The Billboard 1901-05-18: Vol 13 Iss 20 (1901-05-18)

THE BILLBOARD Considering and Concerning the 4 Child As a Circus Advertiser. # And an Added Annectodtal Addenda. kal By CHARLES H. DAY. It is a saying trite and true that If you ean ecateh the women you can draw the wen. Charles White, in establishing located winstrelsy at his Melodeon in the Bowery, New York, laid the foundation of public favor by getting the falr sex to attend upon invitation, until going to the minstrels came to be looked upon as the very proper caper. At a later date, Tony Pastor, in the same Lowery, admitted of a Friday nights for a considerable time, free of charge, all ladies accompanied by paying escort. Women Were rather shy of the vaudeville, and Antonio, like Charles White, was educating a new class of patrons, and removing the preju dices that existed against the varieties in the minds of a great number of people, who had put one of the most entertaining forms of amusement under the ban. To be sure, under the missionary plan of Messrs. White and Pastor, it frequenity re quired two ladies to guide one gentleman to the performance, The shrewd inciters of pubhe appreciation Were hot aggrieved thereat. Only the more rejoiced. The American newspaper humorists have made lots of fan for themselves, the show folks and the general reader by dwelling on the number of adults it required to guide a child to and from the circus with safety. On the average, from a large front door ex perience, | should say three to one. Now, as the child seems both as a magnet and an advertiser, it stands the tent show manager even if he has a menagerie—to reach the young folks, and interest them in his com ing The child is not a hypocrite, like many of the elders; loves the show with a full heart, and does not sneak out to the show grounds like a culprit, with a mouth full of silly and ontruthful excuses. “| didn’t care to come myself, but the chi'dren insisted.”’ “if it hadn't been for the zoological col leetion I shouldn't have been here.” “Of course they are all alike, and I have seen everything, but the youngsters must be satisfied.” And so on, and so on. The pieterial on the bill boards bring the children around the bill boards as thickly as files gather at the bung of a molasses hogshead on a wharf. Facing the many colored disvnlay no feature is lost to view or discussion. It has been noted, and the fact commented on that the most incor rigible children begin a period of good be havior and model conduct upon the billing of a cireus, and extending up te the show's performance. In many households the bhatr brush and the slipper entirely disappear as weapons of correction and castigation; the only warning being needed, on a rising in fraction: “If you don’t behave you can't go to the cirevs.”’ What boy or girl ever failed to come to time facing so terrible an alternative? Also, please to chserve the great moral Influence of the cireus. Still, Sunday-school superin tendents and pastors of flocks have been known to get up plenics on cireus day, and have lured the youth away from the saw dust, the clown and the elephant to the woods, cold victuals and the stomach ache. All bright children of the present day read the newspapers, and are thoroughly posted as to the important local details of the cireus advertisement, the date of ap pearance, location of lot, seale of prices, opening of performances, hour of parade and route of procession. Even the smallest boy never bothers the ticket seller at the red wagon with a string of questions. He has received all the necessary information from the press or the small bills. The child being an advertiser as well as an attendant, the youth's influence should be counted. I was of that opinion at my start in the etreus line. Murray had a series of small cards in colors advertising foatures of the show, and these were put in the hands of the littl: men and women at the coming-out hours at the school houses, These cards were issned with great core, and the work being faithfully done, tt counted to advantage along with the other mediums of publicity. To be sure there was nothing new In the idea, but the pic ture cards were attractive. All were car ried home and none were destroyed or wasted, and each bere a well-worded an vounecement of the show (ne season IT prepared for the show a mall four-page affair especially fer the iventles and called it The Sunbeam. It contained a single story that Incorporated the narration the grand glories of the how. T also began the Insertion of single ‘umn stories for bove and girls in the Newspapers, running them in regular read ne matter, at small expense, In connection with the regular display advertising. Whether this last seheme paid I had no means of knowing, but I beliewe that it did. After a while It became Impossible to dis ‘ribute any printed or pletured matter at vin the vietnity of the school-houses un der the orders of the boards of education ‘nd the penalty of arrest. In spite of this ' was found to be an easy matter to reach the children promptly and efficiently. For two seasons at least, and perhaps more, I prepared a special boys’ and gir.s’ publication for Adam Forepaugh, and the distribution was made from the first adver