The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-19
MEfRdH WOMEN
 AND THINGS

The boy whose heart fails to bea' faster when the bill poster comes tc town and puts up the circus posters is either a sissy or sick I was reared in the beautiful lit tie city of Eufaula. I'm not ashamed of 1t and take pride In letting people know about it even though some folks think I'm a bit too proud of my home town.
 My, what joy used to come to me as I stood in front of the flaring cir GUS bills which carried pictures in colors of horses. dogs, bears, tigers hyenas, elephants, rhineroceros and all the rest of the menageries attrac- tions.
 have since my boyhood days wis ited most of the great art galleries of the world, but no paintings have ever given to me the joy that I got out of gazing on the equestrienne queen who rode the bare back steeds
 Why. circus posters have the power to transform prosaic barn into a very palace of delight to the average small boy reared in the country
 I do not know the history of pie crude circus pictures give way to the more ambitious drawings of commer- cial artists.
 Posters, once fad. today have a vogue that challenges genuine artists who lend their pen and brush to draw sketch or paint signs that make an ap peal to the aesthetic.
 But I didn't mean to write merely about circus pictures and art posters. I wanted to tell about a trip I made to the Greater sheesley shows with The Age Herald newsboys
 When MT. Alisch. the circulation manager, broke 1t to me he seemed surprised that I wanted to go. "Why, man." I replied. "I wouldn't miss It for anything. I want to see the boys enjoy themselves and I want to help you keep them straight"
 Perhaps you have been on picnics and had to look after bunch of Sun day school boys and thought you had your hands full. The average church outing is a Mayday festival compared to hundred bowling newsboy der wishes.
 We'll, they gathered at The Age-Her- ald building at 80 Friday afternoon and from there the mob marched through the streets, laughing and guy ing one another as only newsies can, until the whole city was in an up- roar.
 We soon trailed into the show grounds to be met by MT. Fleming who acted as guide. The first place we entered was the animal show
 Now. I've seen Bostick's and, the Hagenbeck's and many special circus vaudeville animal acts. but believe me. the one we saw was one of the greatest ever shown in Birmingham.
 I, met Mir. Sheesley. No one would ever take him for show man. Quiet, modest gentlemanly, he won my hearr by saying that once when he was a newsie he wanted to see a show and fo oyy big man brushed him aside as though he were an Ant. Perhaps this is why he always makes it easy for the news boys to see his shows.
 
 He has -year-old son that IS boss of sthe show. He has a pony, a billy goat a dog, a cat and rat. Xvi. dently he is going to have an animal show when he gets grown.
 My. how the boys did enjoy the freaks. I felt sorry for the fat boy and the wild man and the man who couldn't or wouldn't smile.
 I believe the small boys got more joy out of the automobile races pulled off by the monkeys than they did out of any of the other features, though some said the girls riding a motorcycle around the insides of big barrel was the best stunt.
 I've been on Broadway after Yale had won victory over Har- yard and thought I knew what noise and rollicking was. but collegians are tame and silent set compared to newsboys. suppose this comes from the kids having to cry out the name of their paper.
 One of the spielers in front of one of the attractions said to MT. Flem- ing. pointing to a passerby, There goes the man who coaxed me out of n dry goods store and made tramp out of me" It was just a hark back to quieteri life. as MT. Fleming told me. the reminiscent "barker" had made quite a bit of money.
 
 I found the men in charge of the shows very human and likable MT. Sheesley brides himself on having a bunch of good fellows about him. They all say he is an "easy mark" because he never gets mad or excited.
 F. S.-The boys had a good time and so did I.