Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-26

anxiety always is felt By the management
until this feature OF the days program is
over. The proprietors Of the Barnum &
Bailey show abandoned the parade alto
Eether while In Europe. and found that its
withdrawal greatly simplfied the handling
Of the show without affecting the attend
anoe. It could easily be done away with
abroad, because the big circus is a new
institution over there and the people are
not accustomed to all its features as they
are in this country. Another reason for
emitting the parade in Europe was because
great many people came to see II and
then went home satisfied.
The ticket wagon is the heart OF the
circus. The financial branch Of the busi-
ness Is an improved and highly perfected
system IN itself In the morning the treas
urer sends out his agents to pay bills.
dictates correspondence to a stenographer
and rapidly disposes Of the various fea-
lures Of the days business When the door
OF the big show is thrown open a busy
hour follows for the men in the ticket
wagon. A big five-pole tent will seat 1900
people. and is the shows plays TO capa-
city all Of this number must buy their
tickets and pass through the door within
an hour and a half. in fact most Of them
pass through within an hour. This does
not afford much opportunity for the men
In the ticket wagon to be sociable. After
the audience Is seated the employees are
paid off. Every day is payday with the
big show. One day the performers are
paid, another the laborers. another the
drivers and 20 on. People who stand in
front Of the wagon while the money is
being taken in often marvel at the amount
Of IT, but they seldom remain long enough
to see most Of 1t go out again.
1t costs a great deal Of money to operate
big circus. There are no available stat
istics Of the exact amount because no two
shows cost the same. and the expense for
no two days is identical in the same show.
The most concise proof that It is an un-
certain calling is the fact that there are
so few men who succeed In it. The big
ones can be counted on the fingers OF one
hand. The first cost Of circus property is
great and it wears out rapidly. The prop
erty OF a big show Is the accumulation of
years, with no two pieces the same age or
in the same state OF repair. II represents
an investment Of hundreds Of thousands OF
dollars and yet 1t is only worth to its
owner what he can make It earn In thirty
two weeks Of uncertain weather. Expen-
sive cages will set stuck in the mud and
be pulled to pieces in the effort to get
them out, and great losses are sustained
in the death Of valuable animals. During
the winter the circus animals must be cared
for, and force Of men kept busy arrang-
ing for the coming season.
The circus proper never pays for itself
the profits coming from the reserved seat
sale. the side-show, the concert and the
privileges. If a show. could only have the
reserved seat sale left as profit, after all
expenses are paid, the seasons work would
net big gain. Some of the big acts cost
1900 per week, in addition to the board
and transportation OF the performers. The
bill for colored posters and other adver-
using matter during the season often
runs as high as $4,000. which does not
include the cost of putting it up. The ex-
perse of transporting the show from one
town 70 another rarely falls below $500
The side-show is always a money Garner,
because It does not cost in proportion to. the
ring performances. 1t viii take In from
$3.50 to 500 per day. The side-show per-
formers have longer hours than anyone
else with the show. The familiar cry Of
the ''barkers" and the hurry-up music Of
CndllGnEe
OF the morning and the last call at night
The side-show frequently will take in $50
or $40 while the big tent is being taken
down.
The show business has undergone many
important changes during the past few
years. One Improvement is the perfection
in the system for keeping an absolute
check on the advertising. Inspectors are
~
posters are up, and others follow to see
that they stay up until the day of the
show. In the matter OF Autographs con-
tract is made with each storekeeper TO keep
several bills IN his window for a considera-
ton of a number Of free tickets An in
spector goes around town just before the
show gets in and unless the paper Is in
position in each place, the contrace 1t taken
up at the door and refused. Another now
thing is advertising only such features as
are actually given. Formerly shows ad-
vertised without any expectation Of living
UP to their promises, but now II anything
happens 10 one of the acts that is being
featured the special paper is at once ordered
"cut out"
The bane of circus life Is rain and mud.
When there is fair weather everything goes
Wen- ~ lH IKE camping out with the sun
shining, the dust flying, and the country
folks crowding around the inexhaustible
supply OF red lemonade, the circus goes it's
merry way with its people quite as happy
In the life as those in any other. Al
together It is not a bad thing, not bad be-
cause it's jingling music and its atmospbere
Of mirth and wonder serve to amuse the
young and drive away dull care for the
old, and anything which does this even for
a day is not without its excuse for being.
BX FREDz1ro J. EAsKm.
TomorFow-Biiihid Prison.