tising car under the supervision of Mike Coyle, who declared it a most excellent ad vertising medium, ond perhaps the best used by the show. From the moment the advertising car reached town and was sidetracked, genial Mike saw that every youthful visitor got a cony of the Boys and Girls. And the tore te gave away the more they came un til the loeal edition was exhausted. Being sought for instead of distributed, they were all the more valuable as an ndverusement and ever so much more appreciated. The procession “an exhibition of the resources of the establishment’ has a pow erful poll and determines many as to their attendance, but the little ones bave known their fate and arrived at their conclusions before the fixed date. The cereus is an institution for the family. for old and young, and it is a clean fmusement, and that is more than can be said ef some Kinds of stage performances— as place to reliable information in zoology. ape set was enclosed in a stout manilla Mvelope and labeled as issued by the educational department of Sells Brothers’ Shows. These really desirable pictures were given away in sets and not singly, and were much sought after. Sam Joseph and the writer went into Chieage to boom the show under the personal direction of that master of the advance, Peter Sells. While I gave particular attention to the newspapers, Samuel took to the edueational department and proceeded to arrange for the free distribution of the extra fine picture cards. Sam Joseph slways was and is an enthusiast, and he spread himself on the preliminaries, and I was only too wiling to have the literary bureau push along the edueational department. Sam had arranged that the free-for-all gift distribution should begin at the music store of Lyon & Healy at a certain honr on a certain day, and Sam was on hand at the appointed time to do the giving. Agreeable to request I had announced the presentations in all the newspapers, and, although | did not see the rush, I take Sam's werd for it, supported by Peter Sells’ Statement, that all of Cook County sur rounded and invaded Lyon & Healy's, overWhelming and overrunning Sam Joseph and the entire establishment and proprietors and == clerks. The mob rieted in their struggles to secure the publications of the educational department of Sells Brothers’ Shows ,and it was not until the police came to the resenue in force and fought their way in that anything like order was secured, Luckily the policemen rescued Sam before he was torn to pieces or trampled under foot, locked all the doors except an exit escape, which they controlled by force of arms. During the hubbub pickpockets plied their The Zoyarrow's Great Aerial Act. I will net savy entertainments. Being con ducted decentiv, the managers of American tent shows have been and are being patron ized by the people: whereas in some of the first-class theaters it is anite the necessary thing fer a man to ex»nlore in advance to learn for himself whether it would be the proper thing to invite a woman—wife, sweetheart or sister—to the “reigning sensation of three capitals.” hest In one instance cirens literature by an adult. years a cireus To return to our mutton: at least | knew that my for juveniles was perused Charies A. Potter, many agent and new Postmaster at Danielson, Conn... was distributing The Sunbeam in advance of the Murray Shew, when he was accosted by a clerical individual with the inquiry “Is the gentleman who wrote that charm ing little stery connected with the cireus?t”’ “He is our director of publications—that is, newspaper man and writer,” Potter Then the good man threw up both hands and exclaimed “What a wicked waste of talent!’ “Guess he thought vou ought to be writ ing traets,”” remarked Potter on reporting the conversation to me. it am not the only person haps, missed his calling. But as wicked an old wretch as I ever knew wrote yellow matter for publication with the same hands that he dashed off pious and goody-goody tracts. It is my belief that the writer who induces persons to enjoy themselves has a commendable mission and has the credit of creating happiness. have spoken of the value of pictorial advertising cards as a means of reaching children, and that reealls the fact that che Sells Brothers got ont the best, most elab orate and expensive series that T ever saw used in advance of the show. Like a cer tain cigar, ‘‘they were “generously” large, artistic as well, and on the reverse gave responded who has, per of the and a out losers wére good many of tune and and the wails added to the tumult, musical instruments got suffered material damage. Altegether it was the most exciting day ever experienced by the edueational department of Sells Brothers’ Shows. When “the free distribution of the works of art’ was over, Sam, limp and weary, reached the Continental Hotel and dropped inte a chair in my room. The eyes of Jo seph always were © prominent feature of his face, but on this oceasion they protruded beyond all previous precedent, and he talked se fast that he did not have time to lisp. fingers, As Joseph related his thrilling adventure ~ and narrow escape from annihilation he forgot his fatigue and seared in graphie language, altheugh sere in bedy. Sam's eloquence was