The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-23
WIZARDS OF CIRCUS
ARE NORMAL BEINGS
High Standard of Morals
Prevails and Children Are
Carefully Trained
AMERICANS IN LEAD
AMERICANS IN LEAD
Elephant Is Best Advertisement for
Circus Both in Parade and Under
the Canvas - Thousands
Spent for Novelties
BY REUBEN A. LEWIS

When a circus-goer sees an aerialist
turn a double triple twist at height
that sets his head in a whirl, or wit
nesses a seemingly sound person thrust
his head between the jaws of lion,
there arises the ever-persistent query,
What sort of people are these circus
folks? Surely not human!'' But E. P.
Norwood, the press representative for
the Ringing Brothers, and an associate
of the wizards of the sawdust, says they
are most human.
There is little of the sham and super
fetal about the circus people," Mr.. Nor
wood said, land l believe they are as
normal and human as any body of peo-
pie. Out in the fresh air, engaged in
a profession that permits little privacy,
thrown with each other daily, they are
bound to be human. Jealousy, the disor-
ganizing force of the stage, is absent
among the people of the white tents. The
circus is sort of family.
1.-THE ariStocracy of the stage, with its
Drews, Barrymores and Jeffersons, has
been Haunted often; but nothing has been
said of the circus, For years we have
had the Nelson's, the Clarks, the La
Fayettes the Melnottes, Rooneys and
Davenports, and in some of these farni-
lies four generations have been engaged
in tricks and feats akin to the sawdust."
How do the acrobats, the aerialists
and the daring riders learn the art?"
the reporter interposed.
TRAINING THE CHILD
I'm the circus business, it is a fam
fly affair. From the first time the child
is active enough to stir about the parents
are teaching 1t to somersault, II they are
of an acrobatic clan, or to ride horse
If they are riders. 1t is interesting to see
how the parents start the children into
their work. When the little child of
the bareback riders starts out a strap,
called mechanic, is hitched to his back,
with a hoist attached. Seated upon the
horse, he starts out If the speeding
steed causes the newcomer to lose his
balance the father, who holds the wire
attached to the mechanic gives a yank
and the youngster is left suspended in
air-which is a more delightful state than
that caused by fall to the earth.
''The acrobats likewise teach their Off
springs the mysteries of the craft This
system of training has made the circus
a family affair. A high standard OF
morals prevails among the people of the
circus, for these people are associated
with each other for seven months in the
year and the rate of inter- marriage is
very high. They never see anyone else
en- tour, for the average circus performer
arrives in a city, goes direct to the
grounds, eats there, does his daily stunt
and returns with the wagons to entrain
for the next stand. The nature of the en-
vironment is such that they seldom rub
elbows with any others except in their
set"
do you regard the foreign performers
are better than the Anericans?' was
directed at him.
II believe the American acrobat, aeri-
alist or circus performer is just as ca
Fable as the foreigner, but he is not as
persistent. The American wants to sue
coed rapidly, and in this work practice
constant practice-is essential. The Clarks
who do a double-triple twist in the air,
worked for three years every day before
they succeeded in perfecting the feat.
The Clarks are Englishmen. Every spare
moment that the performers have is spent
not in rest and recreation-but in prac-
tice. Circus life is not fun, it is work.
What do you regard as the best adj
vertisement that the circus has?"
1.-THE elephant" said Mr. Norwood
"The big old pachyderm is the most like
able animal in the ranks, and attracts
more attention I suppose 1t Is because
of it's immensely and its liking for pea
nuts. They put the pinch into the pa
rade. We carry 80 elephants and only
15 of this number do stunts. Some ele-
plants are much more intelligent than
others, and often trainers labor for
months without getting a response"
The winter season is a dull period for
the circus, Is it not?'
1.-THE expenses of the circus during the
winter run as high as s250.0 The per-
formers are busy perfecting new tricks,
and the agents of the circus in Europe
engaged in getting new acts Some peo-
pie say there is nothing new but yearly
thousands of dollars are spent in the
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