The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-03-28
NEW FEATURES | THRILL CROWD
 |ASCIRCUS OPENS


 The circus opened its five weeks season at Madison Square Garden, liminary fanfare of trumpets and grand crash of brass that burst open the broad doors leading to the mys- terIouS regions at the back of the Garden and let into the arena the grand introductory pageant, led this year by the eight foot giant, George Auger, until the very last episode of all, the laundering, four horse Ro- man chariot race, Ringing Bros. and Barnum & Baileys spread a feast of three hours of thrills and fun.
 It's the same old circus that comes every spring to make one forget how dlsaSreeable winter was and Ito show how much fun it is to be alive, and yet it is much more, for every added season there are elaborate new fea- lures that would have Phineas T. Barnun shake his head with amaze ment-
 The circus begins with three sets of savage beasts performing stimuli taneously in steel barred arenas under whip and prong, leopards, lions and polar bears; centres then upon seven Bengal tigers that are licked into a houSecatS obedience by the slim man who faces their wicked emerald eyes, turns after much variety of smooth and graceful aerial work and arena performances by less dangerous anil malS to the trained Hungarian stall hons. six iron grays, six bays and twelve coal blacks that drill at tke mere command of a trainers upraised whip, wheeling and turning in intri- cate evolutions; passes on over fla m1liar but always interesting acts of air and sawdust to the performing drome edarieS and came1S, strange su- percilious creatures, taught to do the tricks that my lord the elephant is famous for, and so on through a pro gramme of almost infinite variety and interest
 Probably the new acts that will hold the attention of circusgoers most tense1y are the opening exhibitions of performing 1eopards, lions and polar seven tigers and the Hungar :an horses.
 How Animals Are HandIed.
 The business of introducing the big cats and the snow white bears into the steel arenas is worth seeing. At the eastern end Of the Garden oval the polar bears are brought to their barred cage in small wagons and are prodded into the arena In the mid de the lions enter the Garden by means Of a tunnel that runs from the Garden basement, pass into a long, cagelike approach that runs from the north exit of the building across the north roadway and connects with the middle steel cage At the west end wagons backed against the doors of their cage.
 From a short distance even the runway through which the lions come bounding is not especially conspicu- ous and as the tawny beasts make their appearance one gets the impres- sion that lions are promenading across the sawdust floor a trif1e casually.
 A young woman. Olga Celeste, blonde, robust, good looking, works with the sinking, snarling leopards, flashing them lightly as they threaten her with teeth and claws, and turning her back upon them with nonchal- ance that makes one catch ones breath. In the middle arena Peter Radke sends the lions skipping from chair to chair or somersau1ting over each other, occasionally disciplining one with the hooked end of a spear. And in the east cage Christian Shro- der puts through their tricks six po- lar bears that show plainly how much they would like to destroy him. All Of these acts are real thrillers, but the most striking of all comes when leopards, lions and polar bears are tigers stroll into the Garden and make their way through the runway into the centre steel cage.
 Many Features in Bill.
 It IS rare lIloSeo I1dC animal men dare to attempt the training of a sin gle tiger. but here are seven, patient ly trained and forced through fear to obey the sweep of their masters arm.
 There are many features of the circus worth mentioning, including th e Wild West riders and ropers, lit He Leitzel, aerial gymnast, who hangs head down from the Garden ceiling and then throws herself over her uy, II shoulders so rapidly that it makes on lockers feel a bit dizzy; trained bears, camels, seals, ponies and dogs; snow of living statuary; Mime. Bradna with her thoroughbred horses and dogs and the snowy doves that hover over all; the Davenports with amusing bareback riding tricks; the Seafords n birdlike flights and swoops high over the rings-many more, until the performing elephant and the chariot aces at the very end of the show.
 The new strange peop1e-it is not heir callers before the main circus opened in the Garden auditorium. Among the newcomers is the man with the revolving head and the bear voman- Among the more or less familiar ones are the tiny Princess Wee Wee, KHcko the bushman, Zip he human what is it, the half wom- m and the snake charmer. They are Ill there. And this year nobody will gorilla, or to Jerry and Jane, the or to the baby monkey, ,nly four months old, and it's watch ;u mother. D E