The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-07-04
GREAT SHOW VIEWED
FROM BEHIND SCENES
Veteran Performer Talks Of Life Among
People Of Gigantic Super Circus

What is behind the mysterious curtain
which divides thos" who com" 10 So" tho
circus from tho "bchind tho scenes" p"r-
tiun where the clowns and the pretty
riders max" ready for the performance >
That is n question often asked. There
are a chosen few who have been admit
! ted To IN" inner circle. These, for the
most part. have been writer's.
NovcliSts who have chosen tho circus
Hfc for depletion in stories have found
il fruitful field Back of the curtain.
the ElamOr and the "hoop-la" OF the
rings there is world OF very real and
formers ar" from families that hay"
followed the circus from IN" time it
first began 10 be mankind's never firing
amusement: They have preserved tho
as is the case elsewhere.
1T is hard 10 make tho person out
side understand that We have a real
homo life. close. sympathetic and pro-
is always found with his wife and chill
drcn when the biz show is over in tho
afternoon. Most Of us who follow tho
show business w"r" born To it. Our
fathers and mothers were performers
and our grandparents before :hCm.
When We married We took six girls who.
like ourselves. were born into III" guild.
We arc training our children during the
school vacation periods. just as we were
trained. That is the way the profession
is kept up
Showmen say that all tn" star ncr-
formers Who are featured today were
taught the essentials when they were
children. Earnest Clark, the greatest
acrialist who ever lived. asserts that no
man or woman who did not train long
and we'll before tho age of Is years can
ever become remarkable in tho profess
sion. The muscles must be taught b0-
fore they become set and hardened. To
those laymen who hold that children
should not he brought up in the profess
SION tho performer points out that there
IS no life more h"althful than the circus
ne, IN that II Keeps one on. of doors
the majority Of performers live to ht.
better than three score and ton and the
fine salaries earned permit the thrifty
10 cease his lahors long. long before
that time and to rctlr" in case and COM
fort. During his active career the per
former lives in n world that understands
his thoroughly. Therefore he is likely
10 be quite content 2nd whllr travelling
he. bc"auS" h" is accustomed to II. is
quite ms comfprtahl" in an eight by ton
foot stat"-roOrn as nc would he IN much
larger quarters. Starting to tic ones
cravat in front Of on" mirror and finish
of fifteen foot h"d-ruom is he will tell
you. waste Of energy and form Of
ncrVnuSnCSS
With tn" great. now ElnGlinG brothers
and Barnum Bailey Comh'ncd shows
ar" hundreds Of performers gathered
from every part Of IN" world Twenty
Two different languages and dialects arc
spoken in the mammoth dressing tents
Most Of the performer. travel in ran,.
hes. Many have laid aSid" nca, sums
which they have invested in honest
whore they spend their winters. It is
this dom"sti" side Of IN" performers
character ihat first led nOv"lIsts 10 por-
tray circus life.
Tho great circus which is about 10 Wis
II here is the biggest cirrus the world
has ever soon. This is because II has
been formed by taking tho best and most
spectacular Of both tho former ,.ircusrs
and merging th"m INTO n Supcr-inStiru-
tl0n of colossal proportions Exhrhi-
lions VIII b" given in this city Monday,
July s