,,transcriber',s ,,note ,original small caps font is all capitals herein4 ,original italics is surrounded with low lines4 ,see ,,endnote for more details4 ,,acrobats ,,and ,,mountebanks4 ,,by ,,hugues ,,le ,,roux ,,jules ,,garnier4 ,,translated ,,from ,,the ,,french ,,by ,a4 ,p4 ,,morton4 ,,with #bcc ,,illustrations4 ,illustration ,,london3 ,,chapman ,,and ,,hall1 ,,limited1 #ahij4 ,,richard ,,clay ,,and ,,sons1 ,,limited1 ,,london ,,and ,,bungay4 ,illustration ,,preface4 ,the ,banquistes was the first title chosen for this book3 it has been altered for two reasons which appeared conclusive after some consideration3 the general public would have misunderstood it1 and it would certainly have wounded those interested in it1 who would have known what it meant4 ,but if we consult an etymological dictionary we shall find that the word ,,saltimbanque1 which is more generally used than ,,banquiste1 is derived from a definite root3 ,,saltimbanque1 s4 m41 from the ,italian word ,,saltimbanco3 who vaults on a bench 7,latin1 ,,saltare ,,in ,,banco74 ,in ,italian we also find the word ,,cantimbanco1 a platform singer4 ,i must add that when1 after tracing out the etymology of the words ,,saltimbanquiste and banquiste1 we search for the origin of the word banker1 we shall find that the same radical1 ,,banco1 is the root of these three derivatives4 ,in the old fairs two personages were allowed to erect a small platform1 a 8banc0--the money-changer and the acrobat4 ,perhaps the 8banc0 already served as a spring-board1 giving both the ,,banker and the ,,banquiste a greater impetus in their leap2 perhaps we must even look back to the same date to find the exact origin of the now common expression 8,,lever ,,le ,,pied0 7to abscond74 ,however this may be1 after the perusal of this book1 it will be readily understood that the contemporary acrobat1 established1 enriched1 emerging into the middle classes1 indignantly rejects a slang term which apparently assigns to him the same origin as that of our modern financiers4 ,this intolerance is certainly not the only surprise reserved for the reader of these pages4 ,we claim to lead him to the threshold of an unknown world4 ,before commencing this work1 which has absorbed us during at least three years1 ,i made a thorough investigation of the bibliographic and monographic information now existing upon the banquiste question1 and ,i came to the conclusion that no ,french or foreign author worth attention or quotation had yet interested himself in this original people4 ,m4 ,houcke1 the manager of the ,hippodrome1 had kindly placed at our disposal a series of lithographs published in ,germany4 ,but the text and the correctness of the work were so defective1 that the drawings were of no use to us4 ,it was the same with the ,saltimbanques1 which ,m4 ,escudier published at the close of the ,empire through ,michel ,lvy4 ,the sole merit of ,m4 ,escudier's work lies in his discovery of an unknown subject4 ,he made the mistake of writing without information1 picturesqueness1 or philosophy1 in the light1 insufferably trifling tone1 which is common to most of the publications of that epoch4 ,since then1 a conscientious writer1 ,m4 ,dalsme1 who is attached to the acrobats1 has published a more interesting account of them entitled ,le ,cirque ,pied et ,cheval4 ,the kindliness with which ,m4 ,dalsme alludes in his book to the quotations which he has made from my publications induces me to notice his work in return4 ,and truly1 however unequal and incomplete his book may be1 it is still the most interesting work that has yet been seen upon a new subject4 ,this judgment places ,m4 ,edmund de ,goncourt's novel1 the ,frres ,zemganno1 far above this level1 and beyond any invidious comparison4 ,although exact observation is the discipline of the novelist1 ,m4 de ,goncourt has declared that in this instance his chief object was to write a symbolical book4 ,his information was necessarily superficial4 ,such as it was1 ,i do not think that any one has now more reason than ourselves for admiring the superior art and truth with which ,m4 de ,goncourt has spoken of the circus1 has formulated its philosophy1 depicted its passions1 and divined those things that were concealed from him4 ,and ,i trust that the author of the ,frres ,zemganno will be one of the first to enjoy the novelty of this work4 ,the perusal of the so-called naturalistic novels has gradually accustomed the public to a fairly strong dose of realism in books4 ,a number of young men have written in imitation of the great masters1 stories which1 commonplace in themselves1 are yet worth reading for their conscientious observation of the 8surroundings40 ,a thousand inquiries upon contemporary life have been cleverly made1 and readers have examined these social records with much curiosity4 ,it appeared to me that the best part of these novels1 the portions most appreciated by the readers1 were the facts of actual experience4 ,i therefore asked myself if the time had not come to present to the public these facts free from all romantic fiction1 in a form in which the author only intervenes in order to arrange the incidents and to point out the philosophy to be derived from them4 ,the success of this book will prove whether the attempt is premature1 or whether there will be any reason for a sequel4 ,this publication is really the monograph of an unknown people1 related by the pen and pencil4 ,its laws1 its customs1 its traditions1 its secrets1 its hopes1 have been seized1 defined in spite of reticence1 evasions1 wavering1 and contradictory witnesses4 ,it describes the organization of the banquiste people1 the foundation of its agencies1 newspapers1 and syndicates1 it follows the mountebank from his birth in the wandering caravan to his apotheosis in the friezes of the circus4 ,and at the same time it penetrates into the stables to explain the secrets of the trainer1 the tamer1 and the ring-master2 into the booths to ask the clown for the story of his adventures--and by what chance1 having become a gentleman himself1 he one day met in the land of whims a gentleman who had become a clown6 ,i cannot close this preface without addressing the warmest thanks to all those who have aided us in bringing this work to a successful issue--to our willing correspondents from ,america1 ,england1 ,germany1 and ,russia4 ,but whilst thus paying our debts1 we must express our special gratitude to the learned director of the photographic department of the ,salptrire1 ,m4 ,albert ,londe2 to ,m4 ,guy de la ,brettonire1 the well-known circomane2 to amateurs like ,,mm4 de ,saint-,senoch1 ,bucquet1 and ,mathieu4 ,the photographs which these gentlemen kindly took for us enabled the draughtsman to represent the acrobats in ,,those ,,intermediate ,,poses ,,which ,,the ,,eye ,,never ,,seizes1 and which hitherto the most rapid instantaneous photographs have failed in reproducing4 ,a few figures will prove better than any words the extreme rarity of these plates4 ,in the month of ,june1 #ahhh1 ,m4 ,houcke having given us an appointment at the ,hippodrome1 made the clown1 ,auguste1 and an artist of the fixed bar1 vault in our presence4 ,the members of the ,socit d',excursions ,franaise de ,photographie1 headed by its president1 were nearly all assembled4 ,fifty cameras were arranged like a battery3 each amateur had brought twelve glasses4 ,after they had been examined1 ,m4 ,albert ,londe sent us ten proofs1 which alone out of six hundred had been deemed worthy of being printed1 and after a final examination only seven plates were preserved by the painter4 ,they inspired the series of somersaults which are found in the chapter on ,,gymnasts4 ,,hugues ,,le ,,roux4 ,illustration ,,errata4 ,page #gh1 line #g from top1 for 8bloated ,vitelliuses01 read1 8bloated ,vitellii04 ,page #bjf1 line #c from top1 for 8,naet ,salsbury01 read1 8,nael ,salsbury04 ,illustration ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,page ,,organization #a ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,fair #cg ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,permanent ,,shows ,,or ,,entresorts #eg ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,theatre ,,booth #ha ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,trainers #ajg ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,tamers #acc ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,equestrians #aei ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,hippodrome #ahc ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,equilibrists #bji ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,gymnasts #bda ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,the ,,clowns #bgg ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,private ,,circus #cjg ,,index4 #ccc ,illustration p#jja ,illustration ,,chapter ,i4 ,,organization4 ,parisians live in scandalous ignorance of the beings who surround them and of the world in which they move4 ,although fond of curious entertainments1 they have never made any serious inquiries about the origin1 the private life1 or the terms of enlistment of the skilful artists whom they applaud in the circus1 the theatre-concert1 or the playhouse4 ,i have often heard persons who considered themselves well informed1 and who spoke with much reserve and many hints of deeper knowledge1 assert that secret manufactures of monstrosities exist in the world1 training schools for acrobats1 registry offices for mountebanks2 and that by diligent search1 with a little discreet assistance from the police1 one might discover branches of these picturesque establishments in the thieves' quarters of old ,paris4 p#jjb ,this story is enough to frighten children1 but it must be allowed to pass away with the dust of other fabrications destroyed by time1 whilst you may rely upon the accuracy of the information contained in this book2 its sole ambition is to enlighten you on this mysterious subject by telling you the truth about it4 ,the collection of all these facts has been a work of time4 ,the mountebank is too jealous of his freedom to talk openly to every one that approaches him4 ,the same patience which travellers use in their relations with savages must be employed before one can hope for any intimacy with this people1 who are still as much scattered1 as varied1 as strangely mixed1 as vagabond1 as their ancestors1 the gipsies1 who1 guitar on back1 hoop in hand1 their black hair encircled with a copper diadem1 traversed the ,middle ,ages1 protected from the hatred of the lower classes and the cruelty of the great by the talisman of superstitious terror4 ,this tribe1 recruited from every nation and every type1 is called1 in its particular argot1 the banque2#a there is the grande banque and the petite banque3 its members are called banquistes4 ,qualities transmitted through many generations1 natural selection always tending in the same direction--of strength and dexterity--have1 in course of time1 endowed this p#jjc international people with special characteristics4 ,with regard to the superior instincts1 they possess a taste for adventure1 wonderful facility in acquiring languages1 in assimilating every variety of civilization1 and a strange amalgamation of qualities1 which would seem incompatible with each other--,italian pliancy1 ,anglo-,saxon coolness1 ,german tenacity4 ,i do not quote the influence of ,french characteristics in the fabrication of these free citizens of the world3 the soil of ,france is so dear to her children that1 even if they tempt the glory and perils of an acrobat's life1 they rarely leave their native land4 ,according to statistics1 ,frenchmen form a proportion of but five per cent1 in the tribe of banquistes who travel round the world4 ,but these mountebanks are not so numerous as one might imagine2 in all there are only a few thousands4 ,but earth contains no guests more free than these men1 whom the poet ,theodore de ,banville greets as the 8brothers of the birds1 the inhabitants of the ideal city of ,aristophanes40 ,lords of their own will and time1 they obey no laws except the terms of their voluntary engagements4 ,they fly from war1 pestilence1 and ruin4 ,when the heavens darken1 they strap up their trunks1 go on board a steamer and journey to other countries where gaiety and gold are to be found4 ,the sole disturbance in these careless lives is the question of engagements4 ,the skill with which they have averted the difficulties1 which their preference for a nomad life might have produced in their business1 is a very remarkable example of that practical sense which constant travelling develops in the least cultivated individual4 ,dispersed throughout the four quarters of the world1 the p#jjd banquistes have placed themselves in perpetual communication with1 first1 managers and impresarii1 and then with their comrades1 by means of a certain number of agencies and newspapers belonging to their corporation4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,era ,the eldest of these publications is ,the ,era1 published in ,london in ,english4 ,the ,era1 now edited by ,edward ,ledger1 was started in #ahcg4 ,it is a kind of guide-book1 consisting of twenty-four pages1 each containing six columns1 in the usual shape of an ,english newspaper2 the price is sixpence a copy4 ,in the title the royal escutcheon1 supported by the lion and the unicorn1 separates the two words ,the and ,era4 p#jje ,half the newspaper is filled with addresses of this kind-- ,miss ,,florence ,,west4 ,address3 #aj ,elm ,tree ,road1 ,n4,w4 ,miss ,,minnie ,,bell4 ,disengaged4 ,crystal ,palace4 ,all these addresses are arranged in alphabetical order4 ,a proprietor can at once discover where the 8novelty0 with whom he proposes to communicate is temporarily staying4 ,the ,era also serves as a letter-box to all its subscribers4 ,a special department is open under this heading3 ,,the ,,era ,,letter-,,box4 ,then follows1 arranged in columns1 an alphabetical list of the persons for whom a note has been sent to the newspaper office4 ,adeson1 ,m4 ,atleyn1 ,madame4 ,barry1 ,miss ,helen4 ,chelli1 ,miss ,erminia1 c4 ,the remainder of the ,era is consecrated to artistically-written accounts of all the new theatrical performances going on in the world1 and naturally to offers of employment and advertisements for engagements4 ,the most extraordinary fancies are allowed free play in the compilation and typographical arrangement of these advertisements4 ,it is a question of attracting notice at p#jjf any price4 ,a clever artist unhesitatingly pays for a whole column1 in which horizontally1 diagonally1 as a cross1 or an ,x1 he repeats his own name and acquirements three or four hundred times4 ,i quote the following specimens1 taken at random from the columns of the ,era3 ,a ,,young ,,man1 completely disarticulated1 wishes to enter into an engagement with a travelling troupe4 ,this artist can be described in the placards either as the india-rubber man or the serpent man4 ,he undertakes the monkey parts in pantomimes4 ,,miss ,,maggie ,,violette 7fixed bars7 is free from any engagement after ,christmas4 ,a ,,father offers to managers a young girl1 fourteen years old1 who has only one eye1 placed above the nose1 and one ear on the shoulder4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,new ,,york ,,mirror ,the ,era has an ,american rival also published in ,english1 ,the ,new ,york ,mirror4 ,this newspaper has only one advantage over the ,era3 it publishes portraits4 ,illustration3 ,,central-,,organ ,,der ,,circus ,,variet-,,und ,,specialitaten-,,buhnen ,,sowie ,,concert-,,etabblissements1- ,,der ,,schaustteller ,,und ,,reisenden ,,geschafte4 p#jjg ,illustration3 ,m4 ,c4 ,,krauss ,germany1 however1 possesses two newspapers for the banquistes3 one1 under a ,french title1 ,la ,revue2 the other1 which is far the most important1 is called ,der ,artist4 ,the complete sub-title is3 ,central-,organ zur ,vermittlung des ,verkehrs zwischen ,directoren und ,knstlern der ,circus1 ,varietebhnen1 reisenden ,theater und ,schaustellungen4 ,this paper is printed at ,dsseldorf2 ,m4 ,c4 ,krauss is the chief editor4 ,der ,artist has been established six years4 ,it looks like a weekly review of twenty leaves1 printed in three columns4 ,a woodcut1 which fills the frontispiece and all the left side of the first page1 represents various scenes from the circus p#jjh and theatres3 8shootists0 breaking bottles1 horses leaping over bars1 pretty equestrians on their highly-trained steeds1 tame lions1 dwarfs1 giants1 clowns1--all the attractions of the circus and fair4 ,here1 as in the ,era1 we find long alphabetical enumerations of travelling and stationary establishments and lists of addresses of artists engaged or disengaged4 ,these advertisements are nearly all compiled in an extraordinary gibberish1 which far surpasses the ingenuity of the 8sabir03 here is a specimen of them1 the first ,i met with4 ,it is a curious mixture of ,french1 ,english1 ,latin1 ,italian1 and ,german words3 ,,miss ,,adrienne ,,anciou1 la reine de l'air1 la plus grande quilibriste arienne de l'poque1--,nec plus ultra--senza ,rival1 frei ab ,august #ahhh1 #bh ,east #d4 ,str4 ,new ,york4 ,it is very remarkable that ,english and ,american puffing has quite disappeared here4 ,the earnestness and application of the ,german character are betrayed even in the typographical arrangement of this newspaper for acrobats4 ,it is as clearly and carefully printed as a catalogue of the ,leipzic libraries4 ,the biographical notices1 announcements of death1 column of accidents1 the ,varietebhnen are compiled with scrupulous care and exactitude4 ,this curious publication even finds space for literature1 and the last number of the ,artist published as a supplement ,damons ,walten1 a novel1 by ,otto von ,ellendorf4 ,it is easy to appreciate the services which these and similar newspapers are able to confer upon the banquistes4 ,illustration3 ,der ,artist1 #d4 ,decmber #ahhg4 8,to tell the truth10 one of the confraternity said to me one p#jaj day1 8in the whole world we have no other home but the little pigeon-hole of advertisements1 where those who know us go and ask for news of us1 where they learn the history of our engagements1 our successes1 our accidents1 our marriage1 the birth of our children1 or the tidings of our death40 ,between the artist who seeks for an engagement and the manager always on the look out for an extraordinary 8novelty10 a third person necessarily intervenes1 the middleman1 who arises everywhere between buyer and seller4 ,and1 in fact1 at the present time all the principal cities of the world have their agents for performing artists of every kind4 ,these personages are very important1 and make large profits4 ,those best known on the ,continent are ,messrs4 ,paravicini and ,warner1 of ,london2 ,hitzig and ,wulff1 of ,berlin2 ,wild1 of ,vienna2 ,rosinsky1 of ,paris2 ,nael ,salsbury1 of ,new ,york1 who1 during the ,exhibition of #ahhi1 has shown the ,parisians the savage life of the 8,wild ,west10 transported to ,paris in the persons of the celebrated ,buffalo-,bill and his ,indians4 ,the history of the ,rosinsky agency is worth narration1 for it is now so flourishing that it has replaced1 to the advantage of ,paris1 the engagement market which formerly existed in ,london4 ,you can imagine that a man would not open an agency of this kind without first passing through many vicissitudes1 and1 in fact1 ,r4 ,rosinsky has had a most checkered life4 ,he first acquired a taste for the profession through frequenting ,barnum's show in the ,united ,states4 ,he has been manager of several ,american troupes1 and proprietor of p#jaa a theatre1 alternately at ,st4 ,louis de ,missouri and ,new ,york4 ,his affairs prospered1 and1 with the aid of a partner1 ,rosinsky opened a circus1 which he intended to run during the whole