The Coolidge examiner., 1933-05-12
Spring Heralds
Coming Circus
Much Actual Geography Seen
in Sawdust Ring.
Prepared by National Geographic Society.
MashIngton. d. C.-MNU Serxice.


THE circus, land of sawdust and
spangles, pink lemonade and
peanuts. Is about to emerge
from winter quarters. The magic
rumble of red wagons and the foot
steps of circusdom's spangled bat
talions have echoed down the corri-
dors of many summers; yet few
really know the phantom white city,
a nomadic world, a geographic
marvel and a mystery from begin
ming to end.
There Is more actual geography
within the narrow borders OF Span
gleland than in any similar space
on the face of the earth. From
the shores OF the seven seas come
its citizens, their faces turned to-
ward the open road where lies the
winding trail of the big tops.
Dainty equestriennes from France
and handsome Russians from the
steppes; pink-cheeked athletes from
Britain and Scandinavia: flashing
brunettes from Italy, Argentina,
Mexico and sunny Spain; blond Ger
mans with iron bodies; suave,
charming Austrians; almOnd-eyed
maids from Yokohama, Tokyo, and
Nagasaki and from the seething land
Of the dragon; sun-tanned sheiks
from the shifting sands of Araby
whip-crackers from Australia and
hardriding cowboys from the west
ern plains; clowns, acrobatS, aerial
lists. riders, staff executives and la
bOrers from every state In the Union
all owe allegiance to the transient
country of tents.
a game of checkers In the circus
backyard" between a genial young
japanese tumbler, heir TO half mil
lion dollars, and an old clown who
ran away from his home In the Mid
die West long ago, lured by the
spangled Pied Piper and his steel
throated calliope, shows how the big
top draws together the ends of the
earth. Such Is the population Of
Spangleland, where people from
nearly every country under the sun
are fed into the hopper of highly
organized machine to emerge firmly
woven into the brilliant mosaics of
fast-moving performance, subscrib-
ing without reservation to the SUI
preme law of the trouper-"The
show must go on"
Gets Start in Circus.
Circusdom has been a springboard
form which men have vaulted to
prominence in other fields. VIII
Rogers was the Cherokee Kid" with
Wirth's circus In 1904. AL G. Fields,
the minstrel king. started trouping
as a Shakespearean clown. Fred
Stone wore spangles before the foot
lights claimed him, and some OF his
best antics were born back In
Clown Alley" during his circus
days.
Many persons still look upon cir
Gus trouping as something akin to
robbing a bank. which accounts for
theinteresting fact that many present
day circus stars had To run away
from home to join. Take Mabel
Stark. for example. Her relatives
virtually dsowned her when she
laid aside the crisp. white uniform
of trained nurse TO expose herself
to the mauling of big. striped tom
cats" as she affectionately refers TO
her tigers. But the call of the cal
liope and the magic OF the midway
were In her ears and she immi-
grated to Spangleland. there 10 be
come the only woman in the world
who breaks. trains. and works
tigers.
The almost unlimited geographical
aspects of the circus are nowhere
more in evidence than in the wild
animal menagerie. To the travelling
college of zoology belong animals
from every continent, each splen-
did physical specimen. receiving the
utmost care from the animal attend
ants. Geological experts from lead
! ing universities never cease TO mar
vel at the exceptionally fine condi-
tion of the circus animals, despite
the fact that they are moved from
city To city almost every day. Vari-
alton in climate in different sections
of the country presents a serious
problem for circus animal attend
ants, who often pass hours in
cage with a sick jungle charge, so
/ fond are they of their animals. Sell
dom does a beast die while the cir
Gus is on the road.
Under single spread Of canvas
are gathered hundreds of animals
and birds - tigers from Bengal.
Sumatra. and Siberia: lions and
leopards from Africa's tangled jun
giles; tall. silent giraffes from the
open stretches of Ethiopia; nilgai,
black buck, aoudad, tapir, and
Gemsbok antelope. In the same cir
Gus colony are Russian brown bears,
huge black fellows from Alaska, and
polar hears from CraanIandSc Tow