amazing and his language alarming, and still | don’t think he exaggerated the scenes at Lyon & Healy's a httle bit. After all Sam declared that the edu eational department of Sells Brothers’ Shows was an unqualified success. I was much interested in the attracting of the child to the cireus, but I did not think it was judicious to go around to Lyen & Healy's and learning their views. The musical firm were quite too busy straight ening up things in the stere, while a force of men were putting in new glass in the doers and windows. Peter Sells agreed with me that the time was highly inop pertune, so neither of us pursued our investigations in that direction. Perhaps if any elrenus advertiser is in need of a branch of the edueational denartment in Chieago it would be as well not to invite the musical firm mentioned to interest themselves in the movement. Charles Prjmrise, agent for the No. 1, Gentry Dog and VPony Show, was looking over the Western territory two weeks ago. Decoration Day in the New England States. It is an extremely difficult matter for a — to obtain a heense to exhibit or parace in any town in New England ‘ oration Day. ’ a ae Town after town flatly refuses and the liveliest kind of a hunt is sometimes necessary before one which will grant permission is finally found. Long railroad runs are sometimes necessitated by these —e und wagon shows have not inrequently been compelled to lay together. : hse It is not respect for the day nor memory of their dead however, that actuates the select men. It is polities. The G. A. R. always parade on wecoration Day in New England and they want to be the observed on that occasion. A rival parade in the shane of a circus pageant would make theirs look like thirty cents—and they know it. The G. A. R. a power in politics—the officials know t. The officials can withold license—the cir cus agents know it, and there you are. Speaks for Sparks. To the Editor of “The Billboard:” Today John Sparks‘ “Old Reliable Virginia Shows” gave two performances in this town and gave entire satisfaction. The tent was literally packed, and, as Sparks has been here before, the attendance today certainly went to prove that the biggest portion of our people “like John and his methods."’ He truly has some features that are not to be beaten, and the Werntz family can not be excelled by any one; they are wonders; truly so. The clowns were O. K.; and, in fact, the show in its entirety was as good as any twenty-five-cent show on the road today, and, in my opinion, far above the general run. Sparks is a gentleman, and I shall do my utmost to have him visit our town next year with his ‘‘clean show.” . Gne of the gentlemen with the show said he walked four miles one day last week to get a tate “Billboard.” Thanking you for the space of this artlcle, I remain yours truly, Tallapoosa, Ga. JAS. G. STICKNEY. Advance Rosters. The advance roster of Car No. 1, Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show, is as follows: Sam M. Dawson, car manager and contracting press agent; Frank Hoover, boss bill poster; Ed Robey, lithograph boards; Phil Stinsen, lithographer: Wm. Brown, banners; Robert Hammock, programer; Chas. Walker, car porter, and the following bill posters: E. F. Garrison,"V. T. Combes, Ed Watson, A. G. Vermitt, Doe Wentworth, Dave Spencer, H. H. MeCune, W. A. Hoover, Robert Matthews, Gus Webber, French Flood, Harn Boyd. The roster of Jones Brothers’ Big City Shows is as follows: J. A. W. Jones, manager; E. H. Jones, in charge of advance, with four men; M. Lewis, in charge’ of stock, with five men; Art Goldby, boss canvasman, with fifteen men; Ed Carter, in charge of side show canvas, with three men; J. H. Teel, manager of side show; W. Hi. Walker, in charge of candy stand: W. Cc. Lane, reserved seats; H. Jenkins, manager of dining car, with three assistants; Will Dolby, master of transportation: C. E. Valentine, band master, with the following musicians: Bradford, clarionet; Arthur Corning, cornet; Chas. Dolby, alto; Wm. Dolby, alto; Arthur Crawford, trombone: William Morgan, trombone; O. H. Mosier, baritene and mail man; John Brennan, tuba; Dick Coll, trap drummer. The performers are Jas. Irwin, head balancer; ¢. Dolby, Mexican ladders; Tom Bosco, wire walker and talking clown; Silverlake Brothers, return act; Chas. Kippy, Rube; Wm. MeLaughlin, implement act; Hogan, plate spinner: Mile. Walker, Spanish skirt dancer; Tom Galooly, boneless wonder. Side show: Prof. Jeel, ventriloquist; Maxwell, magician: Mile. Zenaro, mind reader; Oddo, snake eater; Celio, serpent Queen, and six cages of small animals. George While en route to Emporia, Kan., recently, Gentry’s Dog and Pony Show No. 1 had a narrow escane from destruction. The paraphernalia on one of the cars became ignited from a spark and shortly communicated to adjoining wagons and property. The engineer discovered the train in a blaze, and, opening wide the throttle of the engine, raced for the nearest water tank, twenty miles distant, where trainmen and showmen succeeded in checking the fire's advance. The loss to Gentry is $5,250, and only the superhuman efforts of those in charge of the train saved the lives of 400 trained animals, ; ' ; I : ; —~—ma en <0 ge ae rte eee te eye es