time that the ,exhibition at ,cincinnati was open1 when an unforeseen accident ruined him4 ,illustration3 ,r4 ,,rosinsky4 ,one evening his partner's son1 a young man twenty-five years old1 but deaf and dumb1 almost a brute1 yet robust and dangerous1 attempted to force an entrance into the dressing-room of an equestrian1 who was just changing her dress after rehearsal4 ,a policeman was quickly sent for4 ,the deaf-mute drew a revolver from his pocket1 fired at the policeman1 and killed him on the spot4 ,the consequences of this murder may be easily guessed2 p#jab the circus was closed4 ,r4 ,rosinsky was ruined1 and he recommenced his wanderings4 ,illustration3 ,m4 ,,sari4 ,founder of the ,folies-,bergres4 ,a few months later the famous ,brigham ,young invited him to undertake the management of the ,theatre of the ,mormons4 ,i still have a copy of the newspaper--,the ,salt ,lake ,daily ,herald--in which is found dated 8,saturday morning1 ,may #bb1 #ahge10 an advertisement thus worded3 ,salt ,lake ,theatre ,r4 ,rosinsky ,manager ,,grand ,,matin,e ,,this ,,evening ,the ,wonderful ,,jackley ,,family4 ,acrobats and ,gymnasts4 ,engaged p#jac during the course of the same year by ,sari1 the founder of the ,folies ,bergres1 ,r4 ,rosinsky crossed the sea with the ,jackley ,family4 ,he was immediately struck by the small number of 8stars0 known in ,paris1 and1 in order to attract them1 he founded an agency for artists in #ahge4 ,his business has increased so rapidly that the ,rosinsky agency is now in communication with correspondents scattered through all the great cities of ,europe and the world4 ,one fact is enough to prove the extent of this business4 ,the annual postal expenses of the firm exceed #aj1jjj francs 7#djj74 ,an agent of this kind receives #aj per cent1 upon every engagement which he arranges4 ,to prevent any disputes in collecting this fee a clause is inserted in the agreements to the effect that the agent's percentage is to be deducted by the manager himself from the salary remitted to the artist at the end of the first month1 and these salaries are1 sometimes1 very considerable4 ,in order to compare the amount formerly paid to circus artists with the sums now received by them1 ,i have consulted an old manuscript from the archives of ,m4 ,franconi1 which bears the title of ,registre personnel du ,cirque1 and dates back for fifty years4 ,we find that in #ahch the equestrians ,auriol1 ,lalanne the elder1 ,lalanne 7,pierre71 ,lalanne 7,paul71 ,lalanne 7,joseph71 were paid1 the first-named #ejj francs 7#bj71 the others #bej francs per fortnight4 ,the star equestrian1 ,mdlle4 ,lucie ,linski1 then received #cjj francs1 her companions #ajj1 #ej1 and even #be francs per fortnight4 p#jae ,illustration3 ,m4 ,,victor ,,franconi4 ,illustration3 ,p4 ,t4 ,,barnum4 ,four years later1 in #ahdb1 ,auriol1 whose success evidently increased1 found his salary doubled4 ,he received #a1jjj francs per fortnight1 or #b1jjj francs per month1 and the equestrian1 ,mdlle4 ,lilianne1 #gjj francs4 ,now1 a good pad equestrian often receives #b1jjj francs per month2 a vaulting clown #a1ejj francs2 a family of acrobats #c1jjj or #d1jjj francs2 and a single artist1 whose performance is extraordinary and unusual1 receives from #gjj to #g1jjj francs4 ,even these prices have been surpassed at times4 ,dr4 ,carver1 the great 8shootist10 was paid #ae1jjj francs a month at the ,folies ,bergres4 ,lotard1 at his dbut1 signed engagements for six months1 and received #ajj1jjj francs4 ,the two brothers ,lockhart1 whom the ,rosinsky agency had sent to ,india as p#jaf clowns1 returned as elephant-trainers1 and now each of them1 with his beast1 earns about #gj1jjj francs per annum4 ,the enumeration of these sums tends1 ,i admit1 to only one object--to fill the public with respect1 and make it understand that a good acrobat is1 in his own line1 quite as exceptional a being as1 for instance1 ,m4 ,renan is in his4 ,i intentionally name the learned historian in preference to many other great intellects1 because1 in his wisdom1 he is certainly convinced that acrobatic feats are not less useful than exegesis in the recreation of mankind4 ,i was led a short time ago1 propos of the manager ,rosinsky1 to mention ,barnum--,p4 ,t4 ,barnum1 the legendary man whose name1 in every language spoken upon the surface of the globe1 serves as an amplified superlative to the positive impresario4 ,to write a book upon the banquistes and omit to celebrate ,barnum in it would be equivalent to erasing the venerated name of the ,prophet from a commentary on the ,koran4 ,let us1 therefore1 now recall the chief events in the biography of ,phineas ,taylor ,barnum4 ,the man who has converted the 8,american ,circus0 into a national institution of the ,new ,world was born in #ahaj in the village of ,bethel in ,connecticut4 ,he is1 therefore1 now in his eightieth year4 ,i refer those readers who may be curious about the details of this adventurous life to a book which ,p4 ,t4 ,barnum himself wrote for the edification of his admirers 7,the ,life of ,p4 ,t4 ,barnum3 ,new ,york1 #ahhe71 and also to another work1 which was published simultaneously in ,paris and ,new ,york in #ahfe1 under the title of ,les ,blagues de ,l',univers4 p#jag ,i pass over the exodus of the youthful ploughboy who quitted the farm to become the editor of a newspaper1 and will only dwell upon the patriarch1 who is ending his life in the village of ,bridgeport 7,conn47 with all the splendour of the setting sun4 ,there1 as far as eye can reach1 ,barnum's gaze rests upon his own property only4 ,to him belong the village1 farms1 and workshops1 the #a1bjj workmen1 who labour incessantly1 perfecting the materials of the circus1 which special trains convey through the ,american continent1 perpetually travelling from one ocean to the other4 ,illustration3 ,j4 ,a4 ,,bailly4 ,barnum's partner and son-in-law4 ,the law endeavoured to oppose the free passage of these trains over the public railroads4 ,barnum1 through economy1 at p#jah once proposed to construct new lines for his private use by the side of those already existing4 ,should the idea of visiting ,europe during the ,paris ,exhibition occur to him1 he would wish to acquire the ,great ,eastern to carry his apparatus1 men and animals4 ,the tent which covers his circus is alone worth #cj1jjj francs 7#a1bjj72 it is twice as large as the ,hippodrome in ,paris1 and can shelter #ae1jjj spectators4 ,in one day it can be erected1 a performance given1 and the journey renewed4 ,the daily receipts vary between #dj1jjj and #fj1jjj francs4 ,illustration3 ,,rowe ,,athol ,barnum's cashiers1 although installed in cars containing tills and writing-tables1 have no time to keep any books4 ,the daily receipts are forwarded uncounted to ,bridgeport in sealed barrels1 which are really measures of capacity for gold1 silver1 and copper coin4 ,the accounts are all kept at ,bridgeport4 p#jai ,a crowd of parasites follows ,barnum on his travels and dwells round his tent4 ,a town springs up in a few hours2 people throng to it from fifty miles round4 ,but then the arrival of the impresario king has been preceded for some months by immense descriptive placards posted in the localities through which his troupe would pass4 ,illustration3 ,the ,phoi,fes ,one anecdote taken from a thousand is a good example of the advantages which ,barnum has derived from advertisements4 ,some years ago a negro1 having obtained a reward as a violinist at the ,paris ,conservatoire of ,music1 ,barnum concluded an engagement with him by telegram for one year at a salary of #dj1jjj dollars4 ,the walls of ,new ,york were p#jbj then immediately covered with placards depicting a negro playing the violin1 but without any descriptive words attached to the picture4 ,his virtuoso arrived1 and ,barnum hastened to produce him4 ,the ,yankees came1 listened1 applauded1 but did not send their friends4 ,what could ,barnum do to rouse their dormant curiosity8 ,he told his workmen to paste the figure of the negro upside down4 ,this ingenious device was crowned with success4 ,perhaps the audience who flocked to hear him during three consecutive years fancied that a negro would be exhibited to them--a laureate from the ,paris ,conservatoire1 who would play the violin whilst balanced on his head4 ,whatever their idea may have been1 they went in millions2 and this anecdote is not less characteristic of the peculiar stamp of ,american curiosity than of ,barnum's genius for puffing4 ,it is also an interesting proof of the share which advertisements play in the success of an entertainment4 ,the artist world has learnt to appreciate the extraordinary effect of these coloured placards1 and willingly spends a large sum of money in procuring the most effective designs2 and these advertisements--of which ,i have reproduced a few of the most typical--are so varied and so brilliant that they might fairly dazzle collectors4 ,the finest are issued by the firms of ,david ,allen and ,sons of ,belfast1 ,mr4 ,barlow of ,glasgow1 ,adolphe ,friedlander of ,hamburg1 and ,charles and ,emile ,levy of ,paris4 ,this is the general outline of the organization3 of the banquistes1 who travel round the world without a country and without home ties4 p#jba ,illustration3 ,,champs ,,elys,,es ,,cirque ,d',t ,,tous ,,les ,,soirs p#jbb ,i must now speak of a less adventurous mountebank--the ,frenchman1 who never willingly travels either by railroad or steamer1 and who for centuries--for generations--has contentedly jogged along in a caravan from one fair to another1 making in this way his eternal tour of ,france4 ,illustration3 ,mr4 ,e4 ,,ellevantiemie ,,equilibrist ,the origin of all these troupes of mountebanks1 of every p#jbc one of these travelling shows1 is lost in the mist of ages4 ,at what epoch were founded the ,thtre ,vivien1 the ,thtre de ,saint-,antoine1 the theatres of the ,enfer and of the ,physicien ,delisle8 ,in what century did ,mouza-ba-baloued first turn his prophetic wheel under the awning of his caravan8 ,i assure you that it is beyond the recollections of grandchildren or of their grandfathers4 ,at all events1 it is certain that from our birth we feel some curiosity mingled with a delicious dread of the mountebank1 the picturesque wanderer1 who passes our home at the same date in every year--like the migratory birds--who disappears one morning1 without any one knowing where he has gone1 or even with any certainty where he has come from2 an ambiguous individual whom travellers on the high road pass as evening falls1 encamped on the wayside1 his kettle installed on a heap of stones1 his thin steed munching the dusty grass1 his half naked children wandering round the caravan1 whilst the light shining through the little red curtains in the window throws the semblance of a plash of blood on the road4 ,illustration3 ,,le ,,voyageur ,,forain ,du #ae au #bi ,fvrier #ahhh ,organe de la ,chambre ,syndicale des ,voyageurs ,forains ,this is the rear-guard1 the voluntary laggard1 the hermit1 who wishes to remain alone until the end4 ,he has not changed any of the customs of his ancestors1 preferring to p#jbd separate from his comrades rather than conform to new ways4 ,his comrades have therefore renounced him4 ,they will not drag such miscreants in their rear1 now that they form a corporation with charters and statutes publicly decreed4 ,illustration3 ,l',,union ,,mutuelle ,dimanche #ab ,fvrier #ahhc ,organe ,officiel de tous les ,industriels et ,artistes ,forains ,,paraissant ,,le ,,dimanche ,at the present moment the showmen's world1 like all other societies composed of rich and poor1 is divided into two great disputing parties4 ,each of these divisions has its own newspaper1 its representatives1 the managers of its interests1 its public opposition meetings4 ,on one side you will find a group of all the important men in the profession1 the proprietors of large establishments--who have serious interests to defend4 ,these gentlemen are the anxious guardians of wealth1 amassed with much trouble and labour4 ,the authorities1 who wish for the success of the 8local fairs10 show special favour to these influential banquistes in the allotment of space4 ,from this undue preference1 extraordinary hatred1 savage jealousy1 result on the part of the smaller folk1 whose sole fortune consists of one van1 the sellers of gaufres and fried potatoes1 the owners of swings and rifle saloons1 lotteries1 shows1 and halls of mystery4 ,the less important men were the first to organize p#jbe themselves4 ,this is already the sixth year of publication of the ,voyageur ,forain1#b the organ of the syndical chamber of forain travellers1 a fortnightly newspaper1 published on the #ast and #aeth of each month4 ,a notice1 always placed above the leading article1 informs the readers that 8the syndical chamber of forain travellers admits into its ranks all those1 whether rich or poor1 who honourably earn their livelihood by instructing or amusing the public1 or by retail trade40 ,illustration3 ,m4 ,,houcke4 ,manager of the ,hippodrome4 ,the office of this picturesque newspaper is situated in the p#jbf ,boulevard ,henri ,,iv41 at the end of a courtyard1 above a stable4 ,there ,i found an extraordinary ,bohemian smoking a short pipe1 lengthened by a quill1 who in himself formed the whole editorial staff of the ,voyageur ,forain4 ,this man of letters edits the notices of the ,fairs1 the ,correspondence1 and all the technical part of the newspaper4 ,the rest of the number is composed of articles by the members of the syndical council4 ,they consist chiefly of diatribes1 directed against the party of 8bourgeois10 who form a separate band1 written in forcible language1 which renders them most amusing to any one interested in ,french slang4 ,the 8bourgeois10 whose names ,i find at the head of the first number of the newspaper of the ,union mutuelle1 dated ,may #h1 #ahhg1 were1 at the time when the society was instituted3 ,president3 ,m4 ,franois ,bidel1 manager-proprietor of a large zoological establishment1 ,chevalier de la ,valeur civile ,italienne4 ,vice-presidents3 ,m4 ,j4 ,b4 ,revest1 manufacturer1 part-proprietor3 boats 7sea on land72 ,m4 ,ferdinand ,corvi1 proprietor and manager of a 7miniature7 circus4 ,i will skip the treasurers and directors1 and quote part of the address given to the subscribers to the ,union mutuelle in the programme number3 ,in ,france1 men have fallen into the habit of regarding the forain as a being apart1 at the outside worthy of pity4 ,however1 if we consult our memoirs we shall find that in all ages and in every place great appreciation has been shown for the high moral qualities of this population1 which1 it is true1 leads a peculiar existence1 but one which is very honest and perfectly honourable4 ,are not these men clever1 who group as by magic whole cities within the city itself--cities of pleasure1 filled with attractions of every kind1 which the p#jbg public hasten to applaud and admire8 ,are they not men of progress1 these showmen1 whose every trick is copied and appropriated in our great administrations8 ,in a word1 are they not the pioneers of civilization and comfort8 ,then why do they appear forsaken8 ,because they exist only as individuals2 because they considered it impossible to obtain cohesion amongst themselves2 because1 in short1 they regarded the creation of a great association as impracticable4 ,the generous assistance of ,m4 ,bidel has proved adequate to lead this important phalange4 ,resolutely placing himself at the head of his profession1 he said3 8,union is possible2 let us unite60 ,now1 the ,union mutuelle1 which was only founded on the #bith ,april1 #ahhg1 is settled in fine offices in the ,rue de ,chteaudun4 ,the association is rich4 ,its members have the right to apply to the superannuation fund at the age of fifty if they have belonged to it for ten years4 ,m4 ,bidel looks forward to the day when1 in order to invest their funds1 these restless wanderers over the highways of the world will buy some 8house property0 in ,paris4 ,the ,union mutuelle will have tenants of its own4 ,the showmen will be estate owners in ,paris4 ,and this hope1 which will be realized in a short time1 gives the greatest delight to ,m4 ,bidel and his colleagues1 particularly when they recall the modest origin of the association1 the meetings held at the ,gobelins1 in the menagerie even1 where the voices of the orators were drowned at intervals by the roaring of the wild beasts4 ,every month the ,union mutuelle holds a plenary meeting1 at which the managers submit their accounts to the members4 ,every ,wednesday the managing committee meets to settle the business of the week4 ,illustration3 ,,chadwick4 ,the correspondence is voluminous4 ,every provincial member of the society who has had to apply to a local p#jbh mayor for a license1 or to obtain justice1 addresses himself to the managing committee to solicit its support1 and in this way the showman commands the satisfaction of his claim1 which might otherwise have been refused4 ,the interest which the ,union mutuelle takes in his affairs is the highest recommendation he can have2 for it is well known that no one can belong to the society unless his judicial record is perfectly clear4 ,one may learn many curious things by reading the ,voyageur forain and the ,union mutuelle4 ,no one suspects1 for instance1 that the order of the fairs is p#jbi organized in an almost unvarying routine1 that has existed for many centuries1 and that it is arranged so as to diminish as much as possible the expenses of travelling for the showmen4 ,in each number of the newspaper you will find the following intelligence--,indicateur des ,foires du ,mois 7,guide to the ,fairs held this ,month74 ,then follows an alphabetical list of the departments1 with all the items of useful information quoted in this way3-- ,ain4--#a day3 the #bnd1 ,trvouz1 pop4 #b1fce2 the #gth1 ,marboz1 pop4 #b1eef2 the #acth1 ,bag-le-,chtel1 pop4 #gbg2 the #ahth1 ,montreval1 pop4 #a1dge4 #b days3 the #bbnd1 ,lagnieu4 ,another department1 the ,review of ,fairs and ,ftes1 gives exact information to the subscribers of the paper respecting the chances of a good sale1 and the disadvantages of a useless removal4 ,the following account of the fair at ,sigean is a specimen of these articles3-- 8,,the ,,fair ,,at ,,sigean 7,november #fth74 8,a small town1 #ba kilomtres from ,narbonne by road 7a railway to ,la ,nouvelle1 #d kilometres74 ,business has been extremely bad here1 owing to the unlucky weather and the total ruin of the country4 ,a few years ago this was one of the most popular fairs amongst showmen1 for the inhabitants are fond of amusement and most sympathetic towards strangers4 ,space is exceedingly dear1 the price being fixed by the municipality at #be centimes the square mtre per diem4 ,it is true that some reductions are granted on this price1 but it is still much too high4 8,the following establishments were present3 ,m4 ,btriou1 ,museum of ,progress1 and ,m4 ,bracco1 theatre of performing seals1 ,place de la ,mairie4 ,in the ,rue de ,perpignan2 ,lematre1 mechanical museum2 two rifle-saloons2 ,cloffulia1 decapitation2 ,mercadier1 roundabout2 a bear-fight2 ,gras ,chognon1 panorama2 lottery bazaars1 massacres1 and above all1 gambling booths1 which enjoy great liberty here1 if they can pay well4 ,we saw one roulette-table which paid #bjj frs4 for two days1 and others in the cafs which paid the p#jcj landlord #djj frs4 for a single table4 ,this is to be regretted--for such toleration to gambling is the ruin of all good and honest showmen40 ,illustration3 #bea1 ,rue ,saint-,honor1 #bea ,,nouveau ,,cirque ,these papers also contain carefully edited accounts of foreign fairs1 such as the following letter sent to the ,voyageur forain from ,karkhoff 7,russia73-- 8,those of our comrades who do not