Year: 1872

THE CHILDREN OF THE CIRCUS.


Many of our readers, we fancy, have often
seen and admired the pretty children whose
graceful performances in the circus ring are
always, to very many people, by far the most
pleasing portion of the entertainment There
is, however, a popular belief that these chill
dren are cruelty treated to make them learn
these various tricks, which some suppose to be
hurtful to the infant frame. And this con-
sideration of course, detracts much from the
pleasure that tender-hearted people would
otherwise feel in witnessing the performances
The fact is that the things child is taught to
do in the ring are almost the same things that
nine out of ten healthy children are continu-
ually doing on the green-sward of the village
common, or on the carpeted floors of the pa
rental parlors-or, best of all, in, on, over,
under and about the straw and haystacks Of
the barn-yard, or on the sweet-scented clover
that fills the ebay" in the huge old barn itself
Your own little boy-dear, kind-hearted
madam, who gazes so pitifully at the little
circus children-if he is a healthy and we'll
developed young chap, will stand on his head,
with his boots in the air, or pitch himself
head-over heels a hundred times day-thus
keeping himself topsy-turvy half his waking
hours-if only he has got some place where he
can do it and not hurt himself: What your
boy does is almost precisely what is done by
the circus children, only they are taught to
accomplish their feats 10 the most easy and
graceful way.


The cruelty is thing of the past, and the
sufferings of gymnastic and equestrian appren-
tices of the present day are purely supersti-
tious. In former times, however, things were
very different; there is no doubt that years
ago the horses and other trained animals ex-
hibited in public were "broken" by the persis-
tent use of the whip, and the performing chill
dren were taught their duties by the same an
imal means. We have changed allthat-the
potency of the law of kindness and common
sense in the breaking and training of horses
was discovered by the circus people them
selves, and the worldwide propagation of the
new method by Rarey and other masters Of
the art, thoroughly broke up the old one
many years ago, both with professional eques.
trians and horse-lovers. It having been
found that horses could be trained by kind
ness, it gradually dawned upon the child-whip-
ping managerial mind that possibly human
beings were amenable to the same general
law, and that perhaps in their case kisses
might prove more effective than curses. The
experiment was tried-need it hardly be said
with complete success-and the noble horse
having been rescued from the law of the
lash, the emancipation of the children from
the same dreaded monitor speedily follows.


The adult performers of the present day
tell, however, some fearful stories of their
early apprenticeship under the old system.
James NJ. Nixon, a well-known circus mana
ger, was apprenticed to old Turner, one Of
the old-fashioned rough school of managers,
and father of Napoleon B. Turner and other
children who became distinguished in their
profession. Nixon says he was seldom spoken
to without both an oath and blow, and that
the 1.-THE lash of the heavy wagon whip cracked
about his ears all day, from the time it woke
him from his sleep in the all-tooearly morn
ing to the hour it sent him tingling and re-
vengeful to his wretched-bunk at night.
William Dutton, lately playing at the Four
teenth Street Circus, New York, who learned
the business with Stokes, another of the ty-
rant managers, tells the same story-nothing
but blows, oaths and kicks from morning till
night, to which was added no inconsiderable
amount of wholesome starvation.


The children Of the ring are put into train
ing as soon as they can fairly walk, though in
these days it is not usual to see boy of less
than five or six years introduced in public in
the acrobatic business. In the case Of eques-
trians, however, the case is dif1erent-some
ambitious riders bringing their ofsprings be-
fore the public much younger than this. For
instance, little Alexander, the son ofMcIville,
the Australian, has ridden in an act with his
father since he was twenty months old, and
he has never yet met with an accident more
serious than happens to any boy who "stubs
bis toe" against the stone


The first acts in which the little ones are
allowed to appear before an audience are
what are technically known as "acrobatic,"
or "posturing" scenes. Those who watch
these performances carefully will notice that
the youngest ones of the party have very lit
tie to do, save to stand in the proper "pos-
tion" and reserve an occasional toss from
the senior member of the group, which toss
or throw sometimes looksas if very carelessy
administered, but which is in reality done
with the greatest care and gentleness. In
fact, the modern system of teaching the bust
ness by emulation, instead of by threats and
blows, makes the youngsters so ambitious
that they are always begging to be taught
new "facts," and nine out Of ten of the trifing
falls they get in the ring are brought on by
the attempts to accomplish more than they
are at the time capable Of achieving. The
love of applause is Unborn with us all, and
jealousy sometimes so rankles in the baby
bosoms of these spangled little ones, that they
would, if unchecked in their mad career, Of
ten break their tiny necks in trying to outdo
each other. To many an ambitious youngster
the greatest possible known punishment is
being debarred the privilege of appearing with
his exultant companions in starred and tin
seled 6nery, and exhibiting bis hard.earned
accomplishments to the applauding multitude.
Most of the children in the profession at pres
ent are the offspring of performers, who are
not afraid to have them taught the business,
as the teaching is now done. Formerly many
"circus actors" particularly the mothers,
would rather have laid their little ones in
their cofins than see them brought up to the
business of their parents. Remembering the
blows and stripes of their own apprenticeship,
few mothers could bear the thought of dying
and leaving their tender babes exposed to the
brutality Of which they had themselves had
such experience. 1t was for this reason that
formerly many children were taken as circus
apprentices from a.mshouses or from degraded
parents, in whom the love Of rum had extin.
guished all sparks of parental affection, and
who would be consoled by few dollars for
the loss of their too-often unwelcome urchins.
These unfortunate youngsters were, for the