The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-26
OF CIRCUS LITERATURE.
APPERTATNING TO THE ART OF
ALLURING ALTERATION.
Tricks or the Trade in the Profession OF
Pleasing the Public Producing the
Paper 10 Paraiyze the POpulace-A
Task That Finally Became q Burden.
BY roDY HAMILTON.
Copyright. 1907. BY r. +. Hamilton.

BY ToDY HAMILTON.
Copyright. 1907. bv r. r.. Hamilton.
With the exception Of three men all the
shovmen with whom ] have ever come into
contact were men of very little education,
while some had none at all. But all were
men Of marked shrewdness allied with
business cunning.
MANY of their agents, too, were men OF
limited education; but they knew 30 much
more than their employers that they passed
for men Of considerable erudition. ] knew
one agent who wrote that his show was
the elephantiasis show" and his boss said
that the line was immense. Another agent,
at one time general agent OF the Barnum
show. wrote a letter of invitation TO clergy
men to visit the menagerie"--a very conn
mon trick--and signed the letter Yours
in the Faith, w. G. Coup, Snowman"
However, most Of these men. who were
really too ignorant to realize their own IL
literacy, possessed practical knowledge Of
the show business and a good supply OF
nerve. There are some such agents to-
day and some such showmen, but they are
happily growing more and more exceptional
year by year.
James a. Dducg . oppOohHhOV No
circus world demonstrated that originality
in advertising ideas after all is really second
TO method. His method was to bill the show
with as much care and particularly as II
each season we're It's first on the road. Not
a point was left uncovered. not a sheet oil
paper disposed Of by chance. TIL press
agent is but a part OF the grand scheme q
section OF the method.
This circus method OF advertising, in
stead Of becoming modified and restricted
by time, has grown steadily with the shows
themselves, and has been seized on al
improved by all other kinds Of business.
The feature OF the press agent has been
added TO the billboards, the newspapers,
the rocks and fences, until now almost
every commercial line OF importance boasts
n clever man whose special business II is
TO get things into, or keep things out OF,
the newspapers. In many instances his
chief duties are to keep items injurious
10 his employers interests from appearing
in printAwhioh was the real business OF the
original circus press agent He Is the
official mouthpiece Of his corporation or
firm, 10 whom all newspaper men are re-
ferred for information.
| have been preparing show paper for
tine printer for more than thirty years.
began in 1875, when / first entered
nv career as press agent. This matter Of
the preparation OF show paper is a very
important mart of the business, In the
early days there were only a few recog-
nized writer's OF show paper, among them
being Charles H. Day, Bill Durand, Fred
Lawrence. Charley Stowe and my brother,
John W. Hamilton.
Before that time the so-called general
agents OF shows, who were usually men
OF very ordinary education and ability
hut who possessed practical knowledge
OF the circus business as then followed.
made a more or less clumsy attempt to get
I'D the sort of paper then thought necessary.
New York was at that time the headquarters
OF most OF the tent shows. DR.. Riley a
a show printing house in Spruce street
where the New York Commercial is at this
day. and Sam Booth had another similar
establishment in Centre street.
In my early days as reporter on the daily
press [ often had occasion to frequent
these printing houses in quest Of news
OF the circus world. There l first saw
how paper was brought out. as the circus
agents could be seen at work on their paper
for the coming season.
This work consisted OF clipping with a
pair OF scissors the most attractive lines
from former bills and pasting them together
30 az 70 form a new bill. The special new
features which required description were
written in after stupendous expenditure
OF thought and perspiration.
Ii was here ! first met the late James
A. Bailey, whom fate had already decreed
that ! should serve till his death. He was
then general agent Of the Cooper Il Bailey
STOW.
With the rapid growth Of the circus it was
natural that the proprietors should seek
in some way TO improve the character OF
their paper and extend the t~horoughness
OF their billing. They began to pick out
the best professional writers to prepare copy
for their bills and advertisements.
These writer's were usually drawn from
the staff OF journals printed where the
show laid up for the winter. When the
COPY was satisfactory it frequently followed
TINT to its writoS would be offered a position
as press agent.
Some wears ago the active circus warfare
offered ample scope to these writer's in the
preparation Of biting, caustic bills. adver-
tisements, DC. In winter they were en-
ployed in getting up the advertising matter
for the next season on the road.
Ny work Of this nature consisted usually
Of compiling an eight page newspaper or
pamphlet Of about thirty-two pages. a
courier OF sixteen pages, many varieties of
three sheet bills. paragraph bills, pro-
grammes, quarter-sheets Of solid matter.
dodgers. excursion programmes and the
lettering Of some one hundred different
styles Of l~ithographs-all Of the great posters
and pictorial work,
When this was finished would take up
the notices to be used en- route in the country
press. These embrace about one hundred,
with an average OF some eight hundred
words, each covering every feature OF the
show. They are printed column width
and bound In tablet form.
Next came the preparation Of the adj
v~ertisements to he used in the newspapers,
about twenty different advertisements.
ranging from one hundred lines TO two
columns. These advertisements are written
TO permit the use OF cuts and TO be adjusta-