The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-04-04
HOW THE RINGltNG BOYS OF
BARAsoO, WIS.,, MADE GOOD
FIRST A MINSTREL COMPANY.
EACH BROTHER HAS DEPARTMENT
Starting With a Home Talent Min
strel Show, the Brothers Have Ac-
quired Almost Every Circus In
America That is Worth Having.


all fairy stories start, and this sounds
like a fairy story even though it's
a true one-there were seven broth
ers who lived in the town of Bara-
boo, Wis, wherever that is. The sew
en- brothers had musical names, and
they were musicians, too. They learn
ed to play a number of brass in
struments at an early age. Five OF
the brothers decided to start con-
cert company, which in a short time
became a minstrel company. The two
other brothers preferred to stay
at home and work at a trade, but
the time came when they We're glad
to abandon their trades to work for
the five who had formed the musical
partnership. The name of the Bara-
boo family was Ringing.
From the minstrel company it was
not a difficult transition to a circus
company, in which the five brothers
were partners. 1t was small cir
Gus at first, and not nearly so i'm
posing as plenty of others, but the
brothers had number of unique
ideas which helped them to success.
One of the ideas was for each of
the brothers to specialize in some
department of the circus instead of
all being merely owners and hiring
men to run the circus. Albert, the
oldest brother, had charge of the
show proper, and he saw to it that
it was not a show improper. He
hired the performers and decided
what the acts should be. If he had
ben working for a theater ALBERT s
title would have been stage man
ager.
Otto Ringing, the man who died
yesterday, looked after the finances
of the show. This required no small
ability in the early days of the
circus, when the Ringing brothers
often didn't know where the money
was coming from to buy the next
bale of hay for the elephants. In
later years he had even more to do,
for the main Ringling circus costs
$1,000 a day to maintain.
Charles Ringing was given charge
of the advertising department of the
show. He decided how many posters
to post and also when and where
90 post them. Also, he looked after
the question of booSing lots on
which the show might be given.
Alfred T. Ringing looked after the
press agent part of the big circus.
He has plenty of assistants and ad-
vance men working for him now,
but even now a large part of the
mrid truth and fiction which must
necessarily precede a big circus is
written by him.
John Ringing, the youngest broth
er, attends to the booking of the
show. 1t is his business to know all
about industrial conditions-when it
is advisable to show in a town and
when it is wiser to pass that town
up-what time of year is the most
profitable to exhibit in different
parts Of the country.
iS tho
only thing which has made the Ring.
lings master of the circus world
today. Courtesy is one Of the cardi-
nal virtues with the Ringlings. From
the first they tried to handle their
crowds like human beings instead Of
herding them like animals, Tickets
are never sold of a Ringing per
formance after the seating space is
gone. Also-and this was consid-
cred as one of the stranGest marks
of eccentricity when the Ringlinss
first started in the business-they
didn't allow crooks to follow the
circus. No shell games went on at
the Ringing shows, and the comic
paper kind of farmer was much less
likely to have his pockets picked
at a Ringing performance than on
an ordinary trip to the city.
All these things told in the Ring
lings' favor but in addition they
showed great business ability. AS
they grew more prosperous they be-
gan buying up other circuses, first
them so hard that the oppo-
sition shows were glad to sell out.
Today the Ringlings are the cir
Gus trust of America, and the oppo-
sition to them is very feeble. Bar
mum and Bailey's greatest show on
earth" was sold to the Ringlings in
October, 1907. Buffalo Bills wild west
show isn't Buffalo Bills any more, al
though the Ringlings are wise enough
to retain the name. Pawnee Pills
show is Ringing property, rs is