Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1918-07-22
The Webster City Assembly for the
Present Season is Finished
Children Participate on
Closing Day.
CIRCUS PARADE AND PROGRAM
Reno, the Magician, Appears on Plat.
fOrm.-NOrtOn's Orchestra at
Night.
BY REV. ARTHUR METCALF.

Thursday brought to a close the
1918 Webster City Chautauqua, and
the afternoon was the children's hour.
Under the able leadership of Miss Ada
Golden, who out of Chautauqua time
teaches in the Cedar Rapids schools,
Chautauqua children have had d
morning hour of play and instruction
throughout the program. They have
greatly enjoyed and profited by asso-
citation with Miss Golden in this super
vised play, and Thursday afternoon
was the climax of their work.
The children's program was cir
circus. To begin with there was
parade and the parade was not on
time! But when it did come there
was excitement on the street, for such
an assemblage of wild and ferocious
animals had never before been seen in
Webster City. Wesley Schaub in full
uniform and with a big bass drum,
looking his best and smiling happi
ness, assisted by two Juvenile artists
with snare drums, who immensely
enjoyed every step they took and every
roll of their drums, headed the process
sion. There followed an array of cir
Gus talent bedecked in varied gorgeous
costume. Clowns were there, the
funniest under canvas. There were
equestrians, both male and female.
Lions, tigers, and monkeys kept the
street in an uproar. A huge elephant
divided the attention Of the street with
a realistic ostrich and stately ship
of the desert. This happy children's
parade wendell it's way through the
business section of the town and, as
all circus parades do, ended up at the
big tent, drawing after it an immense
crowd.
A circus program followed in the
tent, where various and sundry ami
mails were taken on the platform and
performed fearful and wonderful
antics under the skillful direction of
one of the Chautauqua crew, to the
immense delight of apparently all the
youngsters of the town. The tent was
filled with children and parents to en-
joy this unique climax to this years
cildren's program.
Reno the Magician.
After the children's circus appeared
Reno the Magician. This was an un-
fortunate place for program of
magic. This Black Art requires arti-
fetal light and tent full Of wriggley
children Immediately after children's
circus hardly provides conditions sat-
isfactory to a magician's work. But
Reno was at his best and his art over
came every handicap raised by these
untoward circumstances.
Reno's program was triumph of
the impossible, even though it was
given in broad daylight In many of
his illusions Reno was assisted by his
little eight year old daughter who
CARED her part like an older profess
sional Renos wand was truly magic,
az was soon discovered by little John
Barner and Billy Macgoey who had the
good fortune to become Renos assist
ants Reno made a box out in the
open, and before their very eyes out
of it flew beautiful white pigeon. A
paper cornucopia delivered bushels Of
roses, scads of handkerchiefs, beau
tiful American flag and a wonderful
live white rabbit Reno played won
derful base ball with John Barner,
and bowls of sparkling water appear
ed at the wave Of his magic wand.
The most astounding thing for John,
and the audience, came when Reno
produced a stream of silver coin from
Johns nose Reno's box illusions
were truly wonderful. His assistants
bound Reno securely in sack and
placed sack and man inside trunk
which. they closed, locked and bound
with cords. The .magician's daughter
then drew the curtain across the stage.
and before the curtain was clear
across Reno appeared by her side! II
a moment Reno drew the curtain and
again revealed the trunk. His assist
ants unbound and unlocked the box.
They also united the sack and Reno's
little daughter appeared where but a
minute or two before the assistants
had bound Reno himself. For older as
well as for younger eyes the trick
was astounding. Reno is past
master in the magic art, and Che great
To- vIasaad and entertained his Web