suffer from cold in the eyes1 and are not afraid of being frozen1 could try their luck at ,karkhoff1 where it is only #ag degrees below zero1 with #gj centimtres of snow2 our friend and correspondent gives us some interesting details about the customs of the showmen and people in ,russia3 thus in most of the cities it is not unusual to see several shows installed in one booth2 for instance1 a complete museum of anatomical figures and groups1 a panorama1 monkeys1 crocodiles1 giants1 dwarfs1 and armless women1 all shown for #bj kopecks1 or fivepence1 children and soldiers half-price2 no allusion is made to the nurses1 or to the treating propensities of ,russian soldiers in love4 8,these booths remain in the same town for two or three months at a time2 this year an exhibition was held at ,karkhoff1 which preceded the fair1 and lasted a fortnight2 it consisted of a large museum1 a glass-spinner1 a large circus1 a fine menagerie1 a monkey theatre1 and an aquarium1 besides the town p#jca theatre2 and all these entertainments were established in a city which only contains #bj1jjj inhabitants1 that is to say1 there were too many attractions for so few people1 and no one made any profits2 the lower classes are not worth counting1 they devote themselves to the consumption of brandy which brutalizes them2 and only the nobility1 the middle classes and the ,jews1 who are rather bad than good1 can be relied upon4 ,it is impossible to open anything before noon on ,sundays or ,thursdays and1 we might add1 that the ,russian public is utterly blas1 for it has seen nearly every variety of attraction4 ,still1 it is very fond of marionettes1 and the owner of a puppet-theatre1 willing to risk a journey in this country1 would soon make his fortune2 rents are very dear but living is cheap1 with the exception of wine40 ,illustration3 ,,nouveau ,,cirque ,tous les ,soirs a #h ,,matinees ,jeudis et ,dimanches a #b ,the third page of both the ,union mutuelle and the ,voyageur forain is filled with advertisements4 ,as usual1 these columns are particularly amusing4 ,i need scarcely explain that the following cuttings have been made almost at hazard1 and that ,i have not altered one word of them3-- p#jcb ,,unrivalled ,,opportunity4 ,,for ,,sale 7on account of family arrangements7 a ,,large ,,theatre ,,of ,,performing ,,monkeys ,,and ,,learned ,,dogs1 ,,with ,a ,,miniature ,,circus1 consisting of a ,,perfectly ,,new ,,tent1 #bh ,m,,tres ,,by #aa ,m4 #dj ,c42 ,,chairs ,,and ,,benches ,,for #hjj ,,people1 provided with carpets of good quality1 the interior well lined with very good carpets1 the ceiling of good canvas1 the scenery oil-painted and richly decorated2 for the outside there is a pretty frontage with a show gallery1 ornamented with pictures4 ,the whole has only been in use for one year1 and has been well taken care of2 in short1 it is all new4--#e ,,vans 7or without vans71 #a caravan1 #a van for monkeys1 also contains a kitchen2 #a waggon carrying #aj1jjj kilog41 #a car carrying #ae1jjj kilog41 #a van for elephants1 horses1 goats1 sheep1 dogs1 and other animals4--#a ,,elephant 7usual tricks7 rides on a velocipede1 is worth #ae1jjj frs42 #f ,,well-,,trained ,,dwarf-,,ponies2 #d ,,sheep 7a performance never yet shown72 #ae ,,monkeys and #ab ,,dogs1 equally well trained4--,all these animals are trained and guaranteed1 and the purchaser can be taught how to make them perform in a fortnight4--,the proprietor of this important establishment is engaged for the winter season in ,vienna 7,austria74--,orpheum4 ,the whole will be sold for #dj1jjj frs4 p#jcc ,illustration3 ,m4 ,,mengal4 ,on the manufacturers' side3-- ,,for ,,sale ,,an ,,establishment ,,for ,,fried ,,potatoes1 entirely new2 glass frontage1 #h mtres2 depth1 #f mtres2 #h boxes1 with a beautiful ,belgian stove with #d frying-holes2 #d saucepans2 a cutting machine2 gaufre irons2 fritter moulds2 beer till1 c41 c4 ,the booth is all in panels1 with planks1 waggon1 caravan1 and a second caravan #e mtres long1 containing two rooms2 advantageous terms1 with or without carriages4 ,address to the office of this newspaper4 ,,for ,,sale a ,sweetmeat ,business1 founded in #ahdh1 well known on the road1 possessing an excellent connection4 ,price #ab1jjj frs41 #aj1jjj to be paid1 and easy terms for the remainder4 ,business3 #ce1jjj frs4 per annum4 #aef-cijf4 ,subjects for tamers3 ,,for ,,sale a very large ,lioness from the ,atlas1 #d years old1 works well and is very gentle2 ,lioness1 of the same race1 #bj months old1 very gentle2 ,leopard1 ,panther1 ,ocelot1 ,white ,bears from ,canada1 ,russia1 and ,malay2 large ,african ,monkeys1 ,baboon1 ,red-backed ,pavion1 ,monk1 ,pelicans for shows4 ,moderate prices4 ,lastly in the series of monstrosities3-- ,,for ,,sale ,,on ,,account ,,of ,,health1 magnificent opportunity1 a superb phenomena of remarkable beauty1 elegant1 clean1 very gentle1 at liberty1 admired by the whole world4 ,the booth is also very elegant4 ,the whole to be sold on advantageous terms4 #hg-cbij4 ,the fourth page is filled with advertisements of manufactures--of barrel organs1 petroleum lamps1 awnings1 roundabouts1 decorated capitals for riding schools and booths2 of glass and china1 ,chinese umbrellas1 and waterproof canvas2 of skies1 curtains1 harness1 nose-bags1 hobby-horses1 mermaids1 cars1 biscuits1 gaufres1 sugar-sticks1 sweetmeats3 of everything that makes a noise1 shines or sparkles2 that swings or turns2 that can be eaten or produces a great effect4 ,and as usual these advertisements amuse us1 for we outsiders cannot bring ourselves to look upon those industries which tend p#jcd only to procure objects of amusement for us1 in any serious light4 ,illustration3 ,,agoust4 ,manager of the ,nouveau ,cirque4 ,most of these articles are manufactured in ,germany4 ,the oldest manufactory of roundabouts of wooden horses is in ,moblitz in ,saxe-,weimar1 another is in ,thuringia4 ,still1 there are a few ,french manufacturers in the field1 and their productions1 although a little dearer than the ,german ones1 are much appreciated by showmen1 for the good taste which distinguishes them4 ,m4 ,d------1 de ,vic ,bigorre1 7,hautes ,pyrnes17 a celebrated curtain and scene-painter1 is one of these artists4 ,the following notice is added to all his advertisements-- 8,,note4--,himself a child of the fair1 ,m4 ,d------ is well acquainted with the necessities and style of picture required by each individual1 and by this title1 he recommends his work to all the children of the banque40 p#jce ,another is a specialist for the vans used for carrying plant1 dentists' cars1 breaks for driving parties1 caravans1 c4 ,i saw one of these model caravans at the ,fair du ,trne2 it contained dining and drawing-rooms1 a bedroom and servant's room4 ,through the open window of the drawing-room1 ,i heard the refrain of one of ,mtra's waltzes4 ,i went nearer and saw that the musician was a charming young girl1 wearing a plush dressing-gown1 conscientiously practising the piano4 ,i leave you with this vision of middle-class prosperity4 ,i hope it will correct1 as far as may be1 the very false ideas which hitherto you may have cherished about banquistes and their wandering lives4 ,illustration3 ,m4 ,,nael ,,salsbury4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,grande banque is a general term for large shows and theatres in a fair4 ,petite banque is used for small shows1 such as 8fatma10 giants1 c4 ,banquistes includes all persons showing or performing on a fair ground1 circus1 or variety entertainment4 ,i am indebted to ,mr4 ,john ,holden1 the owner of the popular ,palais des ,fantocche1 for these definitions3 there do not appear to be any equivalent words in ,english slang4--,,note ,,by ,,the ,,translator4 #b ,forain is the cant word used for all merchants with their wares who sell in fairs1 but it is also applied generally to all owners of travelling shows and amusements4 ,see ,chapter ,,ii41 page #cg4 ,illustration p#jcg ,illustration ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,fair4 ,fashion1 which regulates our amusements1 has decreed for some years past1 that when at ,easter time we direct our steps to the ,fair du ,trne1 our little excursion is quite 8the correct thing40 ,the faubourgs and suburbs no longer enjoy the monopoly of the fun collected at the foot of the two columns1 the caps of the swells from ,vincennes1 and the hair-nets of the ,cytherean bataillon from ,montreuil-sous-,bois are no longer the sole head-dresses visible4 ,the ,gingerbread ,fair has its reserved days like the ,opera and the ,comdie1 and on ,tuesdays and ,fridays the largest profits p#jch are made4 ,really1 if you strolled in that direction about five o'clock on one of these select afternoons1 you would be surprised to see the long line of carriages standing in the ,faubourg ,saint-,antoine and the ,boulevard ,voltaire4 ,for every three cabs1 in which a party of students are enjoying themselves in somewhat noisy fashion with their little companions1 you will find one gentleman's carriage with servants in livery1 or1 at least1 a hired victoria occupied by women in over-smart dresses1 who are making their annual excursion to the fair1 accompanied by the 8mashers0 of the year4 ,it is curious to watch these society people when they visit this populous district which they have never seen except through the windows of mourning carriages on the road to ,pre la ,chaise1 or on the eve of a capital execution1 lighted by the windows of the small taverns in a cruel bustle of festivity4 ,secretly1 they feel a little uneasy4 ,the too demonstrative enjoyment1 the cries1 shouts and songs1 the incessant rattle from the rifle saloons1 the explosion of fireworks1 the pushing crowd struggling round the stages of the various booths1 from which the showman harangues the crowd1 recall1 in spite of themselves1 memories of civil war and the barricades1 and produce a gentle shiver--that shiver which steals down the spine in front of a wild beast cage1 if the thought occurs to one that the iron bars might give way1 and the lion in his fury be free to rush upon the spectators 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,but in itself1 this secret1 indefinable misgiving is rather pleasant1 and it is certain that this semi-dread forms half the pleasure which many pretty women feel in venturing amongst the crowd and exposing themselves to a somewhat rough hustling from the people4 ,illustration ,however1 when we emerge from the shadows of the p#jci boulevard and faubourg into the brilliantly lighted square1 timid hearts regain courage1 and we at once catch the infection of the gaiety surrounding us4 ,every one is come for amusement and intends to get it4 ,we see all the p#jdj monstrosities1 all the beautiful ,circassians1 consult all the somnambulists1 and visit all the booths1 make excursions in the switchback railway and take the traditional turn on the roundabouts1 filling up the intervals by breaking pipes1 slaughtering marionettes with balls1 and throwing the hammer at the ,turk's head4 ,and then the late drive back to dinner in the cool evening air1 the slow recovery from the effects of so much laughter as we roll towards the ,boulevards1 with paper roses in our button-holes1 the carriage filled with gingerbread from ,rheims1 comic figures1 symbolic animals1 and effigies of ,saint ,remo with mitre and crosier1 which resemble primitive bas-reliefs in old oak torn from the stalls of a church choir4 ,i also make an annual visit to the ,gingerbread fair1 but not as a lounger who follows wherever the crowd leads him4 ,i am accompanied to the ,champ du ,trne by the best of guides1 one of the most brilliant correspondents of the ,voyageur forain to which ,i referred just now--,m4 ,philippe1 the editor of the ,tir de la ,republique4 ,m4 ,philippe was formerly a sailor2 and has retained from his sojourn on the men-of-war the naval cut of his beard1 and the cap which he wore during the expedition which he made to the ,north1 when he saluted the ,pole in the neighbourhood of the ,behring ,sea4 ,this retired sailor is a very intelligent man1 of a stamp which only flourishes in the atmosphere of ,paris2 a gunsmith by profession1 the vicissitudes of existence and a taste for adventure have made him1 as a last expedient1 a showman's journalist4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,show4 ,to ensure this excursion passing off with due success1 it is always preceded by a short conference held between two glasses of beer1 in which1 elbows on table1 my guide gravely p#jda reminds me1 that ,i must be careful to remember the distinction that exists between the forain and the banquiste1 the grande and the petite banques4 ,illustration ,a forain is technically a merchant1 or the owner of a game4 ,the sweetmeat-maker who1 surrounded by a circle of admiring children1 rolls serpentine rings of paste round a flexible wand laden with little bells is a forain1 so is the fritter merchant2 the same term describes the rich agent of the manufacturers of ,rheims and ,dijon1 who travel round the world carrying with them the best brands of gingerbread4 ,the celebrated ,m4 ,exaltier1 the director of the ,american ,galleries1 is also a forain2 by the ingenuity of his inventions he has revived the public interest in panoramas4 ,the same term describes the clever ,m4 ,chable1 the manufacturer of the finest hygienic horses that have ever been p#jdb seen1 splendid animals made of varnished poplar wood1 stout as a ,flemish mare1 which cost him two hundred francs each4 8,they were dearer than if they were alive10 cheerfully repeats ,m4 ,chable1 caressing his steeds1 8but ,i save it in the food40 ,the post-master of hygienic horses is an important personage in the forain world1 and so is also the proprietor of the 8,crystal ,palace10 the most luxurious roundabout of hobby-horses at present in the ,fair du ,trne or anywhere else4 ,his tent contains no less than two organs2 one of them cost him #e1jjj fr41 the other #ab1jjj fr4 ,his daily expenses amount to eighty francs for his establishment2 but a fine ,sunday doubles his receipts in a marvellous way1 and the 8,crystal ,palace10 when all the three sous a ride have been counted up1 often makes a thousand francs in one day4 ,all the keepers of billiard-tables1 the owners of wheels of fortune or lotteries1 are forains4 ,a complete and most curious book might be written on the fraudulent games of chance which swarm in a fair1 in spite of the vigilance of the police4 ,i shall write one some day when ,m4 ,carrabilliat1 one of the most intelligent and most respected members of the syndicate1 has completed my education4 ,to begin with1 he explained to me the mechanism of his race game1 an amusement which1 although forbidden for a time1 is now permitted in the fair since the owners have proved the impossibility of tampering with the small horses or of preventing the slight bars upon which they move from turning freely round the course4 ,the good-natured public more than suspects some tricks4 ,it knows by experience that the rabbit is never won at the first shot1 and that no one within p#jdc the memory of man has ever carried off the clock with its glass shade4 ,this fact does not prevent it from paying its pennies to the owner of the wheel of fortune1 or check its eager competition with chance as a partner1 for the possession of a little glass chandelier4 ,here1 as at ,monaco1 you will find the gambler who gets excited and ruins himself--alas6 the poor fellow loses all self-restraint if the bystanders gather round him1 watching and discussing his luck6 ,illustration p#jdd ,i1 who know all the secrets of the fair1 would charitably whisper to the imprudent gambler that there are always some accomplices in cant--8stallsmen0--amongst the lookers-on4 ,these individuals are particularly addicted to loitering near the rifle saloons1 and the games which require strength and skill4 ,they it is who whisper at your back-- 8,well shouldered6 a little too low6 ,what a pity6 ,it would have broken the egg4 ,stop1 ,arthur1 perhaps the gentleman will try again40 ,the 8gentleman0 feels flattered1 takes some silver from his pocket1 and with an innocent air the proprietor of the saloon pours twelve caps into his hand4 ,the rifle-shooting1 the hammers1 and the rings are all manly sports4 ,ladies prefer the hobby-horses and the swinging-boats4 ,you know what perfection has been attained in this last amusement for the gratification of those who1 like ,hippocrates1 believe in the utility of spring remedies4 ,they clear the system4 ,from this point of view the new swinging-boats are serious rivals to all quack medicines4 ,those who have not travelled round the world can enjoy in these cars all the spasms of sea-sickness and every variety of giddiness4 ,in these respects the old system gave full satisfaction to many worthy people2 but it appears that1 compared with the new fashion1 like the apparatus in the ,rue ,basse du ,rempart1 the old swings were mere child's play4 ,some travellers descend from this invention in much the same state as the wolf which ,baron ,munchausen turned inside out like a glove6 ,where will progress stop8 ,but progress is very inconsiderate when it attempts to substitute velocipedes and wild beasts for the old hobby-horses4 ,have p#jde the inventors of these machines never spent one quarter of an hour in front of the old roundabouts8 ,have they never noticed the defiant1 haughty glance which the young shopmen and little milliners throw at you as they pass in the course of their revolutions8 ,illustration ,those people are in a dream4 ,for one whole minute they p#jdf imagine themselves in a higher sphere1 riding in couples through the woods4 ,intoxicated by the revolving motion which1 through the necessary bend of the body nails them to the saddle1 they feel like accomplished riders1 incomparable horsewomen4 ,watch them there1 ye pioneers of a mistaken progress1 who have not taken the instincts of the heart into your calculation and cannot1 therefore1 understand the philosophy of hobby-horses6 ,a little attention will yet avert the failure which threatens your riding-schools of velocipedes and carnivorous animals4 ,illustration ,but these are all noisy amusements which the society people avoid4 ,do you remember1 my dear friend1 the drive we took outside the shows and bands1 one fine ,easter-,tuesday1 brilliant with sunshine8 ,you dared not leave your brougham1 p#jdg you were so alarmed at the hoarse roar of the crowd1 the explosion of crackers1 the shrieks of the women in the swings4 ,still you had one great desire that you would not own to me1 half dreading a reproof1 a wish evoked by a most appetizing odour which made your nostrils dilate4 8,i am sure you are longing for some fried potatoes10 ,i cried triumphantly at last4 ,ah6 who would ever forget the glance with which your eyes rewarded me for guessing your fancy6 ,illustration ,and1 much to the disdain of your ,english coachman and footman1 both sitting so correctly on the box1 ,i fetched you some beautiful hot potatoes nicely powdered with salt4 ,and in your satin-lined coup1 touching them daintily with the ends of your lavender-gloved fingers1 one by one1 you ate them1 seasoned with merry laughter4 8,oh1 ,time1 arrest thy flight60 4 4 4 4 4 ,five o'clock struck3 it was the last effort of the fair before p#jdh the neighbourhood commenced the evening meal4 ,the clowns joked and shouted louder than usual2 the rattles1 gongs1 pipes1 drums1 speaking-trumpets1 barrel-organs1 and whistles of the steam-engines all sounded together in a final tremendous discord4 ,through the clamour1 the crowd1 eddying like a stream1 ascended the ,avenue de ,vincennes1 going towards the columns erected on the spot where the fire took place4 ,between them1 the disk of the setting sun was shining like the ,pyx