The Washington times., 1913-09-24
Famous Clown Brings the Tent
ed Arena to Be a High Class
Indoor Entertainment.

~ EMEMBER when you were a l<ic,
IL and the wonder and pleasure Of
IN the day when the circus came
to town?
From the time the board fences
and aIluring pictures Of the graceful
horses and beautiful ladies who rode
them. the clowns with their grotesque
white faces the acrobats In their pink
tights, the horses, ponies, and other
performing animals. until the day that
the big white tent was raised in the
vacant lot, and the street parade went
by, your nights were filed with appre-
hension and your days with doubt as
to whether you would be allowed to see
this aggregation. When the day finally
csme and your father said that you
might go. provided you would promise
to keep tight hold Of his hand. so that
the gypsies couldn't steal you. or to
keep you from straying over into the
animal tent and be eaten alive by the
biood-thirsty tiger. your little heart wss
80 full Cf happiness that 1t seemed as
Though It would burst. Perhaps you
we're one Of the disappointed ones, and
weren't allowed to go. In either event,
you remember IT. am sure, and with
pleasure I announce that this week
there is circus In town-a regular cir
Gus despite the fact that it is being
given under roof. instead of beneath a
Tapping tent. and that can personally
vouch for IT'S quality.
Show Is Enjoyed
By the Young and Old.
Did you ever sit N a>darkened theater
and listen to whole house full of chill
dren laughing? II not. you have missed
one Of the big pleasures of life. Yes
-terday afternoon 1 went to the Mar
celine show at the Columbia Theater.
The audience was composed for the
most part Of spectators whose toes did
not reach the floor. Bobbing hair rib
bons and Buster Brown collars and
lies were In the majority, with just
enough grown people to take care of
the children. OF course, the old people
didn't come to see the circus. They
never do. II you believe what they saw.
They only come to take care of the
little people, and their excuse is that
the circus is educational and in
structive. Oh. no! OF course, the
antics Of the funny clowns and the
marvellous riding Of the beautiful euues-
triennes, and the music and noise of IL
all do not appeal to them! 1t rather
bores them, II you want to believe
them. But that old story has done
duty for so many, many years that one
Is inclined to not take 1t seriously. Be-
lieve me, the old people who filled out
yesterday afternoons audience in the
theater were just as interested in the
Marceline indoor circus as the kiddies,
and while their laughs were not quite
as spontaneous. their chuckles over
over the Spanish clowns antics, and
their applause at the wonderful tricks
Of the intelligent animals. which are
part Of the show, was just as sincere
and quite as vigorous.
Seeing a circus from the comfortable
depths of a nicely upholstered chair,
instead of balancing oneself on a
wooden board for three mortal hours
has its pleasant side. In the Marceline
circus, everything pertaining to a regu-
lar circus is there, with the exception
Of the sideshows. the pink lemonade,
the hard board seats and the smell.
And 1 don't know but what the absence
of these is an Improvement. Certainly
nothing could be more entertaining
than tie program presented by Mar
celine and his company of artists, and
the bill Is diversified enough to suit all
tastes.
There is nothing so ancient as
clowning, and nothing so new" runs a
note on the playbill. The humor OF
the clown is of the most rudimentary
form and most universal in its appeal
Children laugh atSit with full compre-
hension and their elders roar with
equal comprehension and enjoyment.
The management in presenting the IA
nous droll have hit upon an idea for
laughing purposes only"
Grand Pageant
Opens the Show.
The all-laush bill opens with a parade
by the entire company, all dressed in
their brilliant costumes, and then there
comes Fraulein Seabert, the worlds
youngest equestrienne. who is consid-
cred the worlds greatest bareback rid
er. Just slip of q girl in fluffy skirts
and with her hair hanging down her
back is Miss Seabert. but her wonder
full control over the beautiful white
horse she rides is nothing short of mar
velous. She does all of the riding tricks
that we have seen in the past, and
dozens of others which are absolutely
new, and the horse seems to know that