The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-19
CIRCUS SCORES Big
IN HOSPITAL YARD!
Ringing Performers 90 I'd
Bellevue to Entertain Grip :
pied Children. !
FIND EXCITED AUDIENCE
Elephants, Trained Seals and
Clowns Furnish Treat for
Little Folk. /

liver since the circus came 20 town.
three OF the most mirarulously short
weeks ago that Time aver knew. life
for the circus folk has been Just one per-
formsncs or another. The fact Ia. cir-
cussing IL hard labor under the easiest
possible conditions. whether you are
birdmillmanine or oiinsins to the rafters
by your eysylids or merely ohaperoninE
In your clownish way the pink little
baby piglet. But whom the ordinary-two
performances ara turned almost daily
into three. and in some cases even four.
| the traditional gentle reader can este
mate what the artists Of the arena are
| up against.
Almost every day since they havs
Ringing brothers, John. ALI T. and
| Charles, owners OF the combined RinEs
ling Brothers and Barpum q Bailey's
| circuses, have entertained soldiers or
sailors or both at special morning per-
formances or on Sunday Afternoons.
Yesterday the voluntary efforts Of the
show folk were expressed by their an
nual visit to Bellevue Hospital. where
they made q special attempt to ohsor
tho crippled children. Before the nosa
highly appreciative audience ever assem-.
] bled in this city. surely. the turnblsrs
and the clowns. tho trained seals.
Poodles IIanneford and his spirited
| white horse, Nine. Bradna and her dogs
and all Of the other stars Of the great
est show on earth appeared on the lawn
In the plaza at Bellevue Hospital yes
terday morning. Probably 5000 pa
| tents, nurses and doctors crowded
around the makeshift circus ring on the
| lawn, or seeing the fun from the veran-
| das, tho balconies and the windows, had
| the pleasure which the circus brings
to them regularly once year.
| Children Much Excited.
Several days ago the Ringing broth-
ers sent word to Bellevue Hospital that
they wished, as usual, to take as much
of the circus as possible to Bellevue for
tho especial entertainment Of the sick
| and crippled children. Since then the
youngsters Of tho drab old institution
had counted tho hours until they had
| the chance to release the first squeal
of Joy and that was when old Babe.
leading the elephant herd. rolled into
| East Twenty-sixth street and thence into
the hospital plaza. Tired. dull faces
became alight with interest and hap-
piners. Very real bodily ga was for
gotten for the time being. iomething
was accomplished in their commonplace
lives that approached a miracle.
The whole circus band Of forty play
| ers or pieces (however q band IL prop
erly described) travelled from Madison
Square Garden to the hospital In a sight
seeing bus, and was hard at work on
an overture when three other buseB
carrying tho circus performers and pre-
coded by their lordships the elephants
entered tho hospital COURTYARD. The
trained seals In a special wagon OF their
own particularly interested the children,
some of whom were not TO he satisfied
until Capt, HullnE permitted them to
pat the intelligent beasta
!, A BIanketed Audience.
The children. well wrapped In blank
cts. were brought out upon the verandas
or carried into the courtyard. whers
: they had the best chance to see all OF
tho miniature circus. Back OF the little
folk were the hundreds OF grownup pa
TENTS and the whole medical and nurs-
ing staff OF Bellevue. The FIRST act 20
appear was Fred sterlIngs Butterfly
r Clown" pantomirne. This went I'D
roarously. Later tho Casinos In thsAr
, clown boxing act. Charley Smith and
Paul Jerome. Frank Hammer, Joe
Aroma, Fred Egener. Al riinco. the
. Young brothers and Al Mertens ap-
peared.
Then came the really amazing eIe-
} plant act directed by Miss Bessie
Mainwood. the trained seals that were
7 put through their tricks by Capt. HUI
ling, the Australian wood choppers, %
cleverly timing their contest that the
trunks 81 severed trees thudded upon
the platform at exactly tho Same IN
slant; the cowboys, with Strawberry
r Red Vol and Hank Durnol especially,
Z and finally Fred Bradna. who IL prob
t ably the only human being in the world
who can wear fun evening clothes al
noon and stll look human.
> At the end OF the performance when
, General Equestrian Director Rradns
, made his final how there was nnc
. large cheer. which ran around the four
, sides Of tho courtyard, and when old
Babe led the procession out OF the rate
and westward toward Second avenu.
the applause was still echoing.
Every act on the circus bill will b.
presented this morning when the Ring.
ling hrothers entertain 5000 sailors OF
: tho visiting Atlantic fleet. The Knights
OF Columbus will he In general charr,
of tho party, having made tho arrange
lnents with the circus owners. and the
"CaHeys' will provide the smokes ,ha
chewing gum, the chocolate and tho p.a
nuts that must 20 with all such mar
ties. The sailor guests Of the RInriin q
hrothcrs are asked TO be on hand by
I D A. NJ.