upon an altar4 ,and as it suddenly disappeared behind the hill1 a cry rose in the air1 stifled1 agonizing1 which threw you trembling upon my shoulder--a cry which pierced above all the clamour of machinery and men--the captive lion's farewell to the darkened sun6 ,it is a great mistake to imagine that all fairs are alike4 ,each of them1 although composed of the same booths1 assumes such a different character from the locality where it is installed and the people who frequent it1 that any one interested in such matters1 like myself1 could easily make a bet1 that carried blindfolded into the midst of any local festival1 when his eyes were uncovered1 he could at the first glance distinguish which fair was being celebrated4 ,and he could tell1 simply through seeing the visitors1 who thronged it1 and by inspecting the stalls4 ,look1 for instance1 at the old fair held at ,versailles1 the fair of ,saint ,louis1 which1 annually1 in the heart of ,august1 placards on the doors of the railway stations1 between the lists of circular excursions and the advertisements of summer pleasures1 long descriptions of its attractions3 water-jousts1 fanfares of horns sounded through the alleys of the park1 display of fountains in the ,neptune basin1 shows accompanied p#jdi by big drums1 the music of the roundabouts1 the gaiety of the little booths1 side by side with the great empty palace4 ,is it through the immense width of the alleys that the noise of the bands seems scattered and lost8 ,or can it be a secret dread of disturbing the king's slumbers1 which still haunts all these small folk1 and causes them to subdue the rough music of their orchestras8 ,illustration ,surrounded by barriers1 this agglomeration of diminutive white shops resembles a flock of timid sheep huddling close together1 not venturing to ring their bells too loudly through fear of the wolf4 ,here1 too1 are stalls of rosaries1 holy-water vases1 and crucifixes1 recalling the sacred origin of the fair4 ,illustration ,no doubt you will recognize the same faces that you have p#jej seen everywhere else2 the same brightly painted caravans1 with small muslin curtains in the windows2 the same gaufre-seller1 mixing the same paste1 in the same moulds1 with the same gesticulations2 and lastly the same horrible trumpery1 utterly devoid of any originality3 blue-eyed dolls1 miniature ,zouaves1 sixpenny knives1 imitation tortoise-shell frames1 rabbits playing the drum1 reed pipes1 and brass trumpets4 ,no one knows why workmen are so entirely bereft of imagination or self-respect as to persevere in the manufacture of these inferior toys for at least a hundred years2 yet these 8fairings0 travel all over the world4 ,you will find them in ,algiers as soon as you land2 on the threshold of ,asia1 at ,constantinople1 shops full of this rubbish are installed side by side with bazaars for ,turkish carpets2 the ships which bring from ,japan the delicious knicknacks which fill our houses1 p#jea return to the far ,east laden with cargoes of plush frames and rabbits playing drums4 ,but the idiosyncrasy which distinguishes ,versailles and its neighbourhood1 the chosen retreat of literary men and elderly magistrates1 is the presence of the dealer in old books who annually attends this fair4 ,from a little distance the reddish-brown covers of his wares resemble gingerbread paving-stones4 ,men in spectacles bend lovingly over the stall1 the scent of mouldy leather gently tickling their nostrils4 ,and every year there is one stall at which a woman sells false hair by the pound4 ,hanging round like horses' tails1 side by side1 these poor tresses1 collected from the gutter and the hospital1 produce a tragic effect4 ,one anxiously wonders where all these dull-looking plaits come from2 who will wear them next8 ,one day ,i lingered about for some time1 waiting to see if a customer would appear4 ,at last a woman drew near4--,ageless1 in mourning1 basket in hand1 unclassable2 yet evidently not a happy woman4 ,at first she dared not pause1 then she regained courage4 8,how much is that80 8,five francs40 ,she hesitated for a moment4 8,it is too fair for me4 ,can you see what ,i want80 ,and she raised her veil from her face4 ,at length she passed on without buying4 ,there was nothing grey enough for her4 ,the fair at ,versailles is a provincial fair1 a fair patronized by grandfathers and grandchildren1 nursemaids and soldiers4 ,the typical ,parisian fair1 the chic fair1 is held at ,neuilly4 ,in ,april1 when the ,avenue de ,vincennes1 the ,boulevard p#jeb ,voltaire1 and the ,faubourg ,saint ,antoine are decorated with rows of white stalls1 the cold winter wind still sweeps over the earth1 rushes through the wide streets1 carrying with it clouds of dust1 blusters through the fair1 filling the canvas of the booths like sails on the sea1 powdering the gingerbread stalls as it passes2 then in rough leaps1 as though driven by a whip1 forms dusty columns in the air1 and rising several feet above the ground triumphantly waves the flags above the booths and roundabouts4 ,illustration ,it makes the evenings too chilly for sauntering about1 hands in pocket1 under the illuminations produced by the waving p#jec lanterns and the flickering gaslights6 one feels too cold to care for amusement or refreshments4 ,and therefore when after dinner the frequenters of the cafs on the boulevards hail the club coups1 they never dream1 as the door is closed on the still wintry toilettes of their companions1 of saying to the coachman1 8,to the ,fair du ,trne40 ,illustration ,they turn to the concerts and the circus4 ,there is too much chilly darkness1 too long a drive through the deserted boulevards1 between the dinner and the suburban fte4 ,the exhilaration produced by champagne and laughter would die on the way4 ,neuilly is the evening fair4 ,it opens in the heart of summer1 p#jed in the full tide of that excessive heat which renders the drawing-room and theatre equally unbearable to those ,parisians who wait for the month of ,august before they go to the sea1 and who live in tea-gowns1 fan in hand1 sipping ices and lemons1 behind their closed ,venetian shutters4 ,like passengers in the tropics1 who watch for the setting sun before they go on deck1 these pretty women reclining in their bamboo chairs1 impatiently follow the course of the clock-hands1 so slowly travelling towards five o'clock4 ,at that hour they get up1 and in the semi-light of the dressing-room1 with lowered blinds and wide-open windows1 they leisurely array themselves in fresh and scented toilettes4 ,they are going to dine in the open air1 on the terrace of some restaurant in the ,bois4 ,capes and mantles are too heavy during this month1 and a young woman can go out without any wrap hiding her charming dress2 she only carries a small shawl and one of those parasols1 which1 itself brilliant as a flower1 enhances the effect of the whole toilette and1 whilst intercepting the sun's rays1 throws most becoming shadows on the face4 ,then about six o'clock1 at the doors of the ,ministries and all along the ,quai d',orsay1 a line of light1 open carriages may be seen1 in which young women have come to fetch husband or lover1 soothing their impatience for the hour of freedom by noting the admiring glances of the passers-by4 ,and when at last the lingerers appear in grey hat1 white waistcoat1 short coat and smart buttonhole1 the couples lounging back in their carriages1 drive through the ,avenue des ,champs ,elyses1 towards the summer restaurants and the shade of the ,bois4 ,the ,pavillon d',armenonville reaps the greatest p#jee advantages from the vicinity of the fair4 ,the orchestra of the ,tzigane ,rigo1 hidden in the gardens of the pavillon1 first attracts the notice of the passers-by2 they draw near1 lean over the hedge1 and look in to see if any one is seated at the little tables4 ,illustration 8,see1 there is so-and-so1 and so-and-so1 ,c------ and ,b------40 ,political and literary men1 artists1 financiers1 women of both worlds1 the recognized and the unrecognized1 the ,luxembourg1 the ,palais ,bourbon1 the theatre1 the newspapers1 the drawing-room1 and boudoirs4 ,the guests seat themselves under the verandah1 to watch the carriages drive up4 ,the table-napkins are dazzling in their snowy whiteness against the green leafy trees1 the ice melts in the silver bowls1 and the freshly cut cucumbers resemble aquatic leaves1 torn from the pond of p#jef water lilies1 which we only glimpse at through the hanging branches of the willows4 ,hours pass pleasantly1 languidly1 in this festive scene4 ,the ,rakoczy ,march1 the ,stephanie ,gavotte1 give a tinge of gallantry and love to the reverie into which we fall1 daydreams vague as the outlines of the landscape before us4 ,and the spell lasts1 until suddenly1 lights1 which are not reflected from the stars1 appear mirrored in the waters of the tiny lake4 ,they shine from the red lamps of the victorias now being lighted4 ,night has fallen4 ,it is time to go to the fair4 ,illustration p#jeg ,illustration ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,permanent ,,shows ,,or ,,entresorts4 ,the visit to the fair usually commences by the entresorts1 or permanent shows4 ,what are entresorts8 ,i must again quote my friend ,philip1 the ancient mariner1 whom ,i introduced to you just now1 at the present moment editor of the ,tir de la ,republique1 municipal councillor1 and editorial secretary to the ,voyageur ,forain4 ,illustration 8,in the cant idiom used by the petite banque1 we describe p#jeh by the name of entresort any booth which contains a permanent show without beginning or end1 an establishment which the public only walks through4 ,waxworks are entresorts1 so are exhibitions of dwarfs1 monstrosities1 learned fleas1 and tattooed women4 ,the booths which contain catch-pennies1 somnambulists1 conjuring tricks1 fat women1 and pretty girls1 are also entresorts if you like1 but they are more frequently termed ,halls of ,mystery--,i need scarcely tell you why4 ,illustration ,entresorts and ,halls of ,mystery always swarm in every fair4 ,they are cheap amusements largely patronized by the p#jei crowd4 ,and whilst the more important shows have changed all their entertainments and have introduced unlimited improvements into their theatres1 the entresort has not altered either its arrangements or its exhibition since the origin of time4 ,it is always established in a canvas booth1 sometimes provided with wooden benches lighted by four oil lamps2 while the show is usually of an alarming nature--scenes from the p#jfj ,inquisition1 executions1 heads of celebrated murderers1 exhibitions of monstrosities1 of five-footed sheep1 armless artists1 calves' heads1 giants and dwarfs4 ,no one should wonder at the fact that many people are more interested in the abnormal than in the beautiful4 ,but this trait being once recognised1 the dwarf is more wonderful than the giant2 man is such a complicated machine1 that in watching these microscopic creatures who gesticulate and speak like ourselves1 we feel something of the same astonishment that would strike us if we found the seconds marked by a miniature watch which we could only see through a magnifying glass4 ,for this reason the dwarf show is one of the most popular booths in the fair4 ,every one knows that there are two kinds of dwarfs--those who are naturally dwarfs1 and those who1 as children1 were at first of average size and growth1 but whose development was abruptly checked4 ,in their case the limbs which no longer grew1 were yet capable of enlargement4 ,as a rule the head is enormous4 ,monsieur ,franois1 from the ,cirque ,franconi--the partner of ,billy ,hayden the clown1 the tiny circus rider--is a typical specimen of this class of dwarfs1 who are called nous to distinguish them from the perfect miniature of humanity4 ,they are physically deformed1 but in all other respects they resemble other men4 ,franois1 for instance1 is very intelligent4 ,i shall always remember our first interview two years ago in ,erminia ,chelli's box at the ,cirque d',et4 8,how old are you1 ,monsieur ,franois80 8,twenty40 8,i am older than you are1 ,m4 ,franois2 yet1 as you know1 ,i am not celebrated40 p#jfa ,m4 ,franois shook his head1 and as a consolation--8you see not every one can be a dwarf0--he gravely answered3 ,illustration 8,do not pity yourself1 sir2 you are distinguished for your learning40 ,since then ,m4 ,franois has told me all about his present life4 ,he lives at ,villette with his mother1 whom he supports4 ,in the evening1 as the distance is too great for his short legs1 p#jfb he goes out by the last omnibus1 and even when the vehicle is full1 he is charged for his place4 8,yet ,i take so little room1 sir60 ,m4 ,franois is a brave lad2 and those who have seen him in his ,cordovan boots1 driving his team of six horses1 know that he is an exceptionally good whip4 ,it should though be noticed1 that however deficient the nous may be in size1 they possess the same intelligence and sometimes the full strength of a man of normal height4 ,in #ahjb ,germany possessed a clever painter named ,jacob ,lehnen1 who was exactly #c ft4 #aj in4 high2 and ,i read in an ,english newspaper1 the ,daily ,advertiser1 dated #ahth ,august1 #agdj1 an announcement of the arrival at a ,london tavern1 the ,great ,glass1 of a ,persian dwarf called the ,second ,samson1 only #c ft4 #h in41 who carried two strong men at arm's-length and danced between the tables with his double burden4 ,illustration ,these deformities are not attacked by the decrepitude which prevents their comrades from living beyond their p#jfc twentieth or twenty-fifth year4 ,there are historical instances of centenarian nous4 ,illustration ,in #ahai1 at the ,court ,theatre1 a nous was exhibited aged sixty-three2 her name was ,thrse ,souvary1 and according to the advertisements1 she was betrothed in her youth to ,bb1 a dwarf belonging to good ,king ,stanislaus4 ,and if these advertisements were untrue1 there are proofs in other places of a great many marriages contracted by dwarfs1 who have had large families4 ,m4 ,edward ,garnier1 in his curious pathological study of the nous1 quotes the case of the painter dwarf ,gibson1 who married a wife as small as himself and had nine children by her1 of whom five were of average height and attained manhood4 ,two other dwarfs1 married in ,london1 ,robert and ,judith ,kinner1 had fourteen children all well made and robust4 ,lastly1 any one may have seen in the ,western papers in #ahhc1 the notice of the death at ,sables d',olonne1 of a little dwarf long exhibited in fairs under the p#jfd name of the ,petite ,nine4 ,this tiny creature1 who was not more than #ca-a_/b inches high1 married a ,m4 ,callias and had several children by him4 ,she had even survived the ,cesarean operation1 and reached a great age notwithstanding her scandalous insobriety4 ,in spite of the intelligence of the nous ,i quite understand why no one becomes devoted to them2 but it is quite another thing with regard to natural dwarfs who1 whilst remarkable for their extremely small size1 yet retain in their miniature forms the sthetic beauty of proportion4 ,all ,europe has seen in the circus or in the fairs1 one couple of these elegant dwarfs1 ,general ,mite and ,miss ,millie ,edwards1 whom ,barnum launched upon the world under the name of the ,american ,midgets4 ,if we may believe the manager who superintends the travels of the ,midgets1 they are both ,american citizens4 ,their respective families advertised their matrimonial requirements--a young man of six inches wishing for a suitable wife1 and a young girl of five inches wishing for a husband of six2 they journeyed towards each other across the world1 and were married at ,manchester4 ,the ,midgets have prospered in worldly matters4 ,they are engaged at a very high salary of some thousands of francs per month1 and will be able to provide handsomely for any children that ,heaven may send them4 ,their dress and food cost them very little4 ,the 8,general0 usually dines upon half a biscuit and a few carefully-measured drops of wine4 ,he is marvellously jealous of his wife1 and when ,i once advanced to her carriage to help her to alight1 ,mr4 ,mite pretty curtly informed me in ,english that he kept a footman on purpose to attend to her4 p#jfe ,but it appears that the ,general is not only jealous1 he is also fickle3 he had brilliant success in ,england4 ,i tried to make him talk about it1 but like an honourable man1 he was mute upon the subject1 and his present impresario told me that he had often attempted to sound him upon the point1 but had met with no better success than ,i had done4 ,illustration ,general ,mite sings the tambour-major's song extremely well2 manages a 8sociable0 tricycle like a professional1 and waltzes gracefully4 ,the ,general is very brisk1 very lively1 a wonderful mimic2 he acts several little pieces with real talent--amongst others1 a scene of drunkenness1 and the promenade of a ,new ,york dandy4 ,but neither the ,general nor his wife possess the same charm as ,princess ,paulina4 ,i have been quite close to this wonderful little creature and taken her by the hand1 which1 like the whole of her person1 is modelled with infinite delicacy4 p#jff ,she might be taken for a waxen statuette1 a tiny dancer from ,tanagra freshly exhumed1 with a little carmine still clinging to her lips1 a little gold to her tunic4 ,one might apply to ,princess ,paulina the same praises which ,loret1 in #afec1 addressed in his 8,gazette0 to 8a little dwarf belonging to ,mademoiselle10 who was suffering from a cold on the chest produced by the slamming of a door-- 8,jamais prs de ,roy ny de ,prince#c ,on ne vid de naine si mince4 ,quand une puce la mordait ,et qu'icelle se dfendait1 ,la puce pour finir la guerre1 ,la mettait aizment par terre1 ,et la moindre haleine du vent ,la fazait tomber bien souvent4 ,enfin1 elle tait si petite 7,quoiqu'aucunement favorite71 ,que1 dans un petit balancier ,de cuivre1 d'arain ou d'acier1 tant par plaisir un jour mise1 ,avec robe1 jupe et chemize1 ,et de plus sa coiffure encor1 ,tout ne pezait qu'un louis d'or40 p#jfg 8,princess ,paulina10 says the voluble individual who advertises her to the public1 8is eleven years old4 ,she is of ,dutch origin1 and measures #ae-c_/d inches1 and weighs ten pounds2 she is introduced by her brother who is with her40 ,illustration ,and the robust stripling lifts the little doll like an ounce3 he holds out one arm and1 in the pleasantest manner1 the little princess performs a few acrobatic feats over it4 ,she is very p#jfh proud of this little social talent4 ,when ,i was introduced to her behind the scenes1 she courteously said3 8,shall ,i turn a somersault for monsieur80 ,and in an instant she was standing on her hands1 head down1 feet in air1 like a clown4 ,with her tiny dress of coral-coloured muslin and satin flying out around her1 ,princess ,paulina did not look any larger than a bouquet of roses enveloped in white paper4 ,i asked her all the questions that etiquette requires when speaking to a dwarf4 8,princess ,paulina1 have you a doll80 8,as large as this1 ,monsieur40 ,she raised her hand above her head1 but even then it only reached the medium size of the ,bbs ,hurel4 8,princess ,paulina1 what did you eat for dinner80 8,six oysters and some breast of chicken40 8,princess ,paulina1 do you speak ,english80 8,very well40 8,princess ,paulina1 can you speak ,german80 8,sehr gut40 8,princess ,paulina1 will you give me a kiss80 8,kiss a gentleman60 cried the little princess1 quite alarmed4 ,and she consulted her tall brother with a look4 ,the tall brother gave an affirmative nod of the head1 and the princess submitted to the caress--this is how ,i am able to inform those who may not be aware of the fact1 that1 like new-born babies1 a little dwarf smells like a grey