The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-05

'Ts a sad day for the penny banks
of Richmond. Few, indeed, are the
children In this city who have mot
already found way to extract the
contents therefrom. and who before
nightfall will have spent those con-
tents even to the last copper.
The reason for this concentrated
weeks and months is to be found in a
tented city which has sprung up over
night at Broad and Robinson streets
In short, the circus is In town. and
1T is strange child who does not
consider the sight of elephants and
other animals. not To mention the an
ties of weirdly painted clowns, or the
alluring delights of peanuts and red
lemonade far more to be desired than
the mere possibility of shaking a bank
and being repaid only by the jingle
Of the pennies. nickles and dimes
therein.
But the appeal of the circus Is by
no means confined to the younger ele-
ment There will be plenty of grown
ups at the performance at o'clock
Monday afternoon, and still more
probably at the evening performance
at 8 o'clock. Then, too, there were
huge crowds in which milady rubbed
elbows with her servants and in which
little Lord Fauntleroy squeezed the
arm of the little fellow who sells
newspapers; all straining and cram
ing their necks to see the parade. The
"a q f11fA =
circuitout route from the show
grounds downtown and along that
thoroughfare to Fourteenth, up Four
teenth. out Broad. back. TO the show
grounds. 1t was great parade-so
great that many man who had pre-
viously declared he didn't think he'd
go to the circus this year was in
duced to change his mind.
Some idea of the magnitude of mod
ern circus may be cleaned from the
fact that thirty-seven huge cars are
required to carry the tents. animals,
wagons and provender of the John
Robinson circus. Four hundred and
fifty wprkmen. exclusive of the per-
formers, are needed to look after the
contents OF these cars
Sunday reporter for The Virgin
ian visited the tented city of the Jonn
Robinson shows. Within one OF the
great canvasses a group of cowboys
sat chatting with an aged, much be-
wrinkled Indian medicine man." and
his young and rather comedy squaw.
over to one side an animal trainer
seemed to be enjoying himself hugely
slapping the face OF great spotted leo
pard, The latter snapped playfully
at the hand of the trainer Several
times, too, the hand was closed down
upon by sharp. gistening white teeth
but always so gently that never q
mark was left on the skin Indeed.
the leopard seemed to enjoy being
slapped. He acted for all world like
an overgrown puppy. He does like
the game, too, but only when he IL
playing 1t with this particular train
er. 1t was explained Anyone else
attempting to slap the great beast
would probably come away minus a
hand.
Natives of many far distant lands
strolled about the enclosure, joking
and laughing and singing. Turks and
Bedouins. East Indians, Arabs and
Russian Cossacks were all there, all
dressed in their native costumes,
which, 1t Is said. they persistentiy re-
fuse to abandon for less conspicuous
clothes, even outside Of working
hours.
Various phases of humanity were
oddly intermingled within the tent,
and every one seemed absolutely care
free, almost listless in their lazinefs.
when suddenly shout from one ~