The New York herald., 1922-03-21
THE CIRCUS ARRIVES
AT MADISON SQUARE.
Preceded by the First Real
Spring Robin, the Reticent
Dexter Fellowes.
ZEBRA STRIPERS AT WORK
Displace Cauliflower Ear Col
lectors at Garden-Show
Opens Saturday.

The only real, honest to goodness.
simon pure first robin OF spring twittered
its ingratiating way into THE NEW YORK
Dexter Fellowes and it harbingered the
opening event OF the dear old printemps.
the circus. AS is well known, there
could not possibly be q spring opening
in New York until the Ringing Brothers
and Barnum & Bailey's greatest show
In the whole gosh darned universe came
trekking into town from Bridgeport via
Mott Haven, hard on the heels of Mr..
Fellowes. This is what happened early
this morning after the box fighters and
the cauliflower ear collectors had cleared
out of Madison Square Garden, and by
daylight the big show was ready for
week of intensive rehearsals preliminary
to the first performance next Saturday
afternoon.
DR.. Fellowes-it is not generally
known that the celebrated publicity
chief Of the circus got his start In life
selling Kickapoo Indian salve on the
Gasoline Flare Circuit before he met I,
Il. Barnum-appeared to be reluctant
about releasing all the news connected
with the coming of the circus
But the Truth VIII Ont.
Anything that savors of ostcnta-
tiousness is frightfully disagreeable TO
me-" Mr.. Fellowes said, affixing his
monocle in hfs right eye and lighting
one of the long Russian cigarettes he
affects. IF 1 should awaken tomorrow
morning to find that the newspapers
were making a noisy parade Of the
absolutely private matter of the Ring
ling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey
arriving at Mott Haven late tonight
with 100 cars of very wild animals.
men and materials. / should be deeply
chagrined. j don't mind saying that II
John Ringing associated me with any
such disagreeable publicity would
probably have ten or fifteen thousand
dollars knocked off my aslary.
Loving the circus as do, the annual
arrival in New York is always a thrill
ing event-the night detrainment with
the hoarse calls of the animal men, the
trumpeting of elephants, the whine of
the big cats. the barking OF dogs, the.
dancing lights and shadows, the thun-
der of the big wagons rolling down in
clined planes from the cars to the street
and finally the long, slow march south
ward through a sleeping city to the old
home in Madison Square Garden.
I would be perfectly happy IL the con-
founded press would lett me alone and
quit bothering me with questions You
would be surprised how many pressmen
have asked about the new giant rhi-
noceros. Poohbah, the only one or his
kind in captivity and absolutely the
ugliest of living creatures. have seen
people faint at a mere glance OF this
amazing beast" Mr.. Fellowes continued
gently.
Batches OF New Babies.
Perhaps the most unbearablc thing
OF all is that you newspaper persons
always want to know what new animal
babies we have / would no more think
of having you publish the fact that there
is a baby hippo, Tiny Toddles four
tiger cubs, two patches of lion whelps, a
flock OF infant monkeys and few dwarf
elephants than / would mention our
black leopards from South America, our
wonderful troupe OF Atty performing
horses from Europe, our two sets o.
strange polar bears, the four new tiger
acts and the new act of eight trained
lions from California. ! certainly trust
that you will refrain from mentioning
these matters. Instead of the usual LONG
story about the coming of the circus
would suggest just a line or two--a
mere paragraph"
Or. Fellowes's reticence made it neces-
sary to seek for information elsewhere.
II may be taken as a fact, therefore,
that in the Garden this morning all is
feverish activity among the various
unions Of trained workmen, including
the zebra stripers, the leopard spoilers.
the jaguar stencillers, the elephant
white washers, the horsetal marcellers
and the sawdust grinders. More than
700 men and women are ready to timber
their muscles and supple their sinews IN
the hard grind Of rehearsal that VIII
run through the week.