The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-05-01
Today
AND
Tomorrow
BY
Frank Parker Stockridge

CIRCUS kids
This the season when 100000
kids, varying in age from 4 to 80,
feed peanuts to monkeys, thrill
to the roar of lions, cheer the man
on the flying trapeze and laugh at
the clowns
From coast to coast hardly a
county has missed some greatest
show on earth" ranging from a
small tent full of NANCY animals
to the big combined Barnum &
Bailey circuses which pack Madi-
son Square Garden in New York
and prove annually that even
New Workers can't pose as sophis-
ticates in the face of dancing ele-
plants, fire-eating men, yowling
greatest show on earth" last week
apes and ball-playing sea lions.
I went to New York to see "the
and there's no doubt in my mind
that it is the pinnacle of show
manship-it includes the greatest
aerial acrobats, the greatest ami
NAL acts, the greatest juggling,
the greatest side-shows I ever eX-
pect to see. There was only one
apartment in which it didn't
reach perfection. There weren't
any great or near great clowns.
In fact, I hardly remember seeing
any clowns at all. And to me
plenty of clowns are as important
as plenty of peanuts at any cir
Gus.
STREAMLINING clowns
This years big circus was
streamlined by Americas Public
Stream-liner No. l, Norman Bel
Geddes, who has streamlined ev-
erything from fountain pens to
the famous Futurama at the New
York Worlds fair.
Mr.. Geddes is responsible for
the sleek, bullet-shaped automo-
biles that are sold these days.
He's responsible for some of those
streamlined trains that streak
through country towns like ghost
trains. He's responsible for count
less designs which make most ev-
erything a year old appear behind
the times.
And I've sneaking suspicion
that Mr.. Geddes may have con-
WINGED the circusmen that clowns
are old-fashioned.
Perhaps there is some way that
clowns can be streamlined. Per-
haps there is something that
could make 100000 kids laugh
more than clowns have. But un-
til it's invented any tampering
with the clown acts should be
prohibited, even if we have to
take it to the Supreme court.
ACTS unbelievable
The most outstanding thing
about the circus is that it gathers
together under one roof a group
of men and women each of whom
can perform some act of muscular
coordination that no one else in
the world can accomplish. 1t pre-
sents the height of so many
things.
I've seen tight-rope walkers be-
fore, but never before had I seen
man jump eight feet, land on
tight-rope and keep his balance
on it-and never had I believed
it was possible for a man to walk
up a 20-foot rope at a 45-degree
angle, turn around, and slide
down the rope standing on his
feet.
I've seen trapeze experts jump
from one trapeZe to another, but
never before had I seen one turn
a triple somersault in the air and
escape a broken neck twice a day
by always ending the third
somersault by grabbing the fin
gertips of a man on another ira
peZe.
I've seen people do miraculous
things on a swinging bar, but
never before did I know it was
physically possible for a girl to
stand on her head on a bar. keep
it swinging and not touch it with
her hands or her feet.
I've seen trick bicycle riders,
but I still can't see how it is pos
sible to ride on single small
wheel sitting 10 feet off the
ground and make the bicycle
dance.
The marvellous thing about the
circus is that is presents a long
series of things which anybody
knows can't be done-and shows
people doing them!
LIONS Hitler
Watching the lion-trainers, who
are able to brighten the fiercest of
all animals into sitting on silly
stools and behaving like puppy
dogs, made me start thinking
TJs41or