mouse4 ,but there is no need for sensitive souls to distress themselves about these fragile beings4 ,vanity is quite as strong p#jfi in a dwarf as in a man1 and every 8,princess ,paulina0 in the world is pleased to be exhibited4 ,besides1 the parents of these goslings with golden eggs are too much interested in prolonging their lives ever to maltreat them4 ,those who should be pitied are the poor children sold once for all to a speculator4 ,one of these dwarfs met with a tragic fate some years ago4 ,illustration ,he was named ,joseph4 ,at seventeen he measured only #bg inches1 and had a thin1 woebegone face rendered grotesque by an enormous nose which1 like his hands and feet1 was abnormally large4 p#jgj ,his parents1 small agriculturists at ,saintes1 sold him in #ahhb to a mountebank1 who endeavoured to increase the popularity of his show by making this scrap of a man become an animal-tamer4 ,by dint of great patience six cats were painted to resemble tigers1 with yellow and black stripes4 ,the animals were shut into a cage with the dwarf1 and the unlucky ,joseph1 half dead with fear1 was forced1 with the aid of a riding-whip1 to make the cats perform4 ,the attempt succeeded for some time1 when on ,july #abth1 #ahhb1 at the fair of ,beaupr-sur-,sane1 one of the cats suddenly flew at the dwarf's throat and threw him down by its weight4 ,in one second all the other cats had rushed upon ,joseph1 and before any one could intervene1 the cat-tamer was strangled1 his eyes torn out1 his face covered with blood4 ,the mountebank fled3 a few days later he was arrested at ,lille4 ,i was lately discussing this tragic accident with ,m4 ,franois1 and my friend1 who was drawing on his riding-boots1 paused in the effort to utter these melancholy words3-- 8,we were certainly happier under the old rgime40 ,when one is satiated with the abnormal and monstrous1 the thoughts naturally tend towards those entertainments which exhibit the perfection of human beauty4 ,it must be admitted that in this respect the public taste has improved4 ,the infantine and ,oriental admiration which the crowd displayed for enormous women1 the 8fat lady0 who weighed #bej lbs41 is declining so quickly p#jga that the 8colossus0 has nearly disappeared from the fair4 ,and really pretty girls are now exhibited in the 8,halls of ,mystery40 ,illustration p#jgb ,the success of the 8,beautiful ,fatma10 hastened this revolution4 ,no fair of any importance is now held without some imitation of the 8,beautiful ,fatma0 being on the ground4 ,i noticed the ,pavillon ,marocain amongst the most successful of these imitations4 8,walk in1 walk in6 ladies and gentlemen10 cries the showman at the top of his voice2 8walk in and see the danse du ventre1 as danced at ,bardo before the ,bey of ,tunis6 ,walk in1 walk in6 ,hurry up60 ,we enter4 ,the booth is clean and prettily decorated2 at one end three women in ,oriental dresses are singing a harsh melody accompanied by the traditional thrumming on the bamboo drums1 which look like butter pots4 ,they are called1 if names are asked for1 ,acha1 ,dora1 and ,hardiendja4 ,but there is a ,fatma in the house4 ,she is a negress about twenty years old1 a fine specimen of her race3 at its base the nose is almost as wide as her thick lips1 and by this detail ,fatma shocks all our ideas of classic proportions2 still1 when looking at this tall1 well-made girl1 ,i1 for the first time1 understood what travellers mean when they speak of the beauty and exquisite grace of negro women4 ,in spite of all defects there is a pleasant harmony in the dark face1 brightened by the modest mischievous eyes4 ,and when ,fatma dances before the negro ,bouillabaisse1--first comic actor to the ,sultan of ,zanzibar1--her graceful swaying movements1 her languid attitudes and smiling gestures rouse in her audience that innate sympathy with ,oriental views of women1 the gentle1 soulless creature of the ,east1 which lies dormant in the heart of every man4 ,illustration3 ,,la ,,belle ,,fatma4 ,another 8,hall of ,mystery0 worth visiting is the 8,house p#jgc of ,metamorphosis10 ,manager ,stenegry1 at the sign of the 8,secret des ,dieux40 ,the real attraction of this establishment is ,mdlle4 ,stenegry herself1 a ,romanische of rare beauty1 who with her golden sequins and ,egyptian diadem forms the most perfect 8,esmeralda0 that you ever dreamed of at sixteen4 ,inside we find a second young lady1 equally lovely1 a charming blonde--,mademoiselle ,lutce4 ,she fills the rle of ,galatea1 8the marble statue that acquired life beneath the burning kisses of ,pygmalion40 ,illustration p#jgd 8,pygmalion0 does not appear1 but in a darkened room1 by some device of slanting mirrors1 the beautiful head of ,mdlle4 ,lutce changes into a death's-head before the eyes of the spectators4 ,then from the youthful polished ivory skull a rose bush suddenly appears4 ,this eminently philosophical contrast has inspired ,m4 ,stenegry1 the father1 with some wonderful variations of the original idea4 ,i recommend his 8,programme of visible and mysterious apparitions0 to all collectors of comicalities4 8,everything pales4 4 10 he says1 8everything dissolves1 everything blends4 ,come and see the chef-d'uvre produced by my researches upon metempsychosis2 it will submit its revelations and revolutions to the judgment of the spectators1 who will become its sincere admirers40 ,but just now the most sthetic entertainment in the fair is the series of tableaux vivants presented to the public by ,m4 ,melchior ,bonnefois4 ,m4 ,bonnefois is an artist and a literary man4 ,last year he published a very pathetic article in the ,union ,mutuelle1 8,les ,drames de la ,vie ,foraine10 and ,i have read some very skilful verses written by him for some of the small reviews published in the ,south4 ,this man has tastefully grouped a limited number of models1 youths and girls1 who are not only well trained in their profession1 but also good-looking4 ,amongst them are ,suzanne ,bertini1 the model from the studio of ,j4 ,p4 ,laurens2 ,arabelle1 the model from the ,bouguereau studio2 ,jeanne ,laurence1 the model from the ,baudry studio2 ,antonio ,vega1 from the ,academy of ,madrid2 ,rose ,linon1 one of the favourite models from the ,gervex studio2 ,berthe ,biville1 p#jge ,serge ,worouzof1 from the ,academy of ,moscow2 last and chief1 the star of the troupe1 the beautiful ,mireille1 from the ,academy of ,marseilles4 ,this little ,phocean is crowned with beautiful blue-black hair1 and has the profile of ,pallas ,athene1 with all the ,olympian coldness1 the absence of expression1 and the gravity which distinguished the goddess4 ,illustration ,perhaps1 since it is a question of perfection1 her arms1 like her bust1 are a little thin1 but ,mireille's statuesque divinity reappears in her legs from the hips to the feet4 ,one lady1 whose views upon questions of dress are extremely accurate1 and in whose society ,i was lucky enough to witness this p#jgf artistic exhibition1 made an observation upon ,mdlle4 ,mireille's attire which ,i faithfully transmit to this pretty girl and her directors--directors of conscience and others4 ,an error on the part of the costumier is the cause of the apparent want of harmony in the fine proportions of ,mdlle4 ,mireille's figure1 giving undue importance to the legs4 ,a scarf has been draped across the hips over the salmon-coloured fleshings2 it is about the width of a bath-towel1 and is so inartistically puffed that its whiteness destroys the harmony of the outlines1 and by its vague resemblance to the short breeches worn with trunk hose1 it transforms a nude into a travesty4 ,above the trousers of the page one looks for the shoulders of the man1 and because they are missing1 ,mdlle4 ,mireille looks too thin4 ,what remedy can be applied to this serious error which spoils our pleasure8 ,there is some difficulty in the matter1 ,i know1 but it has been frequently overcome with greater skill3 for instance1 by the artist who designed a costume for ,madame ,tho1 as ,eve before the ,fall1 which won the approval of all admirers of plastic beauty1 without shocking the susceptible4 ,i shall send a photograph of ,madame ,tho to ,m4 ,bonnefois4 ,it is a sad proof of our physical decadence that beauty is no longer found allied with strength2 the two qualities1 formerly blended like metals in an alloy1 are now entirely separated1 and ,m4 ,bonnefois and ,m4 ,marseille each presides over representatives of the two attributes1 which1 when united1 produced the most perfect types of humanity4 ,at ,m4 ,bonnefois's establishment beauty is cultivated without strength1 and at ,m4 ,marseille's entertainment1 strength is p#jgg found without beauty4 ,yesterday ,i could not stifle these painful thoughts when ,i took my seat on the velvet benches provided by the celebrated manager of the athletic show1 to watch a wrestling match4 ,illustration ,full of recollections of ,plutarch1 one remembers that in the palestrea1 ,lycurgus made the young girls rub themselves with oil and contend with the ,spartan ephebes2 the lines of ,theocritus on the fight between ,castor and ,pollux are haunting the lips2 the eyes are full of visions of the beautiful forms of the wrestlers of the tribune--the young men of ,cephissodote1 so beautiful that they were taken for the sons of ,niobe1 of whom ,apollo was jealous4 ,one enters the canvas booth1 the movable temple of the heroic ,hercules1 with a religious shiver1 and1 alas6 what do you see8 ,stout1 p#jgh heavy men1 their hair shining with pomatum1 with abnormally developed chests--this is the glorious phalange2 on the other hand1 amateurs without either masks or black coats1 but who are nearly all in the service of the ,compagnie ,lasage1 men who have served their time1 or porters in the ,great ,market4 ,no well-bred figures1 no delicate limbs4 ,compare these bloated ,vitellii to the gods8 ,there1 my good fellows1 go home to your lock-picking and your work4 ,illustration ,yet ,i remember one tragic anecdote of wrestling4 ,it happened at the fair at ,loges about fifteen years ago4 ,we had gone into a booth to witness a fight with single-sticks between a fencing-master's assistant from ,st4 ,germains and the proprietor of the establishment4 ,the soldier and the mountebank evidently knew and disliked each other2 they were engaged for some time1 and seemed less like holding a p#jgi match than settling a quarrel2 a good many people had followed the soldier into the booth4 ,the mountebank was completely beaten4 ,he foamed at the mouth1 rolling his eyes terribly1 whilst the fencing-master1 swinging himself to and fro1 made his cane whistle above his head4 ,when the applause ended1 the wrestler demanded3 8,my revenge6 take a belt60 ,a woman intervened--a tall dark girl1 a gipsy1 who had juggled before us with weights and knives4 8,do not fight10 she cried to the soldier in a voice full of pain4 8,he is furious6 he will hurt you60 ,the mountebank sneered3 8,madame fears that ,i might break you6 ,are you a man80 ,the soldier turned white4 ,he was a tall lissom man1 but he did not look strong4 ,however1 he quietly unbuttoned the waistcoat that he had put on1 and picked up the belt4 ,the other waited1 his arms crossed1 a smile on his lips4 ,they grasped each other1 but the struggle did not last long4 ,the soldier was immediately thrown underneath the other2 the mountebank put one knee on his neck1 seized his head with both hands1 and turned it completely round4 ,we heard a crack4 ,the soldier uttered a horrible cry--the wrestler had broken his neck like a rabbit's back4 ,i did not want to see any more and rushed out1 whilst the crowd threw itself upon the mountebank4 ,but in the evening an accidental turn in my walk brought me in front of the booth4 ,in the midst of all the gaiety1 of songs1 of meals in the p#jhj open air1 of the illuminations and noise of the shows1 the wrestler's booth1 silent and closed1 was the only dark spot in the fair4 ,an indistinct form cowered on the wooden steps4 ,i went a little nearer to it4 ,it was the gipsy1 the juggler with weights4 ,she was sobbing bitterly1 her head buried in her apron--weeping for the prisoner or for the dead4 ,illustration ,,footnotes3 #c ,no king nor prince did ever see ,such a tiny dwarf as she4 ,when a flea to bite her tried1 ,the feast intended she denied1 ,and tried to crush him2 then she found ,with ease he threw her to the ground4 ,the summer breeze1 a zephyr's sigh1 ,would blow her down in passing by4 ,in fact1 she was so slim and small 7,although in no way beautiful71 ,that when she stood in merry play1 ,upon a tiny scale1 one day-- ,of brass1 of copper1 or of steel-- ,with dress and petticoat and frill1 ,and with her coiffure1 furthermore-- ,the whole weighed but one louis d'or4 p#jha ,illustration ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,theatre ,,booth4 ,although an open secret is now called ,punch's secret1 it is certain that the marionettes' theatre and the puppet dance are great mysteries in their way4 ,very few people have ever penetrated behind the scenes of these theatres4 ,they are far better defended than the ,opera1 and ,i am not a little proud of having been admitted one day at the ,versailles ,fair behind the curtain of the ,bermont ,theatre during the performance of a grand drama1 in one act1 ,the ,spanish ,brigands4 ,i had been attracted by a very brilliant oration from ,punch1 detailing all the amusements to be found within4 p#jhb 8,this1 ladies and gentlemen10 he spluttered between his teeth in the usual way1 8this is the real society and family entertainment4 ,everything is calculated1 everything is arranged1 to please the eye3 a review of the greatest ,parisian artists1 dances in character1 ,icarian games held in honour both by the ,greeks and ,romans1 a ,spanish bolero1 ,harlequin's celebrated feats on a bicycle1 and1 lastly1 the great unpublished drama1 now performed for the first time in this town1 ,the ,brigands40 ,we crowded in1 about one hundred urchins1 grandmothers1 and nurses1 eyes wide open in pleasant anticipation4 ,a small ,italian musician1 his teeth gleaming like ivory from contact with hard crusts1 formed the whole orchestra4 ,he played the accordion on the front bench4 ,his melody ended1 some one rapped three times1 the performance commenced4 ,first1 two ,polish warriors entered and performed a military dance1 marking the time with their heels4 ,then followed a couple of ,spanish dancers1 who executed some wonderful pirouettes and pigeons' flights4 ,then appeared the india-rubber man1 who stretched and stretched himself1 and finally bent himself until his nose touched his heels1 and then he sneezed1 a performance which convulsed the spectators with delight4 ,he was succeeded by a lawyer in a black dress1 who doubled himself1 became triple and quadruple--a nave symbol of the craftiness of his profession--then played in each of the four corners of the stage with his duplicates and suddenly flew through the frieze4 ,the curtain falls4 ,from every bench a sorrowful cry is heard1 8,is it over80 p#jhc ,no4 ,the second part is going to begin4 ,rap6 rap6 rap6 ,the curtain rises upon a second curtain1 which represents a forest1 a chief1 two brigands1 three acolytes4 ,this is the band4 ,illustration ,,the ,,captain4--8,my friends1 ,i have heard from the old postillion that a post-chaise will pass through this narrow road4 ,you must stop it40 ,,the ,,band4--8,yes1 captain40 ,,the ,,captain4--8,you1 ,pedro1 must guard this defile4 ,we1 my friends1 must away to the mountains40 p#jhd 7,the band disappears on the side to the court4 ,pedro remains alone for one moment4 ,a monk enters front the garden side47 ,,pedro4--8,halt there2 your money or your life60 ,,the ,,monk4--8,but1 my brother1 ,i am as poor as you are4 ,capuchins have no money40 ,,pedro4--8,what are those twenty-five golden louis ,i see in this purse8 ,and the repeater that ,i see2 ,i--0 7,pedro attempts to rob the monk4 ,the ,capuchin falls on his knees47 ,,the ,,monk4--8,mercy6 ,if ,i go home without this money the superior will shut me up in a dungeon40 ,,pedro4--8,that's not my business60 ,,the ,,monk4--8,at least fire into the folds of my frock without wounding me1 so that ,i can prove that ,i was attacked40 ,,pedro4--,very well4 7,he fires47 ,,the ,,monk1 springing upon ,pedro1 and stabbing him with a dagger4--8,fool6 ,you missed me1 but ,i shall not miss you60 7,he disappears on the court side2 the captain and his band re-enter from the garden side4 ,they pause before the body of ,pedro47 ,a ,,brigand4--8,the coward1 he is asleep60 ,,the ,,captain4--8,no1 he is bathed in blood4 ,the monk has killed him4 ,let us pillage the monastery40 ,the curtain falls2 the show is really over this time4 ,i went behind the scenes to ask the impresario ,bermont for the name of the author of this fine historical drama4 8,i wrote it myself10 he modestly replied4 8,i have a book p#jhe of plays4 ,i write them in the evenings1 when they occur to me--recollections1 ideas1 anything4 ,we also play ,the ,passion1 ,the ,temptation of ,saint ,anthony1 ,hell1 and ,genevive de ,brabant4 ,the book is very old1 and has never been printed4 ,we repeat it through over and over again4 ,i also perform ,camilla ,underground2 or1 the ,dangerous ,forest4 ,but once in that piece the #8author's rights' found a pretext for coming in1 but they did not recognize the piece2 ,i had changed it all40 ,illustration ,his wife stood near him whilst he spoke1 leaning on his shoulder1 tenderly proud of belonging to a man gifted with so much imagination4 ,if you should ever have an opportunity of examining the large volumes in which the ,brothers ,parfaict1 the ,des ,beulmiers1 de p#jhf ,monnet1 and some other authors have scientifically discussed the origin of fair theatres1 you will find that they have been always forced to contend against that hereditary enemy which the impresario ,bermont now calls the 8author's rights10 and which has borne different names in different ages4 ,at the epoch when the fair theatres first attracted notice1 that is to say about #aeie1 it might have been justly styled the 8comedians' rights40 ,the brotherhood of the ,passion and the actors of the ,htel de ,bourgogne would not allow any extension of theatrical performances by their side1 and as they held the power they easily obtained a rule which restricted the comedies in a fair to wooden actors1 marionettes of ,brioch1 learned animals1 acrobats1 and juggling tricks4 ,but the banquistes are a tenacious race1 and towards #afgh1 in spite of the opposition from the comedians1 the fair theatres commenced to mount a few well-seasoned farces with actors of flesh and blood4 ,the head of the police protested1 and the managers once more pretended to restrict themselves within the limits of the law1 resorting to some ingenious infraction of the spirit of it1 which provoked laughter and put the comedians in the wrong2 for instance1 the artifice used by ,la ,grille1 who opened1 in the fair of ,saint ,germaine1 an ,opera de ,bamboche1 in which the sole actor was a huge marionette1 that gesticulated to the melodies of an invisible musician concealed in the prompter's box4 ,illustration ,at the same time the companies of ,allard1 ,maurice and ,bertrand1 ,selle1 ,dominique and ,octave1 obtained great success in ,paris and the provinces4 ,conjuring tricks and p#jhh feats of agility still formed the chief part of the entertainment1 but to them were added scenes with dialogue1 comedies in song1 from which our comic operas have developed4 ,illustration ,the forain stage has retained the triple characteristics--acrobatic1 musical1 and charlatan--which appear to have belonged to it from the earliest days of its existence2 but since the century in its refinement values distinction of style1 the grande banque has adapted itself to its requirements4 ,illustration3 ,,snake ,,charmer4 p#jhi ,there are three kinds of theatre booths3 ,singing theatres4 ,theatres with good variety performances4 ,theatres with conjuring entertainments4 ,the theatres with operetta are the least amusing4 ,no original work has been produced in them for a long time1 not even any new songs4 ,at the present moment the caf concerts provide the majority of the tedious repetitions which make the tour of ,france4 ,the forain opera lives by spurious imitations and clumsy changes of title4 ,all its skill is expended in successfully defying the aforesaid 8author's rights40 ,it succeeds to its own satisfaction when it advertises the ,,cloches ,,de ,,gorneville with a large ,g4 ,its inventive power is limited to the substitution of this one letter4 ,and the individuals who appear upon the stages of the booths to sing the 8trial d'operette0 are also the refuse of the caf concerts4 ,they can only impose upon an unsophisticated audience4 ,for this reason the forain opera is no longer found in the suburban fairs of ,paris or other large cities4 ,it is confined to country fairs and provincial festivities4 ,illustration ,but the variety houses are on quite a different scale4 ,the most flourishing and the best known at the present time are the establishments kept by ,marquette and ,emile ,cocherie1 who styles himself on his programmes1 8,head of the ftes of ,paris40 ,at the commencement of each campaign1 that is to say before the ,fair du ,trne1 ,emile ,cocherie gives an audience in his villa at the ,porte de ,montrouge to all the p#jij artists who aspire to enter his troupe4 ,in his presence the candidates must all jouent le canevas1 i4e4 improvise a scene with dialogue upon a given subject4 ,the same old themes are used which have served ever since the origin of the open-air p#jia stage2 all the situations of the ,italian comedies and ,gallic farces which amused the crowd even in the time of the escholiers4 ,a new topic is not prohibited1 but there are very few 8patterers0 who can speak outside as well as inside1 as the terms of the engagements run4 ,still clever actors who can improve the performance receive extra salaries4 ,the illustrious ,clam1 who is called the last of the merry-andrews1 earned as much as five hundred francs a month at the forain theatres4 ,i asked ,m4 ,cocherie1 who was left inconsolable by the departure of this whimsical performer1 why he did not try to replace him by some young student of comedy who had passed creditably through the ,conservatoire4 8,he would not suit me10 replied the experienced manager4 8,i have tried them1 and still have one in my show1 but he does not succeed4 ,the lads have not effective voices1 they are not merry and1 above all1 they have no gift for improvisation4 ,a commercial traveller who can push a sale well1 a hawker from the street1 would be much more in my line than ,m4 ,coquelin an40 ,and it is quite true1 this ,clam is a splendid clown4 ,i do not recommend you to make his acquaintance in the ,clamiana1 a collection of jokes which seem very dull when they are read1 printed with old type in a small newspaper4 ,clam should be heard outside the show in the tumult of smacks and kicks which accompanies his improvised dialogue with his butt4 ,i begged this important personage to give me a few notes on his life1 and ,i now publish them as they were given to me4 ,the last of the red-tails belongs to literary history4 p#jib ,illustration 8,at noon1 on the #eth ,june1 #ahcg1 a baby uttered its first cry4 ,the son of the actor ,chanet entered the world in the native place of ,casimir ,delavigne6 ,brought up in more than poverty and naturally delicate1 my childhood was passed in an asylum at ,havre1 about the time of the great cholera epidemic1 which spared my life2 later on1 ,i sold p#jic checks at the theatre door1 and considered myself lucky if ,i occasionally managed to see one act4 8,my only recreation was reading plays and acting them in a footwarmer by means of little dolls4 ,i was the most ignorant of the ,brothers' class4 ,in spite of all ,i became errand boy and lithographer4 8,in #ahec ,i made my dbut as a comic singer in the ,thtre des ,familles1 established in an old prison4 ,illustration 8,some time afterwards ,i tired of shining in the carnaval ftes of the period and returned to ,havre as a chorus-singer1 under the direction of ,m4 ,defossez4 8,i sang in choruses and made floats4 ,some years later ,i returned to the same theatre and gave some performances4 8,but in spite of this success ,paris has seen me almost barefooted1 ill1 and homeless2 my food gathered from the scraps found under the umbrellas round the ,fontaine des ,innocents4 ,my mother was poor and could not help me1 and for my own part ,i would not tell her of my distress1 wishing to spare her tears4 ,by dint of struggles and of p#jid work ,i distinguished myself as an actor at ,nancy1 ,limoges1 ,bordeaux1 ,toulouse1 ,havre1 ,rouen1 ,besanon1 ,geneva1 ,nantes1 ,paris1 c4 8,i have acted with ,henry ,monnier1 my master1 ,scrivaneck1 ,vieuxtemps1 ,hoffman1 ,darcier1 and ,renard4 ,circumstances have forced me to give performances in every description of city and small town4 ,i have played in stables and theatres1 in barns1 and in the ,rothschilds' drawing-rooms2 ,i have travelled on foot1 by railway1 and in carts4 ,i journeyed through one part of ,france with some acrobats1 with whom ,i saw it through many colours and on the road ,i collected some instructive and still unpublished notes1 of which ,i am the sole owner4 8,my travelling diaries are all my fortune4 ,afterwards ,i went to the caf concert with the remnant of my voice1 and was successively engaged in various large cities4 ,i know some parts of ,holland and ,germany1 a little of ,switzerland and ,prussia1 a great deal of ,belgium1 and something of ,italy and ,spain4 ,but ,i know ,bohemia best of all4 8,like the late ,bilboquet1 ,i have tampered with every banque except the ,banque de ,france1 but this does not prevent me from living a quiet1 unobtrusive life2 my only wish is that no one should annoy me 7this is very difficult to get71 to live a long time and to die without pain4 8,i add for the edification of the reader that my sons bear my name1 an item which my father forgot to bestow upon me 7he was so heedless740 ,clam1 who--as you may judge from this narrative--has some claim to be noticed in any complete anthology of p#jie ,french writers in prose1 has 8teased the muse0 at times4 ,but his poems echo the prevailing note of his century--they are cynical and melancholy4 ,you may judge by these three verses on the death of a comrade in the show4 ,clam dedicated them to me3 8,elle est morte1 la cabotine1 ,sans avoir essuy son blanc1 ,a la bouche une cavatine1 ,son bouquet de fleurs sur le flanc4 ,dans sa 8caravane10 on la garde ,entre un cierge et des litres bus2 ,sa mre l'habille et la farde ,comme elle a fait pour ses dbuts4 ,elle attend qu'on lve la trappe ,et qu'on frappe au rideau trois coups1 ,elle attend 4 4 4 ,hlas6 on les frappe1 ,mais c'est sur des ttes de clous40#d ,a man who has so many strings to his bow is not anxious about the future4 ,one day when ,i hinted before ,clam that old age might surprise him1 without any provision for it1 he replied3 8,when ,i am no good for anything else my friends will p#jif make a politician of me4 ,but ,i have still some chest left1 and ,i shall put off the death of the show for many years yet40 ,the improvements1 the tricks of every kind which have destroyed the 8outside shows10 have enriched the entertainments given inside the booths1 and have most successfully transformed the conjuring performances like those found in the establishments of ,adrian ,delille and ,pietro ,gallici4 ,since ,delille bought the theatre and tricks of ,laroche he is the king of showmen conjurers4 ,he is third representative of the name4 ,the first ,adrian1 the grandfather1 was conjurer to ,king ,charles ,x41 and1 since that remote date1 at every fair held in ,paris or any large town1 a magician bearing the name of ,delille has been seen making omelettes in hats1 juggling with balls1 c41 without the aid of pointed hat1 long sleeves1 wand1 or cabalistic words--a modern sorcerer in evening dress and lavender kid gloves4 ,the ,delilles first introduced the trick of the ,speaking ,head into ,france4 ,they bought the patent for #d1jjj francs1 never hesitated to bring a lawsuit against any one who infringed it1 and always won their case4 ,the science of white magic has made great progress since that date4 ,there are always some means of improving an old trick1 and every year ,adrian ,delille spends his six months of enforced rest in preparing for the summer season4 ,illustration ,like all his comrades1 he disbands his troupe in the month of ,november1 and takes up his winter quarters in ,paris1 where he has a study devoted to experiments4 ,he must p#jig be ready to renew the campaign at ,easter1 to astonish the ,parisians at the ,fair du ,trne4 ,in his youth the conjurer worked almost alone1 and for hours he would keep the public breathless with interest and wonder4 ,for this he required great facility of speech1 a mind always on the alert1 and the p#jih skill to draw the eyes of the spectators in any direction he wished away from his secret manipulations4 ,conjuring implies a constant struggle against the malicious curiosity of the audience4 8,i am not strong enough now10 ,delille observed to me1 8to bear the strain during a succession of tricks2 ,i was obliged to divide the performance4 ,besides1 now1 the public like that best40 ,illustration ,illustration ,the troupe consists of forty persons4 ,it is a little difficult to realize the size of the establishment required to work these large show-theatres4 ,a booth like that of ,adrian ,delille can seat #a1bjj people1 and it is always crowded for the ,sunday performances4 ,they cost an average of #djj francs p#ajj per diem1 for the principal performers receive high salaries4 ,clowns1 acrobats1 buffoons1 and equilibrists1 all these artists--and they are the same who appear in the hippodrome and circuses--are engaged through the agencies4 ,the engagements are concluded for one month1 but they can be cancelled at the end of a week at the wish of the proprietor4 ,a good clown1 a skilful gymnast1 can earn in a forain theatre like that of ,delille as much as at the circus--about #b1jjj francs per month4 ,the dancers employed to pose in the tableaux vivants are paid according to their beauty and skill--#ahj1 #bdj1 or even #ejj francs per month4 ,delille paid a still higher sum to the two pretty girls who lately posed for him as the two little combatants in ,emile ,bayard's picture ,an ,affair of ,honour4 ,it would be quite as indiscreet to ask a conjurer to explain his tricks1 as a pretty woman to tell you what scent she uses for her toilet1 and therefore ,i have never discussed the subject4 ,the exclusive ownership of a conjuring trick is difficult to defend in law1 and for this reason prestidigitators are always on their guard against the indiscretion of their workpeople4 ,they have been betrayed a hundred times for a bottle of wine and a few banknotes1 and now1 taught by misfortune1 they surround their experiments with as much mystery as the old ,egyptian priests used in their worship of the veiled ,isis4 ,after all1 our pleasure lies in this mystery only4 8,these phantasmagorias10 it has been well said by one of our contemporaries1 whom a taste for philosophic acrobatics has led to esteem acrobats in p#aja fleshings1--8these phantasmagorias please us like every other phenomena which seems to contradict the universal order of things1 to counteract the laws of nature4 ,the universe being what it is1 we have no other consolation than the dream that it is otherwise1 and this is the true essence of poetry4 ,conjuring is lyrical poetry--fable in action40#e ,illustration p#ajb ,the time has passed when conjurers were forced to ascend a woodpile and worthy folk clung to the honour of bringing a faggot to roast them with4 ,every one knows that there is nothing supernatural in the illusions they create4 ,usually the explanation is one of the most simple things in the world1 but our search for it is nearly always unsuccessful1 yet whilst we persevere in it we cannot be bored1 and this is really the only aim in view4 ,illustration3 ,m4 ,,de ,,kolta4 ,there is one conjurer more modern than ,delille1 more ingenious than ,robert ,houdin1 who has carried the art of white magic to a state of perfection unknown before4 ,this is ,m4 de ,kolta4 ,this extraordinary man takes a sheet of paper1 rolls it up like a cornucopia1 and from this horn of plenty he immediately pours an avalanche of roses into a crystal cup4 p#ajc ,the spectator is bewildered4 ,illustration 8,where do these roses come from80 he asks4 ,apparently they had been in some way concealed in the waistcoat of the thaumaturgist2 but how did they get into the horn8 what pushed them8 what secret spring made them flow forth8 p#ajd ,we must own that no one knows4 ,m4 de ,kolta then removes his coat and takes a cage containing a live bird into his hands4 ,one1 two1 three6 ,the cage and the bird are gone2 nothing is left6 ,the clever ones will gravely tell you that the cage was jointed2 by pressing some secret spring it unjoints1 closes or elongates itself4 ,most probably it assumes the shape of a narrow cylinder1 in the midst of which the bird is imprisoned but not hurt4 ,that is all very well1 but what becomes of the cylinder8 ,the magician has no accomplice2 he performs the trick alone1 before the eyes of the public4 ,it seems impossible that any movement could escape that watchful gaze4 ,lastly1 ,m4 de ,kolta is not satisfied with making a bird disappear1 he causes a woman to vanish--his wife1 so they say2 and although he chose one so frail1 so tiny1 so nearly related to the elves1 that she looks as though she might run across a meadow without bending a blade of grass1 still she is a woman of flesh and blood1 who could not be forced into the sheath of a sword4 ,m4 de ,kolta1 who is cleverer than you are1 spreads a newspaper upon the floor and places a chair on the paper4 ,madame de ,kolta seats herself upon the chair1 and her husband covers the little parcel of lace with a red and black veil2 then rapidly takes the veil off again4 ,the woman has gone6 ,evidently the woman disappeared through a trap2 but yet1 whilst she went through it1 the veil never moved1 and the newspaper is still intact1 though it is much larger than the p#aje edges of the veil4 ,we feel humiliated at being the victims of such an illusion1 although we were forewarned4 ,and we ask ourselves with some alarm1 what is1 then1 the value of the feeble organs of knowledge we call our senses1 in which we so blindly place our trust8 ,but through this uneasiness1 this distrust of our judgment1 which conjuring leaves1 this entertainment becomes an excellent school of wisdom4 ,you may believe ,m4 ,jules ,lematre on this point1 for he first discovered the philosophical side of these performances4 8,m4 de ,kolta10 he said1 8should be a happy man4 ,he is a true sorcerer4 ,he forces us to see with our eyes things which we cannot see1 and not to see things which we do see1 and this is solely through the marvellous skill of his agile fingers4 ,in his place1 ,i would go to the mysterious and credulous ,east1 where ,i would found a new religion based upon miracles4 ,m4 ,renan would provide a dogma suited to the requirements of those far-distant souls1 and ,m4 de ,kolta would work the miracles4 ,he would be a prophet during his life1 a saint1 perhaps a god1 after his death4 4 4 4 ,but one sorrowful reflection tempers the pleasure which this idea gives me4 ,the miracles worked by ,m4 de ,kolta are practically injurious4 ,since we do not believe in the false miracles he performs--since nothing distinguishes them from real ones1 and we have only the magician's word to assure us they are false1 what1 then1 should we do if real miracles were worked in our presence8 ,we should say1 ,we know all about them2 it's only conjuring6 ,and thus the small remnant of faith which we may still retain in the supernatural is insidiously destroyed4 p#ajf ,when the prophet ,elijah returns to earth at the end of time he will meet other ,de ,koltas here2 he will himself be sent to the ,eden or to the ,folies ,bergres4 ,and that is how the last men will lose their souls--just like the first1 however40 ,illustration ,,footnotes3 #d 8,she is dead1 the mummer gay1 ,with the powder on her face1 ,on her lips a merry lay1 ,flowers nestling in her lace4 ,in her 8caravan0 she lies ,twixt empty bottles and wax lights1 ,her mother decks her1 rouge applies1 ,as though it were for her #8first nights4' ,she waits1 until they raise the trap1 ,three knocks1 the rising curtain hails1 ,she waits 4 4 4 alas6 ,i hear them tap1 ,but 'tis upon the heads of nails40 #e ,jules ,lematre1 ,impressions de ,thtre1 ,second ,series4 p#ajg ,illustration ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,trainers4 ,it is difficult to see how man would have fared if he had not compelled the animals to serve him4 ,the science of animal-training must therefore date back to the earliest stages of the world's history2 and we may believe that artistic training is almost as old4 ,the dwellers in caves had not yet invented the game of fox and geese1 and they must have found some difficulty in amusing themselves in the long winter evenings2 they therefore probably taught their dumb companions the art of leaping and showing off4 ,now that animal-training has become a lucrative profession1 competition has forced the trainers to rival each other1 and their skill has obtained wonderful results4 ,all the inmates of ,noah's ,ark have passed under the whip1 from minute insects to ,jumbo himself4 ,men have tamed serpents1 birds1 cats1 dogs1 goats1 monkeys1 seals1 and pigs4 ,in their desire to grasp and conquer increasing difficulties1 they have even p#ajh taken the fleas from the animals they were training1 have bridled the fleas themselves1 and taught them to draw a carriage4 ,do you remember ,virgil's lines upon a stallion for the first time subject to the yoke8 ,the poet dwells with rapture upon the vigorous bounds which wrench the plough from the furrows4 ,what would he have said of the spring of a flea1 which1 at liberty1 jumps one hundred and forty times its own height8 ,if you wish to know all the mysteries of animal-training1 an art based upon definite rules which vary very little in their application to the instincts of the different pupils1 ,i recommend you to read a book which will surprise you4 ,it was written by ,professor ,g4 ,j4 ,romanes1 secretary of the ,london ,zoological ,linnean ,society1 and has been translated into ,french for the 8,international ,scientific ,library40 ,it is called the ,intelligence of ,animals4 ,you need only glance at the first volume1 which refers to the intelligence of molluscs1 ants1 termites1 white ants1 spiders1 scorpions1 and the lower articulated animals4 ,but you should carefully study the chapters in the second volume devoted to birds1 the cat1 dog1 baboons1 and elephant4 ,i fancy that if any of you are partisans of the ,cartesian doctrine1 and hitherto only regarded animals as clocks with better regulated machinery than our own1 you will leave off reading considerably shaken in your assurance4 ,the saltimbanque1 who is not a creator of systems priori1 but whose philosophy is purely experimental1 has1 for a long time1 observed the regularity with which animals follow the same habits4 ,upon this observation he has based his method of training them4 p#aji ,whatever the animal may be which he wishes to train1 he commences by watching it closely1 endeavouring to discover not only the usual habits of the race1 but the personal