Evening star., 1926-05-23
Opera Singers Marriage Enables Her
To Realize Lifelong Circus Ambition

There are scattered over the country
large number Of amusement parks.
They are at present run independ-
emily and without any interlacing or
ganization. That is clumsy and ineffl-
cient. Suppose they were embraced
iii general system. y methodical
rotation of features could then be
established. An act could play its
time in one park and then proceed TO
another. play its time there and then
proceed to a third. and so on, just as
in vaudeville. That would be eco
nomical enough to permit a park 10
maintain complete and constantly
varying circus. It would be in the
true vein of the big show. 1t makes
logical development Of the circus
idea.
That is our plan. The immediate
realization is this-we have got up
big circus features for the current
season, particularly animal acts. I
think the animal act part of it lies
nearest TO my heart. Give me the
trained bears. ponies. leopardS and
seals. They make the most fascinat-
ing part of circus life. Yes. as think
of it now. I am sure that. sublime as
it is to be a bareback rider and stand
on a galloping horse with one foot. It
lion cage and make the king of beasr
Jump through a hoop. Once / spoN
to a big German who came over her
with trained tiger act. The tiger
were the biggest and most feroctoU
looking you would want to see. They
appeared ready to eat you alive at
any moment. You never heard such
blood-curdling snarls or saw such
Jaws as when he cracked the whip at
them. 1 was curious to learn how he
trained them.
do you beat them?" I asked.
He replied with solemn disgust:
'I don't hit them now. since I have
been in America. The Society for
Prevention Of Cruelty to Animals
won't let me-"
That was quite true. The laws
here about being kind to animals for
bade him to beat up the tigers
With the animal venture goes an
other that most people will think
trifie dissimilar and perhaps even dis
harmonious. To me. however, it is
quite as familiar as the circus. Ideas
in the wav of amusement parks are
broadening People like acrobats,
freaks. euuestriennes and trained ant
mails They also like opera. From
this idea follows the opera company.
we are golnS 10 give II standard rep
ertory and will try to establish the
lyric drama as a permanent feature
of outdoor entertainment. If the ami
NAL acts are my pet, so also is the
opera company. The two things that
have always been uppermost in my
mind are the circus and the singing
stage. 1t seems as if 1 have them
both now.
If an opera soprano closes her mar
ration with the telling 6s some curl
Gus incident, it is likely to be an in
cident Of opera. But I will tel YOU
one of another kind. Up on the park
grounds stands the original subma-
rine 1t is Hollands famous boat. the
first successful undersea craft. When,
after Winters rest, Spring renova-
tions began, n man was found sleep
ing in it early one morning. He was
an old tramp who had made the re
nowned submarine his quarters for
the Winter. He had fixed himself a
bed there out of old papers and blan-
kets. He had even an oil stove which
kept the snug room warm and on
which he cooked his food. He had
had a very cozy bedroom during the
cold months. It seemed a shame 70
evict him. But the weather was COM
Portable and he decamped quite cheer
fully-perhaps until next Winter.