The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-05
nv ropY HAMILTON.
c~oDv,,oAt. 1901. BY R. +. HamareH.

p.nsv travelled with him every summer
I'd looked after his comfort. She had a
~sutIful home In New York apd plenty OF
r,orey. vet she kept house for him. with
oolored cook. In his private car en- route.
pu, Mrs. Bailey was the only woman with
.ho show proper who had no direct part In
,bs show itself. With such q vast neces-
sorv outfit there Ia never any room TOT
dsadheads; not for one. Wives OF per-
tor,ners frequently adopt some role In order
"a travel with their husbands, but 1t must
=. one which is necessary or useful TO the
sbor-euch as driving q chariot. caring FOR
T-bs daughter Of the tattooed couple be-
nrs a freak, known as 'the moss haired
Iii = an az TO be with her parents. Mime.
NIT. was costumer, her daughter. Emma,
-as ha,te eoole rider. and the latter's
hr.hsnd was property man. Mr.. White
h.d trained dogs. This family OF -four
",.rted a third generation while en- route
.hroad. with a girl born to the young couple
IN Germany and a boy born in France. The
.hId,en were put out under nurses-and
when the parents started for the United
GATES after the FIVE years tour they gath
ered in their progeny to hnd that the giri
understood only German and the boy
French. The parents knew only Enghsn'
The charming young mother. who. with
two brief intermissions, had appeared In
,hs ring all OF that time. was not abb to
understand her " children n could not
he understood by them.
Not infreUuently more than two menu
h.rs Of the same family belong to the show;
IL Io,,rkfaT OT ann Nine.
Dockrill belonged to the show when her
little daughter was In the carrying act anu
her husband was equestrian director.
There are more married couples in the
circus business than in any other. Some
times they play In teams; sometimes IL
"a whole family. Sometimes the husband
isa clown. while his wife is a trapeze artist
or the husband lie at the horizontal bars and
bs wife does the slack wire; or the wife
drives a chariot, while the husband is en-
Moved in the administrative department.
and so on.
There is a sympathetic chord common to
tbs whole family Of performers, and this
il danger. Any dangerous feat is always
the subject Of general anxiety. A mai
NAV be painted and dressed as a clown,
hut he can't very well feel funny when his
wife or daughter is poised high In the air
nreparatory to a swinging catch or somer-
sault which may be her last act.
have often witnessed this tender So
fsItude which others saw not, and have
noted the deep drawn breath Of relief when
the danger was passed There are many
such anxious faces at every performance,
consequent p the family relation; but
dangerous feats have the sympathy OF all
without exception. Even the uniformed
ring attendants look pleased when the
thing is over; while the father, mother,
husband. wife, brother, sister, not IN the
act. having watched it breathlessly from
some secluded corner, silently thanks God
that the time which is sure to come sooner
or later has not yet arrived.
When you see these couples and families
hnddled together in the shade OF the wagons.
or in remote cool corners Of the big tents,
between performances, h women sewing,
knitting, or ~crocheting, the men gossiping.
smoking or snoozing, it would require a
stretch OF the imagination for you to picture
them in tights and tinsel on horseback,
on the high trapeze or doing the bars
they look 30 homelike. domestic and COM
monplace
On Sundays they enjoy a grand rest,
writing letters. reading and doing only
necessary sewing and darning. I knew
a clown who used to put in all his spare
time painting and sketching. he had a
small easel set in the back Of his trunk,
and in the very whirl Of the coming and 60
ing often put in touches with his brush
on some picture in hand.
Husband and wife ofted occupy places
near each other. Though h canvas which
separates the dressing rooms rs between
them they can pass things to each other
beneath the curtain and enjoy each others
society during the performance.
They must perforce lead a regular and
moral existence. The nature Of their call
ing. which demands quick eye and steady
hand. compels the s~trictest observance OF
the rules Of strenuous life. They are even
prone TO practise in the dressing rooms be-
tween hard work some lev feat. some
fresh muscular exercise. e.
Now you will see why the morals OF the
circus personnel Of to-day are superior.
DO you suppose for IN instant that all OF
these husbands and wives and fathers and
daughters are likely TO tolerate the presence
among them Of d~isreputable women and
immoral menH Not much The atmosphere
would soon be made too hot for them.
There is no place. no consolation, no
companionship for them. II they are
there they are on their good behavior.
The great spectacles carried by the
modern circus bring from fifty to five nun
dred women into the personnel. These
women are, as a class, respectable and
highly respected. They are present every
where-behind every bit Of canvas about
the tents, in the sleeping cars, at the eating
tables-and this omnipresenoe enforoes a
certain consideration and a degree OF
decency OF language and decorum Of action
rare among any other class Of men.
The surroundings and supervisory care
OF these women are such that. the most
sensitive and refined young woman might
trdVol with a circus from n end Of the
country 70 the other for a whole season
with as absolute safety TO her person, her
mind and her morals as II she were attend
ING any reputable boarding school.
she never passes out OF the range OF the
~atohful eye Of the matron Of her section,
Whether In dressing room. arena, or In the
cars. She is marched from car to tents,
from dressing room TO meals and back TO
the car after the performances with a gentle.
motheriy but firm hand that knows no