The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-10-31
BARNUM & BAILEY
CIRCUS PLEASES
TWO BIC CROWDS
Spectacle of cleopatra" Is
Splendid-Entire PerfOr-
nance Up to Usual
High Standard

The Barnum & Bailey circus, for
many years associated in the popular
mind with the greatest show on
EARTH" came to Birmingham yesterday
and gave a full measure of circus joy
to great crowds of people at Smiths
park Both the afternoon and the night
performances We're we'll attended and
only words of praise were heard for
this truly gigantic amusement enter
prise. Beginning with the parade in
the morning, which was started on
schedule time and traversed streets
lined with an admiring populace, there
was nothing lacking to make "circus
day an event of unalloyed pleasure.
The parade was quite imposing, both
in it's length and In its constituent
parts. As q free exhibition 1t was note
worthy and 1t must be remembered that
great many people hold to the opin-
Ion that the parade is the best part of
the circus.
The feature most widely advertised
this year and introduced to give vari
ETY. to the circus performance was
CLEOPATRA" superb spectacle, elab-
orately staged and presented by COM
pany of performers large enough to
make 1T scene of royal splendor. The
ballet figured largely in this p1oeant
In which the Serpent of the Nile" IS
pictured IN all the sybaritic splendor
of her palmy days. The dancing or the
ballet. the costuming. lighting arrange
ments and general effects were in keep
Ing with very pretentious Offering of
a sort designed to make its appeal
largely pictorial one.
The circus performance proper was
up to the usual high standard estab :
q or Nv puf f,ttr y laf
ley show and consistently maintained
year after year. The trained animals,
particularly the elephants, the aerial
lists, wire walkers, trapeze performers,
acrobats and clowns. were all excellent.
while the equestrienne acts combined
grace with beauty. A bewildering ar
ray of performers kept the huge crowds
OF spectators thrilled, or delighted and
| amused. their feats ranging from the
death defying sort down through the
scale to the comical antics of the
clowns who kept extremely busy and
even went so far as to have a little
| fun at the expense of Hero" Hobson
| While the cold weather made some of
the aerial performers miss few
catches. there were nets beneath and
! the crowds were doubly thrilled
| In such large aggregation as the
| Barnum & Bailey show. where there
| are scores of individuals eXerting them
serves TO WIN applause from the spec
| tators. it is rather difficult to particu-
| larize. However. an Icelander troupe
proved to be a genuine novelty ON the
circus programme while troupe OF
| Japanese acrobats. billed as the mi
kado's Royal Troupe" gave an exhibit
| ton OF wrestling and other feats of
strength that won delighted approval
The menaEerie. OF course should not
be overlooked among the striking fea-
| lures of the circus. The collection of
animals Is large and varied The men
agerie of the circus is the only 200
| logical garden that great many
people of the United States ever see
and has therefore "a decided educative
value.
The Barnum & Bailey show never
disappoints it's patrons. Young and old
Were pleased. It was a gala day The
weather was fine and thousands OF
hearts We're made glad beneath broad
expanse of canvas.