Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-04-15
THE Old CIRCUS
MANS STORY
How tho Great Giants Singing
Voloe Hit the People

a very curious thing about the
| greatest of all giants" said the old cir
Gus man. was the difference between
his speaking and his singing voice.
His speaking voice was that OF Il
man of ordinary stature; his singing
voice was in keeping with his own 81
gantic size. And we never discov.
cred this ourselves until he had been
with MS for some months, not in fact
TIL the end of the first season with
us, when we'd gone into winter quar-.
| tiers.
I'VE were sitting. the old man. the
giant and myself, In that room that
I've told you about that we had fixed
up for the giant by taking out q sec
ondstory floor and 80 carrying a
ground floor room up through two
stories to give the giant head room
sitting there ono evening about n
couple OF days after we'd come In from
the road, and pretty soon we heard
the cook. over in the kitchen at the
other end of the house, humming n
tune; and then the first thing we knew
we heard the giant singing It. And
singing? Why. you never heard any.
thing like 1t; and nobody would have
believed, IL he hadn't heard II, that
anybody could have such voice.
For comparison It was like the
roar OF Niagara compared to the sound
OF little waterfall over stone In a
brook. Sound? Why. thought it
was going to make the walls bulge and
blow out the windows.
And IL wasn't harsh. rough voice,
you understand, either; It was good,
smooth voice; not the most beautiful
voice you ever heard. but still n
smooth. round. deep voice OF the most
amazing volume, vastly greater than
anything you had ever dreamed of IN a
human voice, and 1t made the old
man and mo sit up In wonder.
And when the giant stopped we
found the whole circus WAS standing
around outside the headquarters build
ing-animal men, canvas men, drivers,
the whole outfit had come up to hear
the giant sing. and these were men,
you know. accustomed to strange
things. We had S0.odd acres in our
reservation. but you could hear the
giants voice in the furthest corner of
it. and didn't know then how much
further beyond; and at the first note
OF 1t men had stopped their work and
then they had all come to listen.
AS l wns saying to you. you could
near the giants voice all over the res.
eryation. and i didn't know how fer
beyond: but we soon found out about
that. The village was only about
three-quarters of mile away, and on
still nights and when the wind was
right you could hear his singing then
plainly; and 1t didn't exactly scare the
people; they all knew the giant and
they all liked him. but they all went
to bed early, and that wonderful sound
coming to them after they had gone
to bed did disturb 'em somewhat. And
SO the old man got the giant not 10
sing after nine o'clock at night; and
that winter he had him practice up on
number of songs, which of course
he was going TO have the giant sing
under canvas in our next season on
the road.
In those days. you know, we used
to give concert after the show; send
around men before the last act selling
tickets for this concert; and then when
the show was over people that hadn't
bought tickets would pass out, and
those that had would stay to the con,
cert. and sometimes half the people
would stay, or maybe only q quarter
OF EN-; but whatever we got that way
was velvet. and what the old man was
going to do was to substitute for the
music and singing we used TO give in
that concert singing by the giant. And
he didn't miscalculate. for the flrsy
time the giant selg everybody STAYED
from curiosity. and after that they all
stayed, everywhere. because they
wanted TO.
1--WE used to stand the giant I'D on 8
platform built around the center pole
with the band around him, where
there was plenty OF room for him and
where everybody could see him. And
the band would play a tune through
and then flourish or two, and then
the giant would sing. with the band ac
compaDying him.
And he'd get the people from the
first note. 1t was wonder Just to see
him standing there. but 1t was ia,
greater wonder to hear him sing. He
didn't make fun Of 1t, you understand;
he took his singing seriously, and SC
did the people, for 80 tremendous q
voice had never been heard before, but
1t was not unmuslcal. and altogether II
came pretty close to being awe-insplr
ing.
You see, the giant was by far the
greatest man ever seen. but his voice
was far greater still. Great as he was