Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-08-10
LIFE IN A CIRCUS.
Performers Are Much Like other Peo-
ple when out Of the Ring.

fluffy skirts ana the llhe young ElrIS |
who ny through the air and the aston
ishirc perrons who seem able to walk !
on spider webs do when they are not !
in the arena? DO they spend their |
leisure hours riding around and around !
on the gayly- decked circus horses? DO |
they always wear their abbreviated and |
dazzling costumes? DO they sometimes
take a little nap on the slack wire?
Do they ever forget their bewlldering |
accomplishments and come to earth"
ana cat and sleep and talk and love
like ordinary people?
Really. when they are out of the
ring, the circus women are for all
the world like ordinary people. ex-
cept that. perhaps, they are bit
more friendly and jolly and mutually
udmiring than many groups of other
rollka that come before the public eye.
# has often been said that the mem
hcrs OF circus are "one big family"
and although this is less true than
in tho old days since now the vari-
ou trcnpcs ioin Il circus for few
months and devote their winters 10
vaudeville or other engagements. still
there il an intimate family spirit in
Parnum and Pailcy organization, that
j. surprising in hs commercial enter
prise, and there is a foundat ion Of re
lationshp in many cases that gives
- literal meaning to the term family
life. But relatives or not. occasional
vaudeville artists or not Is It invar-
iahly the case among real circus folks
that the circus and their particular
stunts" are the principal things in
life? Ask them how they came 10
go into the business and they are like
! ~ to say, Il was born in it, or We'll,
| really didn't have much 10 say about
It. I started when was two and
one-half years OLD. l belong to a cir
Gus family, of course"
Netftc Carroll. OF the Barnum show,
who told that TO an interviewer the
other day, did not seem TO be especial
, ~ da2zlei or fascinated by the fact that
she was "a circus star There are
usually two or three, or more, sisters
in a troupc--real sist ers--not merely
the advertised knd-or father and
his sons and daughters, and a hus-
baHd and wife. with possibly e couple
OF relatives. Young girls scarcely
over travel alone with the circus. If
they are not chaperonod by some near
relative they are an integral part Of
some troupe. and rs carefully guarded
as though they were actually within
their own families. The performers
manage 20 gel some sort Of domestic
life oven ON the road They do not,
as some imagine. actually live and
sleep in tents. Their home is the
I Il
each woman has her regular berth
which she fixes w 70 suit her in
dividual taste. There are curtains Of
pink or blue. or some favorite color,
ana there are pictures and precious
trlncs hung around. The favored few
who have s'atcrooms arrange them
most attractiVely.
Whenever tho show strikes a city
or large town the company, very many
Of them. scatter to the hotels and live
on the best the land affords. As a
rule everybody cats in the cook tent
and mighty good food they enjoy. But
occasionally thoy tire Of this and
the women get ny Jolly little parties at
which they cook upon their portable
stovcs-usually alcohol stoves. Or
various family groups may get up
tasty bits. and then there ar" Yi@itin6s
80 ana fro. and samrlinGs of different
go ip.s. Most of tho women like the
.tluo.pnrrc Of home cnEcndered by
these tmpromptu fcastS ana realty on
ioy doir~ thor own cooking. Their,
f., not "a great deal &C idle time among
circus l."ople Even in their scanr
home ...ur+ they Frequently spend {
large par, ~ The time practising. OF
working ur r.v ido.9. La Belle vic.
Itoria. 9TH. .r,tt,,,t girl Of trc cir
I,ue." is rtvcr. .i.c and very crtoa MAJ
he seen rractis.rg upon the wire
stretched ,omsv',..-., back IF IN.
dressing tent. When th"y are upoI
the grounds they hay, ia give mp
good bit Of their t,u. O., rogula
"bnnscrold duties" The sawGugt rim!
, tune. and man, a.. f.. rrr,. .tu "waah
ing party" is the ras, -. njd minute
ere snatchnd for the iradH." 90 !otter
! from home. and even orc e the mos
sacred or human ceremonies mar
riogc-hrj been fnoyA io tn'o pla'c
I'm tro rircus ring. rE, wedding q
, iI,rrr In Pearl. one Of the star clowns
o. Vic. 7,r.,,cce ,IcGi,lov took nl,c
T., tno rim luriu., Two Nov. yorr ru,
80 t,o oi-.,,r ,,I a.. h,y,,. brido f.
..,o, g.. ,r,,.,, ,..,b bo, husband ho
b ,a.r,,..l ,.orior- r,ur+e which bovo MI
49, 800. els. r,~-,r-,,o,s, r,yr,i,
. 81. ro.,,,,,,, .b,,,, .o,,,o.. i,
.