New-York tribune., 1908-04-05
CIRCUS AT HOSPITAL
Children at T1co Institutions Glad
dened bg the "Greatest Shoe"

The circus PLAYED two one-hour stands yesterday
at the St Marys Free Hospital Children, in
west S4ih street. and the New York orthopedic
Hospital in Fast 59th street There the children
could not go to the circus. the circus came TO
them All this won le-ful thing happened lust be
cause a small boy had awful feeling OF being
forgotten by the whole world not many years ago
Ihis boy came down with the measles just as the
last of the big gorgeous posters spashed into
place on the barre He got them just in time
to go uo1r to 'the let" and sec where The Show
mad been He' 'ever forgot that he had 'ost three
hours OF Heaven and peanuts. so when Dexter Eel
loves. up at the greatest show earth, thought
'he other day of the Iittle ones in hospital
never would grow up, ne decided that he would
just take the circus 20 them.
II was Abe Lincoln the baby elephant who led
the way. beitted the namesake of the
whom al! children loved. He had hard work get
ting up the steps St. Mary's but by dint of
much -'heHve-all-togetFer- boys from behind ne
reached the top Then he padded down the aisle
between the beds with his Little trunk reaching
out 10 grasp tho hands Of all the boys and girls
1t was q patheticaIly queer little group that
sought &c gras.. tbe's trunk. Some there
VINO had been strapped pap0Cose-Vis to big iron
ing boards for months and others harnessed
in steel cages which keep the soft brittle bones
from giving way. Sore of the little ones could
sit up. buI there were not many Of them In the
medical ward he convalescents laughed until the
Sisters said that they gained more weight in an
hour than they had been expected to do in week.
The nurses. catching the contagion from the chill
dren. displayed more dimples than an ordinary
would think existed IT all New York.
The children c-owed and laughed for an hour,
while the clowns tumbed and played with their
dogs and showed how TO quiet squealing nglet,
and the most intelligent monkey in captivity
showed how the Merry Widow Waltz really
Should be danced. And while ali this was going on
Vicente Wee, who has grown only tventy-sevon
inches in twenty years. visited from bed TO bed
taking short cuts under some of them
After Able had been ploted down the stairs and
into his automobile the show jumped the or
tnopedic Hospital. All the children there who
coUld get about had been pressing their noses
against the window since oayhreak waiting for
the circus to come. And when it did come their
eyes fairly popped cut 70 make sure that they
would not tumble CT the clowns or
sir-gle wag OF the tails of Boss and Lady or lhe
other dogs that you couldn't tell from elephants
Il you just closed your eyes and thought hard for
d moment.
Three clowns tried to outdo each other in max
ing children who had not had any excuse to do
so for long time laugh until their tender sides
ached. George Brown and his dogs, Lady ana
Ecss, turned somersaults and stood on their heads
and jumped all over the ward. just the TaE the
Children hope 10 do themselves some day Then
the clown balanced speck, wee bit of a dog. on
his hand On rs hind legs. and speck stood on its
head and climbed a ladder and a few other things
like that. Petrof, the German clown, showed how
funny dog and cat and pig circus can 5e. Just
then the littlesI girl OF all, who had one curl ted
up coQuettishly with piece Of two-inch banda5',
nearly fell off her bed, for in came a dog ihat
looked like a horse and he was drawing a little
wooIly deg that looked like real grown-up lady
taking ride the park
Even the pr7rtiest little girl who IS just able TO
sit Ip now IN q big wheeled chair, smiled for the
first time in a good many days But something
even fuRnier already its way and just q
second later Mounstaer end his dogs, who pay
being elephants. came in. One OF them is higher
ti.au the and the other one is q little tceAy-
veeny deg. The ] tie dog jumped all over he iiS
oEc and the big jumped over the little one
Tlen the little one stood his head right on top
Of the big ones head II almost a. good 2s
some Of the pictures in the 4 c books And
then Able walked dcwn the line and shook hau1s
with eyery ybody. The show over.