disposition of the individual in question4 ,one specimen raises itself naturally upon its hind legs1 another is born with a talent for jumping4 4 4 4 ,and this axiom prevails in every case under training3 8,animals are never forced to execute1 at the command and will of others1 any movements which are not natural to them in a free state40 ,monkeys love to swing in the tropical creepers3 they are placed on a trapze2 a goat seeks for pointed rocks--he is a natural equilibrist3 so he is taught to balance himself on the neck of a bottle2 a dog instinctively rises on his hind legs to seize a morsel of sugar held out to him4 ,he must learn to maintain himself in the same position4 ,illustration p#aaj ,guided by these remarks1 a trainer enters upon his task4 ,he will attain his end if he judiciously uses the triple forces of fear1 greediness1 and habit4 ,illustration ,the first time that you make a dog stand on its hind legs you have to contend with the indolence which makes the animal wish to revert to its usual position4 ,practise the p#aaa lesson every day1 and each time reward the pupil with a lump of sugar4 ,an association of ideas will be soon formed in the dog's mind3 the disagreeable sensation of walking on its hind legs will be inseparably linked in its memory with the pleasure of crunching sugar4 ,and since the frequent repetition of the same movement lessens the fatigue of maintaining a vertical position1 the dog will at last willingly perform the feat which it at first disliked4 ,on the other hand1 it must be remembered that the whip is always ready to punish any obstinacy or awkwardness1 and you will readily understand that a poodle1 finding itself in the dilemma of either walking upon its hind legs and receiving a dainty1 or of not walking and receiving a blow1 at once chooses the polka4 ,illustration ,and here1 in its simplicity1 lies the whole secret of training animals4 ,patience and regularity from the man1 habit and greediness in the animal4 ,there is no other talisman4 ,you have all seen a pigeon-charmer on foot or on horseback2 it is p#aab one of the prettiest performances exhibited4 ,a young woman is carried round the arena at full gallop by her steed2 she raises herself or crouches down in graceful attitudes which show off the suppleness of her figure4 ,behind her1 like a mantle streaming in the wind1 the white flight of pigeons follows her movements4 ,they alight on the arms1 neck1 and shoulders of their mistress1 who recalls one of the young priestesses in the groves of ,gnide1 offering her rosy lips and soft white throat to the caresses of her doves4 ,now would you like to know the secret of her charm8 ,it is explained in an amusing vaudeville of the old style--,le ,sourd1 ou l',auberge pleine4 8,would you like10 one of the characters in this farce remarks to his companion1 8,would you like me to tell you an infallible method of catching birds8 ,well then1 listen6 ,you must strew some corn on your window-sill--the little birds will come and eat it4 ,put it there a second time--the little birds will come again4 ,on the eighth day you need not put any4 ,the birds will come open mouthed 4 4 4 and they will be caught40 ,this is the whole secret of the pigeon-charmer4 ,for seven days she strewed corn in the folds of her mantle4 ,the eighth day the pigeons were charmed4 ,this is an almost mechanical movement2 the certainty of success arises from the strength of instinct and the weakness of intelligence4 ,illustration3 ,,pigeon ,,tamer4 ,with superior animals like the dog1 the chances of failure are much more numerous2 but the same individual intelligence which renders obedience more doubtful1 authorizes the trainer to exact an effort that surpasses intelligence from p#aac those picked performers which he selects from amongst the pack4 ,and ,munito1 who played dominoes with his master1 seems to have as much chance of being remembered by posterity as ,archimedes the ,syracusian4 ,one of his companions1 an unlucky mongrel1 born in a gutter1 caused all ,paris to throng to the ,folies ,bergres last year4 ,amongst his compeers he had created the rle of the clown ,auguste4 ,illustration ,this clever dog-clown would reach the springing-board at a gallop1 then stop short before the bar1 pass under the chairs when the hoop was held out to him1 feign a sound and sonorous sleep when he was told to perform4 ,but all this was only shamming1 intended to evoke laughter from the audience4 ,suddenly the ,merry-,andrew would free himself from his collar1 bound upon the board1 and cleave the air p#aad with such a wonderful spring that the greyhounds refused to follow him1 and it was necessary to catch him on a mattress to prevent him from breaking his paws4 ,some months later he broke his back in ,london in a still more dangerous performance4 ,the best doctors were sent for1 but nothing could be done2 he died after a short struggle of sobs and howls4 ,i met his master some months afterwards1 and spoke to him about his loss4 ,he still wept when he mentioned the poor clown1 whom he had cherished with human friendship4 ,i listened to all his regrets1 and his words reawakened a sympathetic pang in my own heart4 ,illustration ,my lost favourite--a black poodle--was called ,miette4 ,she was not clever1 for she never even learnt to stand on her hind legs1 but we loved each other4 ,at that time ,i lived on the banks of the ,marne1 between ,nogent and ,joinville-le-,pont1 a terribly deserted and solitary district in winter4 ,if ,miette found that ,i did not return home by the last train1 she would break her chain and go and wait for me near ,reuilly1 in the moats of ,vincennes4 ,she wished to escort me through the woods1 which1 she felt1 were by night full of possible attacks and hidden peril4 ,one day she was bitten by a mad dog4 ,i did not suspect the nature of the illness that followed1 and endeavoured to open her mouth and give her some medicine4 ,she looked at me with mad1 supplicating eyes1 seeming to say1 8,leave me1 my master1 ,i do not want to bite you40 ,when ,i knew what was the matter1 ,i would not leave the task of killing her to a veterinary surgeon1 who might have done it awkwardly perhaps4 ,i led her into a thicket in that forest of ,vincennes which we had so frequently crossed together on fine1 silent1 p#aae frosty nights1 lighted only by the brilliance of the stars4 ,my heart ached with the agony of a man about to commit a crime1 who has led his friend into the corner of a wood p#aaf intending to perpetrate a cowardly murder4 ,but it was necessary that she should die4 ,i made her lie down1 put my revolver to her ear1 and fired4 ,oh1 my poor ,miette6 the long reproachful look you gave me ere your eyes closed for ever--your loving1 childlike eyes6 ,i dug a hole and gently laid you in the grave4 ,i took off your collar--it still lies in the drawer of my writing-table1 my hand often touches it when ,i turn over the confusion of papers4 ,the little curb rings like halfpence in a purse4 ,and then ,i fancy that my poor ,miette is moving round me2 that ,i hear her clumsy gallop on the wooden staircase2 that in a moment she will be scratching at the door4 ,is there a better world1 a paradise for these faithful servants of mankind8 ,i dare not assert that ,i believe so1 and yet1 in ,dauphin1 ,i once knew a dog who certainly cherished the hope of it4 ,he was a small curious-looking yellow mastiff1 a dog of a divine race which the ,emperor of ,china had given as a choice present to a ,french diplomat4 ,he resembled a beast in heraldry1 or one of those strange monsters that we see writhing and baying on painted vases and reliefs in bronze4 ,transported into ,france1 the ,chinese had crossed with every breed of dogs for ten leagues round1 and had created a race of fantastic-looking animals which showed the curious type of the father blended with every variation of the canine form4 ,towards the end of his life1 when ,i made his acquaintance1 he had become a dreamer4 ,he spent whole days with his head resting upon his paws1 his eyes fixed1 lost in his recollections4 ,one autumn evening we went out upon a terrace to enjoy the brilliant night2 we found him immovable upon a flagstone2 his head was raised p#aag towards the sky1 his eyes1 shining like carbuncles1 seemed to pierce the heavens1 gazing upon a definite point beyond4 ,his master was puzzled1 and called him three times3 8,kiang6 ,kiang6 ,kiang60 ,but he remained motionless1 like a bronze chimera1 soaring far above us in his ecstasy4 ,on the morrow he was found dead in his kennel4 ,illustration ,i have often thought since that he had some presentiment of his approaching death1 and that he heard the distant baying of ,sirius's hounds--of those dogs1 sons of heaven1 who hunt the ,bear1 and through all eternity assuage their divine thirst in the fountains of the ,milky ,way4 ,although the grimaces of the monkey may be amusing1 the dog's capacity for affection has won a higher place in my esteem4 ,i am wrong2 for if a poodle be very near to us by its heart and its delicacy of feeling1 a monkey is more closely akin to humanity through its gestures and form4 ,darwin has written very cleverly on this subject4 ,a baby of four years old1 whom ,i took to the ,corvi ,theatre the other day1 p#aah and who had not read ,darwin1 cried out1 when the dishonest cook appeared3 8,look6 it's a little negro60 ,you all know the popular performance of ,the ,roman ,orgie by ,couture4 ,behind a table well provided with biscuits and nuts1 a company of baboons1 ourang-outangs1 and brown monks is seated4 ,they are dressed like ,peruvian generals1 and each has a napkin tucked into his collar4 ,a poor little monkey1 tricked out in a town-crier's old clothes1 with a white cap and apron1 waits upon his comrades1 gambolling round the table4 ,in his right hand he holds a lighted candle2 in the left a basket1 which he dances by its handle4 ,ah6 yes1 that head cook6 he dances it by the handle morally and materially4#f ,you see1 he is weighing his provisions on the sly1 and seizing a mouthful whenever ,m4 ,corvi is not looking4 ,the same entertainment has gone on ever since our childhood1 and since the infancy of your father and grandfather4 ,and1 as it would be difficult to believe that the head cook is a sexagenarian1 we must conclude that a whole generation of actors have worn the apron and carried the candle without our remarking any change4 ,to satisfy myself on this point1 ,i questioned ,m4 ,corvi himself on the subject4 ,illustration 8,my show10 he kindly answered1 8is really a permanent entertainment4 ,as it entirely consists of scenes in which goats1 monkeys1 poodles1 and ponies are the sole actors1 ,i keep a reserve staff1 behind the scenes1 of understudies of p#aai every part4 ,in the pantomime called ,the ,deserter1 you will no longer find one single artist belonging to the original caste4 ,i have already replaced the judge1 the gendarmes1 the p#abj prisoner1 and the gravediggers1 just as consumption or gout made vacancies in my troupe4 ,the actors pass1 the play remains4 ,no one here is absolutely necessary4 ,if ,i lost my first leading gentleman to-morrow--he is a baboon named ,coquelin an--the play would not be interrupted for one single day4 ,we should replace him by his understudy--she is called ,coquelin cadet--and neither the nurses nor the babies1 who are our subscribers for ,tuesdays1 would ever discover the change of performer40 ,m4 ,corvi is one of the last representatives of the old-fashioned trainers1 who wore evening dress or a frock-coat1 like ,m4 ,loyal1 when they exhibited their pupils in the arena4 ,modern trainers prefer a clown's dress1 and their intentionally grotesque appearance is very effective when accompanied by ridiculous animals like the pig and the donkey4 ,the terrible ,onos1 compared by ,homer to the divine ,ajax1 the ass himself1 is now drawn by the ears into the arena by a clown4 ,perhaps you already know that the male ass is a dangerous animal4 ,he may be chosen from a small race1 but his bite will still be formidable1 and therefore the halter1 which only seems to decorate his head1 is really a strong muzzle1 and his hoofs are never shod4 ,in spite of these precautions the clown must be very agile to evade the kicks showered full at his chest1 and must be careful not to miss his spring over the bench when ,master ,aliboron charges at him across the arena like a bull rushing at a picador4 ,the appearance even of the pig has the power of delighting the crowd1 and who can resist laughing when the clown approaches his pupil and shouts3 8,come here1 pig60 p#aba 8,eh80 asks ,m4 ,loyal4 8,i'm not talking to you40 ,although the training of the pig may still seem imperfect1 the education of this animal requires extreme patience from its teacher4 ,an ,irish proverb quoted to me by ,billy ,hayden says3 8,beat your wife with a cudgel and your pig with a straw40 ,and1 truly1 the pig's bristling skin is so sensitive that the least touch of the whip covers it with blisters1 and disgusts the animal with all work for ever4 ,only coaxing and kindness must be used4 ,illustration ,the elephant is1 perhaps1 the only beast yet stricter than the pig in regard to politeness4 p#abb ,this animal1 which the trainer ,corradini at the ,hippodrome1 and the brothers ,lockhart in most places have exhibited with so much success1 possesses all the passions and all the feelings of man4 ,i quite agree with you that some of the stories quoted to us about elephants require confirmation1 and ,i always feel some distrust in reading the anecdote1 related by ,plutarch 7,de ,solert4 ,anim4 cap4 xii471 of an elephant which had been punished for dancing badly1 and was afterwards discovered practising its steps alone in the moonlight4 ,but there is scientific evidence of the magnanimity of the elephant1 of its deep sense of duty and self-respect4 ,griffiths1 whose good faith cannot be doubted1 quotes one very characteristic incident proving this self-respect4 ,at the siege of ,bhurtpore1 after the ,english had been encamped for some time before the walls of the city1 the dry winds set in and soon evaporated all the water in the reserved ponds2 this led to great competition round the last well which contained any4 ,one day two drivers were at the edge of the well with their elephants2 one of the beasts1 which was of remarkable size1 seeing its companion use a pail to draw up the water1 forcibly wrenched it away4 ,whilst the two keepers were joking1 the victim1 though conscious of the injury1 restrained its resentment4 ,but when the thief bent over the edge of the well to reach the water1 the smaller elephant made a terrible spring1 and throwing itself with lowered head upon its enemy1 sent it rolling into the cistern4 ,illustration ,this pride1 when once overcome1 is of great assistance to the trainer1 but it sometimes produces a tragedy4 ,when elephants are tamed1 the presence of the monitor elephants p#abc can usually be dispensed with at the end of two months1 and the prisoner is afterwards ridden by its keeper4 ,at the end of three or four months it is sufficiently docile to work1 but there is some danger in subjecting it to this ordeal too abruptly1 for it frequently happens that an adult and perfectly p#abd healthy elephant will lie down and die after it has worn harness for the first time4 ,the natives then say that it died of a broken heart2 in any case1 the death is not caused by either illness or wounds4 7,sir ,e4 ,,tennent1 loc4 cit4 p4 #baf47 ,i have also found1 amongst the ,memoirs of the actor1 ,charles ,young1 published by his son1 the ,rev4 ,julius ,young1 an anecdote which well illustrates the sagacity and affectionate sensibility of these huge pachyderms4 ,the newspapers had announced the arrival in ,england of the largest elephant that had ever been seen4 ,henry ,harris1 the manager of ,covent ,garden ,theatre1 at once purchased ,chung--that was the animal's name--for exhibition in a pantomime entitled ,harlequin1 which he had mounted very expensively4 ,harris paid #ijj guineas for the beast4 ,mrs4 ,henry ,johnston was to ride it1 and ,miss ,parker was to act as columbine4 ,but at the general rehearsal1 when ,chung reached a bridge over a cascade which he was expected to cross1 he refused to step upon it1 distrusting its solidity1 and not without reason4 ,in vain the angry keeper punished him by pricking him behind the ear with an iron goad4 ,with lowered eyes and pendent ears1 the enormous animal stood in a pool of blood1 motionless as a wall4 ,illustration ,the captain of the vessel which had brought ,chung over1 came in during the contest between the man and the elephant4 ,he had become fond of the beast1 and often fed it with dainties4 ,the animal had scarcely recognized its friend when it approached him with a supplicating air1 gently took his hand in its trunk and placed it in the bleeding wound1 then held the hand up to the captain's eyes4 ,the gesture p#abf said as clearly as words3 8,see how they have made me suffer60 ,poor ,chung appeared so unhappy that every one was touched1 even the cruel keeper4 ,to win pardon the man ran out and bought some apples1 which he offered to the elephant4 ,but ,chung disdainfully threw them away4 ,the captain1 who had also fetched some fruit from ,covent ,garden ,market1 came back immediately afterwards and held it out to ,chung4 ,he willingly accepted it1 and after eating it1 coiled his trunk gently round his protector's waist4 ,since no one has yet succeeded in exhibiting a learned whale1 the elephant is the largest animal that has been taught obedience to man4 ,chung's adventures would therefore seem a fitting close to this monograph on training4 ,yet ,i wish to crown this chapter by an account of the training of an animal of very different size--the cat4 ,and although this sequence may seem curious to you1 it is chosen for at least two reasons2 first1 that the appearance of a trained domestic cat is the latest achievement of the trainer's art2 and secondly1 that ,i am not sure whether the conquest of the cat is a triumph of training or of taming4 ,there is1 in fact1 as much ground for regarding the cat as a wild beast1 as for considering it a domestic animal4 ,hitherto we have believed1 on the authority of ,m4 de ,buffon1 the systematic detractor of the cat1 that it was an untamable animal4 ,the great naturalist states that 8it will not allow any one to influence its idle1 thieving instincts40 ,the cat has waited for nearly a century1 but at last this slander can be refuted2 its falsehood is clearly proved4 ,nearly twenty years ago a child was born in a ,dutch p#abg village1 who1 from an early age1 showed unusual skill in taming and training animals4 ,illustration ,when the youth was seventeen--his name is ,bonnetty--he introduced learned rabbits1 hares1 and guinea pigs1 into the arena1 so wonderfully trained that even the ,dutch1 who are not1 as a rule1 easy to move1 were much astonished4 ,however ,bonnetty was not going to stop yet4 ,tempted by the great difficulty of the feat1 he determined to prove that ,m4 de ,buffon was unjust to the cat1 and with rare patience he devoted himself to the education of that animal4 ,he chose two subjects1 both ,dutch1 like himself1 cats from ,hooren--,m4 ,bonnetty had remarked1 after much p#abh observation1 that the cats from that district are particularly docile--and he spent some months in training them2 then one by one he added comrades to them1 until he had twenty2 the instinct of imitation assisted the later recruits to learn more rapidly4 ,the first exercise consisted in making the cat jump at the word of command4 8,vooruit60 cries ,m4 ,bonnetty1 who speaks nothing but ,dutch4 ,the cat does not vooruit all at once4 ,it pauses undecided2 very often it does not understand4 ,but ,bonnetty never loses patience4 ,with a gentle