, MINI. He
was outside the round top and noticed
great crowd Of little girls and boys
looking wistfully toward the entrance.
HE asked them why they didn't 60
in. They told him they didn't have
any money, whereupon Dan made
them form into a double column and
they marched into the ring with Dan
strutting proudly at the head.
when he entered the ring he formed
the children in a circle around the CEN
tire pole and introduced them to the
audience as his own. There were
about 200 Of them. and the statement
excited a great deal Of laughter
"Then he went out Of the tent and
got a half bushel Of mixed candies,
which he distributed among the de-
lighted youngsters. He then ordered
them to take seats close to the ring,
where they could see the whole per-
formance. The story, Of course, was
told all around town. and that night
the tent couldn't hold half Of the peo-
pie that clamored for admittance.
Rice was always getting off some
personal hit that would convulse the
audience with laughter. In the coun-
try districts 1t was a frequent thing to
see young man sitting on one of the
ton seats with his arm around the
waist of the girl who accompanied him
when Dams eagle eye would light
upon a couple of this sort, he would
have this dialogue with the ringmas-
ter:
"'Mr. Smith. do you know who I'd
rather be than president Of the United
States?
why, no. cannot conceive Of any
man so fortunate as to be better on
than the president Of the United
States
WELL said Dan, there Is man
right here in this crowd whom I envy
far more than do the president Of the
United States
impossible! Who can 1t be"
"Then Dan would walk briskly to the
ringside. his wicked eyes peering In
among the spectators and then ne
would suddenly say. pointing his finger
so directly at the unfortunate lovers
that there could be no mistake as to
whom he meant:
I'D rather be that young man up
there with his arm around that girls
waist than be president
"Of course this would always bring
down a tremendous roar Of laughter
and the victims would hurriedly disen-
gage themselves and move as far from
each other as possible. Then Dan
would say, soothingly:
That's all right, son, put your arm
back where it belongs and we won't say
any more about it. had no idea these
people would be so impolite as to laugh
about it or l never would have said a