The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1916-10-03
Morals and The Circus.

inherently and irrevocably bad, the
circus, in some quarters was regard
ed as a sort of travelling den of iniqui-
ty. For the boys and girls of many
upright and outstanding folks. the saw
dust ring was strictly taboo, and the
dominic from his pulpit thoundered
his anathema marantha against it,
His son, at any rate, was kept close
at home that day. against the peace
and dignity Of boys heart. Any boy
who is forbidden to 90 to the circus
feels as oppressed and as greatly de-
priyed OF his liberty as did the Amer
leans when George Ill was ruling
them in "1ow-high manner"
Perhaps there was more justifica-
ton for such hostility to the circus
then. Every "stupendous and colossal
aggregation of the worlds greatest"
then carried on the side as a part of
its impedimenta and paraphenalia a
well-supplied bar, all sorts Of gamb-
ling devices to cheat the unsuspecting
yCkel, and bedizened lot of Oriental
dancers whose performance was only
a little cruder and franker than some
of the new fashionable dances that we
have seen. In its train were always
a gang of pickpockets who were ''in"
with the management and who lifted
large dividends from the peans of the
unwary. With all this, the circus
proper was not objectionable-only its
side-lines were contrary to good
morals.
The times change, and circuses and
people change with them. 1t may be
that the institution still offends good
citizens why, we do not know. We
can see nothing wrong about it, but
we accord to anybody else a perfect
right to condemn it if he chooses. The
accompanying bar is thing of the
past. The circus usually carries its
own detectives to look out for and APP
prehend the dips. The daughters of
the Orient ne longer sway to the drum
and piecoIo, and are now posing, no
doubt, as social workers in tenement
house pictures in the movies.
Who thinks less of the preacher IL
he takes his kids to see the aerobats
hurl themselves across the dizzying
spaces and the clowns caVorting in
the arena? A young minister in a
large city not long ago asked wor-
thy woman to accompany him to the
circus. She was the head of wom-
ans college and referred the matter
to venerable thelogian. who vetoed
the proposal. The very next day that
young minister received letter from
his father, who is a very eminent
divine mentioning that he had just
come fronNthe circus to which he had
been taken by some Of his church of
ficers. These preachers don't belong
to the church you may think they Go.
either.
It's matter of individual opinion.
We have never seen anything i'm
moral of suggestive at a circus
that's more than we can say for the
movies and the stage. Mrs. Leslie
Carter, Eveleyn Nesbit Thaw and
Theda Bara are strangers to the big
tent" Most of the circus people arc
good, substantial folks. who own
their own homes and farms, and save
their money. Their life is strenuous.
They can't afford to drink and carouse
and they do not. Here and there
may be a young women in the troupe
tut You'll find that either she is with
some of her family or there's some
responsible person looking after her.
That isn't true of stage. AS for the
movies. there is good deal of moral
rottenness what we see of them and
d good deal more that We don't see.
Anybody who can so to the movies
can so to the circus.
The circus is not Great Moral In
stituion." like the South Carolina
Dispensary. It's just purveyor OF
wholesome amusement L Is not
strong as an education institution. II
isn't upli(SSng or demo; allzihg its