The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-29
R|NGL|NGS ARE NOW MASTERS OF CIRCUS Brothers Owe Their Success ts Courteous Manners IA VERY UNIQUE FAMILY Novel Methods Have Done Much to PopuIarize Their Tent Amuse-
 ments-Genuses from
 a Country Town.

From the Philadelphia North American.
 Perhaps nothing could better illustrate
 the meteoric rise of the five brothers
 who have, with a suddenness almost
 startling, emerged from the obscurity of
 small western town to become the ab-
 solute rulers of the tent show world in
 America, and to own the greatest amount
 of tenting show equipment now existent
 in Europe. than the death. few days ago, of Augustus Ringing.
 It was reported and published broad cast that he was the head of the new combination of circus kings, whie as a
 matter of fact, he was not even a mem-
 Der of the firm, but was simply an em-
 ploye of his five brothers, known as the | Ringing Brothers. Although the second one in age, he did not enter the circus business until his brothers had fairly es- tablished their small show that eventual ly attained to such magnitude that they could command control of the business throughout the country.
 For a period of about 135 years Phila- delphia has been the home of more circus people than any other town or city in the country. It was in this city that tho circus became a recognized institution long before 1t gained such standing In any other community. history of the circus business would disclose the names
 of more Philadelphians at the head of
 circuses and part of their titles than
 those of any other city, almost up to the
 present day.
 City Without Circus. With the passing of the name of Adam Forepaugh decreed by these same Ring ling Brothers, who own the title and .lo tI1 delphia is now, for the first time in all these years, without a circus, and is represented in the showw orld only by Maj. Gordon w. Lillie, Pawnee Bill. whose home is in the northeastern part of town His show, however, no longer
 has its habitat here, but Is wintered in the Pawnee country, where Major Lillie is one of the white chiefs of the Pawnee Indian nation.
 Owning now, besides the show that bears their name and the one bearing the name of Adam Forepaugh. the Barnum &r Bailey show, it is these Ringing Broth
 CTS upon whom Philadelphia must de- pend for their circus entertainment, for they will not permit any other shows to come to this city, and they are in a posi-
 tion to dictate territory to all the other shows For this reason it may be inter- esting to know who and what these new caterers in the most popular form of the publics amusements are.
 The Ringing Brothers are natives of the little town of Baraboo, Wiscosin. It is little more than village still, and 1t
 may be said that the Ringling Brothers show Is it's only industry. There were seven or the brothers until the death of Augustus The, family name of Ringing is of German origin. and the parents of the Ringlings were among the earliest
 settlers in Wisconsin, going there from the south of Germany.
 The dark, swarthy skins and intensely deep, black eyes of the brothers suggest
 that there is a strain of Italian blood m i. them. They are all marked by high and wide cheek bones, and these suggest the Suabians. Of course, all this is mere con lecture as to their origin. The brothers themselves are clear Americans, with
 American energy, enterprise and intelli- gence.
 Are Musical Family. The Ringlings are distinctly a musical