New-York tribune., 1920-03-26
Old Pulses Stir
AS Circus Puts
On New Thrills
Big Gathering Of Crown-Ups,
Escorted by Blase Youth,
Enchanted by Bewilder-
ing Array of Features
Children More Restrained
Combined Ringing -Barnum
Show Fills Garden at
Opening of Annual Visit

The circus, three rings strong and, Of
course. greater, better and more vivid
than ever, opened its annual New York
engagement last night at Madison
Square Garden. The big entertainment,
known now as Ringing. Brothers and
got away to good start and was en-
joyed immensely by large gathering
of elderly folk, who were taken to the
Garden by their sweetly tolerant but
strictly modern offspring.
Last nights performance apparently
proved that this circus stuff is appeal
ing less and less to the eyes of youth
and more and more to the dimmed Wis
ion of the oldsters. The kids were
there in colorful swarms, but it was
obvious that they didn't get half the
fun out of the three-ringed riot that
their elderly escorts derived. The old
folks roared at the clowns and reg
istered the proper thrills when the
death -defying aerialists firted with
eternity up among the rafters The
youngsters applauded in measured
beats and drew their chief amusement
from the unfettered enthusiasm Of
gray haired uncles and aunts and
grandpops.
Young Analysts Study Elders
There was the fourteen-year-old
young lady who occupied a ringside
seat in one of the arena boxes.
Are you enjoying the performance,
grandpa ~ she asked as she glanced up
from the closing chapters of "Nocturne. y
Grandpa looked as though he might
nave seen his most active moments
about the time the 62d Pennsylvania
Volunteers were taking Malvern Hill.
He was too occupied with Alf Loyal,s
intellectual seals to hear the Girls
question. But her blase brother of
some sixteen summers, who was thumb
ing copy of H. L. Mencken's "Preju-
dices,' remarked quietly that he thought
the psychological effect of three
rnged circus on the average octogen-
arlan was an interesting study.
be that as it may, the great volume
OF spontaneous enthusiasm that greet
Cd the opening Of the circus of 1920
came from the grizzled veterans and
not from the youthful mcderns who
accompanied them. Perhaps it was he. be-
cause the sawdust and the peanuts and
the mixed odors that go with eyerv
circus took them rollicking back across
the years in rich retrospect.
never see such bareback riding in
an my days" gasped wildly jubilant
old man, who was probably an antique
when the cornerstone of the Federal
Building was laid.
xorIdlv yTl.e so SO, quite quite So" replied his
back shows go, don't think it's in Tho
same class with 'Aphrodite.'"
big Show Jsmmed With Features
NO circus in recent years has been
30 crowded with features, and to keen
track OF the riot of events in each of
the three rings would require super-
n'nd and battery of eyes. The
clowns alone provide entertainment
ehougn Tor one performance. The 1920
nlown r1o~ IS motorized, fiivvefhaving sup
And these trained fivvers appear to- %
nave more intelligence than the old
time donkey. The "tin lizzie" is made
70 Jump hurdles, lie down and plav
oeao' careen around the Garden with.
out driver and do lot of other
I1nlngs that would probably cause
Henry Ford to wonder what Kind of a
thlhg ne had really invented.
"A new act is the Jossefson Trouoe
ol lceland athletes, in which is demon
serateo san the lcelandic art of self-de
upoIi Ny i've giants. bent
on beating him up one lone Icelandar
Dy employing his arctic STYLE of do,
tense, stands them all on their heads
deftly and suddenly. As one snes' snec,
Sator remarked, this system NAV havo
neen invented in Iceland, but il wonld
work just as we'll in the Fourth IN
spection District.
Wizard With Lariat There
Cy Compton's cowboys and cow.
girls, although not new to the show
provided the most thrilling and 'nG"' nv
Iuresque event on the long propra p'n, ",
last night. Cy, himself, tosses an ',,
amazing lariat, looping five galIon;nn
norsemen SO easily that one mipht hns
!leye he could rope "Nicky" Arnstc;n
~ ne could get within thrcwinp dc
tance. wing dis
Mile: Leitzel. billed as the "o,oon
Oh aerial gymnasts," is the star of th;.
years circus, the arena being cleared
Tor her act. Perched on a traneva
close to the roof, Mile. Leitzel per.
formed stunts that caused even tha
oiase youngsters to join in the general
gasp OF astonishment. -
Britain Sues U. S. Concern