Evening star., 1933-12-19
Equipment of Famous
Circus Sold at Auction.

lie Soir, BruSsels-They have Just sold
at auction the equipment, lmpedimenta
and stock in trade of a celebrated cir
Gus in the same way they would have
disposed of the furniture OF any poor
individual devil seized In lieu OF rent
or taxes This circus had survived
a poignant history of some three-quar-
tiers of a century, its affairs proceeong
sometimes well and sometimes Ill. IN
such diverse realities 1t lived up u1ltil
the war; since then, it merely vegetated
TIL circus of the old days oeSplte us
dominant characteristic OF constant
travelling had expected to be nothing
less than permanent in point OF time,
if not in particular of space. In TIE
little provincial centerS their gally
painted wagons and caparisoned horses.
with AmaZons and cavaliers maJeStlcally
mounted thereupon, and plumes and
pennons fiuttering in the breeZeS, were
most eagerly awaited. Clowns bewigged
and powdered, and lady acrobats lib
erally frescoed with pinkest of paint and
compactly compressed into tenSest OF
tights. intrigued town and country peo-
pie by the thousand. Even the bands
of music, in which the clarionet and
trombone played leading roles, never
failed to attract their own enthusiastic
and adniring retinue.
But the largest cities. equally capti-
waited at first, soon became more or less
Indifferent to the blare of trumpets,
and the roar of the hungry menagerie.
The bareback riders and the trapeze
performers, too, lost their glamorous
appeal. The famous Blondin himself,
who once belonged to such circus, to
revive interest in his feats finally had
to cross Niagara on tight rope, carry
| ing-according to the Americans, who
modating fellow artist astride his neck |!
In Brussels, first at the center called
the Alhambra, and more latterly IN a
great, f1imsy structure opposite the
, Care du Nord, attempts were made to
beguile the public with circuSes of a
character continuous or permanent.
Interest revived little, and then seemed
to be extinguished entirely. Though
the people had few diversions, the circus
| somehow did not seem to restore the
balance in recreative fancy. They cared
neither for amuSements in which they
could take part nor for those which
they might attend simply IN the gulse
of spectators. They never danced, for
instance, except ponderously at home
and then not often. In fact, of dane
ing as it is exemplified today, they were
as ignorant of the word as of the thing
itself. The theater was a luxury, and
! the cinema did not exist.
With the attenuation in receipts nat
urally sequent upon these surfeits ano
disfavors, it was but logical that the
emancipation of the tawny beasts OF
prey. of the jugg1ers with swords, and
of the ladies of the ballet could be nc
longer delayed The programs of the
radio have supplanted the melodies Of
the bands, The fascinating episodes o1
the cinema have shown much larger
and fiercer monsters at large in theiI
native lairs. The pirouetting votaries
of the arena now display their art and
grace in the most commonplace Of
restaurants and cabarets, and the hu'
man projectile can be contemplated BY
blase crowds most any pleasant Sunday
in some public park.
But, alas!-this new enfranchisement
means for most of those once comfort.
ably and even richly maintained in cir
Gus enterprises but the translation tc
nliseries more pathetic than any expert
enced during the later eras of circensiar
decline. And all because in the year.
following the Great War the cry of thu
common people has been changed from
circus sports, and bread!" simply
Bread" Now, the lion changes hi;