Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-08-31
COARSE
Virginia Sargent.

ssraL sH
/ went to the circus for the first
tine the other day. I broke n of my
scruples about going to such things,
but I wanted to be able to say to
those Indifferent to animal suffering
that l had witnessed some of the
cruelties described in humane jour
mails. The examples l saw in this, sup
.posed to be one Of the richest and
best %circuses, fully convinced me
that the journals were not over SEN
timental.
Of course the wild animal acts
distressed me most. Being at one end
of the tent I could not see the whole
display, but 1 saw fair samples. The
girl with the leopards and the man
with the "wonderful" troupe of lions
seemed to be hugely enjoyed by the
unthinking and uncaring crowd.
Driven from their wagon cages to
that Of the arena, they were con-
stantly subjected to the crack and
lash of the whip. For the lions there
were also the iron fork and blank
cartridges. One poor lion was infu-
rated whether purposely or not, l
can't say) and he roared, struck at
the pronged fork, and at last, by the
bravery (?) of the trainer was cow
cred by Ia mere box! Thereupon a
coarse cheer rose from the throng.
/ caught glimpses of bears riding
bicycles and rolling on balls. The
big elephants looked thin to me. They
performed several numbering tricks.
The horses and dogs, while appearing
in good condition, were put through
acts, a great many. of which entailed
their maintaining uncomfortable and
precarious positions for a number
of minutes. One dog, I recall, had
to stand balanced On a slender rope
with a ball on his nose; a white char
lot rolling by had four dogs keeping
their footing inside the broad rims OF
the turning wheels, and two wolf
hounds were compelled to follow this
turnout walking on their hind legs,
and at intervals touching with front
paws the wheels, in order to keep
their balance. A wild west round up
was scheduled as a side show, but as
I had my hearts scald of that in a
government movie, l saw n time,l
did not stay.
Space prevents any more than
just these few remarks, though much
might be said.
eBesides the brutality to the dumb
beasts in performing, in close con-
finement, and in ceaseless travelling,
there was evident the moral empti-
ness, or, to put it very mildly, a
lack in certain morals, of being en-
tertained with the stunts of bespang-
led, slightly clad acrobats and mirth-
provoking acts of clowns. I thought
of the lack in so many young lives
of these latter, and of the many OF
them who, if started in life with the
ideal of something worth while,
might render real service to the
world.
I came away heart-sick and DISCUS
ted more than ever with the mass Of
my fellow kind. Oh, for the day when
human beings will be too busy carry
ing out noble aims to demand amuse-
ment in ridiculous and hazardous
stunts of their fellows, human and
dumb, when the minds of the rising
generation will have fit food for de-
velopment. But there is an army OF
human beings, though at times it may
seem small in comparison with the
great need, who have noble aims. and
part of it, through the Jack London
club is striving to, impress upon the
public the wrong of trained animal
acts, and how it is the duty of every
theater goer at least, to. help abolish
these by leaving a place where such
held, or better still, by refusing
to buy tickets for performances in
which they are included. The man
.agement cannot escape being affect
ed by such refusals and must even
tuaIy see what the trouble is. But
everyone must do his part. Let US
not delay longer for the sake of
those whose wordless pleas should
smite upon every heart.-Dumb An