Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-17
KEEPING IN TRAINING
How ACrObats Preserve Condi-
ton Between Seasons.
A PECULIAR GYMNASIUM
Maintained for Professional Circus
Performers.
TEACHING THE BOYS AND GIRLS
How to Become Tumblers and Aerial
Artists-Where Performing.
Animals Are Kept.
Written Cor The Star

hIllteH 'or Inc star.
Suppose you We're to receive upward Of
five hundred Christmas greetings Via ilu-
minated postal cards. wouldn't YOU begin
to think that you We're popular in meas
ure? William Celeste got this number of
cards in his mail last Christmas Natural
ly he was pleased, but he took a sane view
of the matter.
you see" he explained, they're not sent
to me because I'm William Celeste. They're
mine because I've got the only business of
the sort going, and all these folks appre-
ciate it
William Celeste runs the only strictly
professional gymnasium for acrobats, ira
peze artists and other men and women and
children whose livelihood is gained by their.
skill in defying the power of gravitation
for appreciate periods of time
There are gymnasiums a-plenty where
these professionals may train alongside
business men who are taking physical cul-
tUre, or school youths trying to build up
knots Of muscles. Celesto's place is not this
sort. No one except a professional, or a
professionals student. is admitted. That is
among the humans. For be It known Ce-
lesto's is a training and polishing up place
also for the strictly professional members
of the animal kingdom, from the tiuiest
sort of dog to a jumbo elephant.
Here's the place, a broad. four-story brick
structure that formerly did duty as a stor-
age warehouse This is the office Mr.
Jones-Mr. Celeste. Mr.. Celeste used TO be
In the show business himself: But he be-
came n White Rat. and when the fight was
over he found himself shut of the vaude-
vile circuit and in possession of just five
cents.
Now Mr. Celeste did not want to starve,
so he set his wits TO thinking hard. Pref
ty soon he recalled that he had frequently
heard show men complain because there
MA HOY faTo
ly keep in training between enga gemeuts.
or put their troupes of animals through
their PAGES when off the stage. Mr.. Celeste,
therefore, on a capital of five cents, de-
cided to start up such a place. How he
managed to accomplish this feat In finan-
ciering is a long story; but here he IS now,
Mr.. Jones. having moved for the third
time within seven years, In order to keep
pace with the growth of the enterprise.
Yarns of the Managers
Those men seated over there in the cor
ner? Sleek-looklng, well-dressed lot, aren't
they? But they're not the pros; they're the
managers of the pros. Some> hanging
around while waiting for engagements;
others, with business noTshing, here for
social chat with Mr.. Celeste and all the
rest Listen to their shop talk.
by the Lord Harry, that was a great
trip. Why, the circus hadn't been south
month before 1t had taken in twenty thou
money"
Seen Baldini's performing mule yet?
Say it the durndest thing for bucklng--
"Ah. cut it out Bill. Johnnie Sims has
got an animal that's his clown properly
that can
whats that? What's that?" The little
bald-headed fellows getting excited, isn't
he? "Why-why-say you fellers amt on
10 the latest, l guess. There's the man who's
got the greatest performing mules eveT-not
one mnd We, but troupe. Oh, say, I'm
Gle Dan"
Here we are, the place where the animals
are trained and kept up in their business.
Hello they're driving three lions from their
box cages into the lion den-that high cir
cular steel cage yonder. Guess they haven't
been training the handsome fellow long. for
the trainer Is trying to make the beast smell
of the chair That's done to get him accus-