hand1 which resembles velvet in its touch1 he softly caresses the cat's spine1 quite determined not to be angry1 yet equally decided not to yield the point4 ,at last the cat realizes what is required of it1 and jumps4 ,this first step gained1 the after-work of education proceeds more quickly4 ,the animal gets used to walking on the backs of chairs and the necks of bottles1 or to leaping over flaming circles4 ,but there is one decisive trial to pass through--that of appearing before the public4 ,m4 ,bonnetty has had some cats1 perfectly obedient in rehearsal1 which could not be induced to perform to the sound of music before a crowd of spectators4 ,they coiled themselves up in a corner of their little house1 returning suddenly to a wild state4 8,i cannot treat them as ,i would dogs10 ,m4 ,bonnetty observed to me1 8by interpreting my wishes through a whip4 ,all violence is useless with them2 ,i can only count upon what it pleases them to do2 and my cats and ,i always treat each other with the utmost courtesy40 p#abi ,and in a moment of effusion his eyes suddenly filled with tears1 and the cat-tamer related to me the story of an incomparable cat that he had lost in ,brussels last ,may4 ,illustration 8,ah6 monsieur1 he was a cat that ,i can never replace4 ,he would leap over fourteen chairs with one bound1 at more than a yard and a half high4 8,but you know what artists are3 great children1 all of them4 ,on the very evening that we reached ,brussels1 ,i went to see my animals an hour before the performance4 ,i found that ,thommech had made his escape4 ,the poor fellow was high on the tiles rushing after a ,brussels cat that had turned his head4 ,he tried to leap from one roof to another on the opposite side of the p#acj street4 ,he fell1 and when ,i picked him up from the pavement he was dying4 8,since then1 monsieur10 continued ,m4 ,bonnetty1 after a moment's sorrowful silence1 8,i have made one great resolution3 ,i have now only sultanas in my troupe1 and the keepers of the harem40 ,illustration ,like ,bidel1 who introduced a sheep into the cage with his lions1 ,m4 ,bonnetty has forced his cats to live in harmony with mice and birds4 ,a flock of ,dutch canaries is perched upon a cord stretched across the circus2 near them some white mice and dappled grey rats are quietly resting4 ,the tamer then opens the door of the cats' palace1 and in ,indian file all the band of artists1 ,thiber1 ,jano1 ,moor1 ,edward1 ,paris1 ,brussel1 ,boulanger1 ,djeh1 ,brutus1 and ,csar1 march slowly out p#aca striding over the rodents and birds1 some of which fly off and fearlessly return1 alighting on the heads of the cats4 ,illustration ,the first interviews between a new rat and a new cat are really amusing4 ,m4 ,bonnetty delicately holds each of his pupils by the skin of the neck1 and forces them to look at each other1 at first holding them at a respectful distance1 but afterwards gradually drawing them nearer together1 until at last they can touch each other's nose4 8,this proves10 ,m4 ,bonnetty said to me1 8that the worst enemies are always interested in knowing each other40 ,i remember that we parted after this philosophic reflection4 ,i went home and found my own cat lying before the smouldering fire4 ,he was asleep1 crouched in his usual sphinx-like attitude4 ,i approached him gently and said3 8,my friend1 hitherto ,i have misunderstood you4 ,i beg your pardon4 8,the friendship of so many great men who1 from ,thophile ,gautier to ,sylvestre ,bonnard1 have venerated you as a god1 might have warned me that ,i was wrong to distrust you4 8,forgive me4 ,bonnetty has proved to me that you are neither indocile nor cruel2 henceforth ,i will live with you in greater intimacy1 on terms of confidential affection40 ,and whilst pussy purred loudly in the warmth of the dying embers1 ,i bent over him and softly murmured1 like a religious invocation1 the beautiful sonnet written by ,jules ,lematre1 the gentle friend of cats and of myself3 p#acb ,illustration ,mon chat1 hte sacr de ma vieille maison1 ,de ton dos lectrique arrondis la souplesse1 ,viens te pelotonner sur mes genoux1 et laisse ,que je plonge mes doigts dans ta chaude toison4 ,ferme demi1 les reins mus d'un long frisson1 ,ton il vert qui me raille et pourtant me caresse1 ,ton il vert sem d'or qui1 charg de paresse1 ,m'observe d'ironique et bnigne faon4 ,tu n'as jamais connu1 philosophe1 vieux frre1 ,la fidlit sotte et bruyante du chien2 ,tu m'aimes cependant1 et mon cur le sent bien4 ,ton amour clairvoyant et peut-tre phmre ,me plat2 et je salue en toi1 calme penseur1 ,deux exquises vertus3 scepticisme et douceur4 ,my cat1 the sacred guest of my old home1 ,thy sleek electric back now curve for me4 ,come nestle on my knee and let my fingers roam ,in the warm glossy fur that clotheth thee4 ,half closed1 now thou hast ended that long yawn1 ,thine emerald eye1 half scornful its caress1 ,thine emerald eye1 gleaming with golden rays ,that idly kind1 yet mocking o'er me plays4 ,philosopher1 old brother1 thou hast not known ,the faithful1 noisy friendship of the dog1 ,yet my heart feels the love that thou hast shown4 ,thy clear seeing1 perhaps ephemeral affection1 ,contents me2 and in thee calm sage ,i greet ,scepticism and meekness1 virtues exquisite4 ,illustration ,,footnotes3 #f ,to 8dance the basket0 is the ,french idiom for the pilfering of the cook4 p#acc ,illustration ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,tamers4 ,the tamer's performance is certainly one of those exhibitions which give the most valuable evidence of the superiority of man over animals4 ,some morose spirits have put forth the lion's claims to royalty in rivalry to the supremacy of ,adam4 ,in the p#acd menagerie the two candidates meet each other4 ,the lion has formidable jaws and claws2 the man has only a pair of boots and a whip4 ,yet it is the lion that obeys6 ,the great feline's spring through a paper hoop settles the disputed question in favour of humanity4 ,one leaves the theatre with uplifted head and heart swollen with pride4 ,and besides this philosophic satisfaction1 a visit to a menagerie is one of the most delightful amusements you can choose4 ,you enter a dark booth1 impregnated with a strong odour of carrion4 ,at first the eyes can scarcely distinguish the strange sphinx-like forms extended behind the iron bars of the cages1 crouching in dreamy1 sleepy attitudes4 ,suddenly the gas-burner is lighted4 ,two keepers enter1 covered with blood like the headsman's assistants2 they bear a handbarrow laden with great quarters of horseflesh2 a third person accompanies them carrying a hook4 8,the animals are now to be fed10 he cries in a showman's voice4 8,the supper consists of more than #fjj lbs4 of meat4 ,those persons who wish to see the food distributed are begged to stand a little to the right40 ,you follow the hook1 the barrow1 and the people4 ,illustration ,apparently some whisper of rebellion has passed through the menagerie1 but just now resting and sleepy4 ,a howl is raised1 which echoes every note of the desert4 ,the keepers add to the animals' excitement by holding out the empty hook2 the lions savagely throw themselves upon it1 not seeing that they are deceived4 ,with the gestures of a cat1 they glide their paws between the bars to seize their prey1 and crush their muzzles and their manes against them4 ,as they pant with rage1 their breath rises in clouds of smoke1 p#ace scattering the sawdust of their litter4 ,they roar and dribble with hunger4 ,at last the meat is within their reach1 and they drag the huge pieces towards their jaws1 too large to pass through the bars at first1 there is a moment's struggle1 and then the great lumps are triumphantly drawn in4 ,when the booty is held1 before rending it1 the beasts lie down upon it1 with little spasmodic rattles--the expression of satisfaction after rage4 p#acf ,by the side of the lions the wolf is dancing1 uttering lamentable howls4 ,the tigers prowl to and fro in their agitation like phantoms with lapiz gleams in their eyes4 ,the bear waits for his piece of bread in silence4 ,and as the growls of enjoyment slowly1 gradually subside1 the menagerie resumes its usual quiet aspect1 and the beasts lie drowsily on their sawdust beds1 lazily licking their jaws with sighs of repletion4 ,this is the time selected by the tamers to enter the dens4 ,the women go in with bare arms and necks2 the men hesitate between a gentleman's evening-dress and the red uniform of the ,horse ,guards4 ,as the emotions of the audience must be gradually and skilfully roused1 the performance usually opens by the exercises with the white bear4 ,an attendant with a hook slips back the protecting partition4 ,the tamer receives the creature1 whip in hand4 8,come in1 ,pierrot40 7,every white bear has been called ,pierrot ever since the ,north ,pole was invented47 8,come1 you lazy fellow1 jump6 ,show yourself off6 ,that's right6 ,once more6 ,a bar for ,pierrot6 ,well6 ,i am waiting for you6 ,higher1 ,pierrot1 higher60 7,the strange creature sways its serpent-like neck and gives a sudden spring47 8,very well done6 ,now1 ,pierrot1 we are going to see if you are a coward4 ,ready6 ,fire60 7,the tamer fires a pistol4 ,the bear moves its head uneasily47 8,that will do1 my friend2 you can go4 ,ladies and gentlemen1 there is only one thing which ,pierrot cannot endure1 that is the smell of powder40 p#acg ,now it is the turn of ,sarah the hyena1 which comes in with its hobbling step and the suspicious glances of the birds of darkness4 ,it smells the master's boots1 and takes a piece of sugar in its teeth4 ,it soon retires into a corner1 whilst ,mignonne the panther appears4 ,mignonne performs with all the grace of a ballet-dancer4 ,she passes from right to left1 over the back of the tamer2 allows him to raise her from the ground by the ears1 and kisses her master's throat near the nape of the neck4 ,but this is all child's play1 trifles to commence with2 the appearance of the lion is the event of the evening that we are all waiting for4 ,he enters with all the dignity of the leading performer1 almost openly impatient to show himself4 ,his mate follows him4 ,the couple must have been worth seeing in their ,african solitude in their wild courtship4 ,now it is accepted slavery4 ,rebellion and hope are both over4 ,the lion looks at his master2 he seems to say--8,what do you want me to do8 ,show my claws8 ,here they are then4 ,feign to be dead8 ,would to ,god ,i were really so6 ,you lie down upon me as though ,i were a bed2 you invite ,ada to come and share your rest4 ,sleep side by side4 ,when ,i was free ,i tore a black-maned lion to pieces for prowling round our den4 ,and now do as you like1 whether in darkness or in light4 ,fire your pistol1 your barrel of sparks4 ,i do not dread fire now any more than ,i feared a battle before my loins were broken in the snare in which ,i was caught for you40 ,since it is absolutely necessary to raise some laughter and vary this tragic monologue1 the lion-tamer calls his usual p#ach buffoon1 a poor little ,savoyard bear1 the delight of nurses and children4 ,the proximity of the lion is unendurable to the bear4 ,it is willing to dance1 to say yes or no1 to carry arms1 but it shrinks from an interview with the desert king1 who has a fancy for receiving it with a loud roar4 ,but we have plenty of time to observe its caution and to ascertain its tastes4 ,the tamer1 already impatient at its delay1 calls and scolds it4 8,come in1 then1 your highness2 come in1 my little friend4 ,you are always the first after all the others4 ,look a little more lively then1 a little more amiable4 ,you are in society4 ,we have been looking forward to your visit4 ,here is your comrade ,sultan1 who wishes for nothing better than to play with you a little40 7,here the tamer takes the bear by the ear and drags it towards the lion1 who paws the ground with threatening claws47 8,eh1 but what is the matter then8 ,your highness beginning to tremble8 ,don't be frightened1 my good fellow4 ,see how well behaved ,sultan is2 he is always smiling40 ,illustration ,i sincerely pity those persons who are not amused by this comical bear4 ,i1 who thoroughly appreciate the delicacy of its performance1 can assert that ,i have never passed a menagerie without entering the office4 ,this is why ,i am now on such good terms with all the lion-tamers--,bidel1 ,pezon1 ,nouma-,hava1 and ,co4 ,it is already two or three years since ,i made the acquaintance of ,pezon4 ,it was at the wedding of one of his daughters with a young man whose name ,i cannot recollect1 but who had already received his p#aci baptism of blood in the cages4 ,the marriage-dinner was held at ,saint ,mand1 in the ,salon des ,familles4 ,all the tamers in the kingdom1 male and female1 had been invited to this festival4 ,they had not felt it a duty--and ,i secretly regretted the fact--to wear either their trunk-hose or their riding-boots1 but were all in evening dress and lavender kid gloves4 ,we sat down1 thirty to dinner1 including myself4 ,on my right was a very dark man with a moustache like that of ,victor ,emmanuel2 he has since been eaten in a fair in the south of ,france4 ,i can affirm that this lion-tamer1 as well as his comrades1 had an excellent appetite1 and ,i should not have cared to find myself between his teeth4 p#adj ,neither leg of bear nor chaud-froid of lion was served at the wedding feast1 but the wine flowed abundantly1 and1 at dessert1 all tongues were liberated4 ,i had1 therefore1 an excellent opportunity of proving that these powerful men are in domestic life the most amiable of mankind4 ,i never received so many fraternal embraces in my life as at this wedding1 where the guests followed the example of ,homer's heroes and heroines1 whose last representatives they certainly are4 ,judge for yourself3 ,besides a bag of gold crowns that glittered brilliantly in the sunshine1 the youthful bride entered the new menagerie--,i beg pardon1 the new home--with a dowry of four lions4 ,a friend of the family had offered her a small panther from ,java as a wedding present4 ,her godfather had given her two rattlesnakes1 and the bridegroom's brother had added to these gifts an adult rabbit without any hair1 a curiosity never met with before4 4 4 4 ,you1 who seek for some means of securing eternal youth in your limbs1 should devote a little time to lion-taming1 the foam of their rage must be the real fountain of eternal youth4 ,look at ,jean-,baptiste ,pezon3 he is more than sixty-three years old1 and yet one would say that roots1 knotty oak roots1 started from his boots and fastened him to the ground1 enabling him to stand so firmly on his sturdy hips4 ,and not one single grey hair is to be found in the curious black tresses which fall to his shoulders1 worn in the same fashion as that of his contemporary ,cladel1 whom ,jean-,baptiste somewhat resembles4 ,yet the mask of the lion-tamer is cast in quite p#ada a different mould from that of the literary man4 ,at most ,cladel has the appearance of a shepherd2 whilst ,pezon looks like a wolf-driver4 ,illustration ,in fact ,jean-,baptiste commenced his life of adventure in that capacity4 ,born in ,lozre1 he worked in the mines during his childhood1 and was there initiated in rude muscular labour at a very early age3 but he cherished the dream of p#adb leading a wandering life4 ,he longed for unlimited space before his sturdy legs1 the heavens for roof over his head4 ,he therefore quitted his subterranean employment and became a plough-boy4 ,for some years he was celebrated through all the country side as a tamer of savage animals2 dangerous cows1 horses1 and bulls were submissive in his hands1 and he forced the beasts to obey him as much by his audacity as by his strength4 ,he was also a hunter4 ,one day he snared a living wolf1 and it suddenly occurred to him to leave his servile employment and travel through the world with this strange companion4 ,the wolf learnt to 8carry arms10 to walk on its hind legs1 and to carry a wooden bowl round to the audience4 ,when enough money had been acquired by these collections1 ,jean-,baptiste obtained another wolf1 then a bear1 and a bull1 which he harnessed to his cart2 and with this equipage he made--to quote his own words--8the tour of ,france and the great powers40 ,a little later the tamer bought his first lion at ,bordeaux4 ,it was an animal with a superb mane1 but his hind quarters had been injured by the trap that caught him4 ,at three o'clock in the morning ,jean-,baptiste appeared on board the vessel belonging to the captain from whom he had bought the lion1 to take possession of his new acquisition4 8,but how will you take it away80 asked the sailor1 slipping his two hundred louis into his pocket4 8,you have not brought a cage80 8,i have a collar and a chain10 replied ,pezon4 ,he shackled the beast like a small ,savoyard bear1 and led him home with a leash4 p#adc ,now ,pezon owns at least thirty lions--as many adults as cubs4 ,he has built a good house at ,montreuil1 and is thinking of giving his farewell performance4 ,illustration ,the success of ,m4 ,bidel1 ,pezon's comrade and rival1 was even more rapidly attained4 ,at fifty years old he had reached the summit of wealth and honour4 ,his visiting card1 now lying before me1 recapitulates the series of lucky events which have placed the tamer in this unique position much better than ,i could do3 ,,fran,,ois ,,bidel1 ,,chevalier ,,de ,,la ,,valeur ,,civile ,,italienne1 ,,pr,,sident ,,de ,l',,union ,,mutuelle1 ,,directeur ,d',,un ,,grand ,,tablissement ,,zoologique4 ,and in the left corner of the card1 where you would put your address1 the single word ,propritaire 7house-owner74 ,do not smile at this2 ,bidel has the right to be proud of his villa at ,asnires4 ,to him1 after so many years spent in p#add moving round the world1 the word propritaire signifies the anchor dropped1 the harbour won4 ,it is a genuine certificate of bourgeoisie4 ,illustration ,bidel is not only one of the richest bourgeois of ,asnires2 he might be called the lord of the manor4 ,behind his gilded iron gate1 ornamented with lions' heads1 with the porter's lodge to the left1 the stables to the right1 and a fine expanse of turf1 the red and white villa looks like a small castle4 ,the dining-room is decorated with panels1 on which ,rosa ,bonheur has painted some lions2 but this is the only detail which could p#ade lead any one to suppose--unless previously warned--that he was visiting the house of a tamer of wild beasts4 ,illustration ,i am sure1 good people1 that you would picture to yourselves a ,bidel ending his life in a room encumbered with the spoils of the lion of ,nema and ,indian tigers4 ,but you are far from the truth4 ,do you not know that an ironical law governs all the wishes of man1 the wishes of lion-tamers as well as our own8 ,it is called the law of contrasts4 ,in virtue of this rule ,m4 ,franois ,bidel has furnished his drawing-room in the purest ,louis ,,xv41 and the ceiling1 panels1 and seats are covered with pastoral designs of shepherds2 idylls and love flourish in all the four corners of the pretty room4 ,mdlle4 ,bidel's piano is the sole object bearing a different date4 ,perhaps you may have seen this charming young girl with her mother in the ticket office on the day of some great performance4 ,she has just enough romanichel blood in her p#adf veins to give a slightly exotic brilliancy to her brunette beauty4 ,naturally1 this pretty girl is an heiress4 ,her education and accomplishments are perfect1 and she has passed her examinations at the ,htel de ,ville4 8,of course our daughter has no intention of teaching10 ,madame ,bidel observed to me casually1 8but her success was a satisfaction for her father40 ,all this comfort and luxury have not been won without some dangerous encounters with the lions4 ,bidel1 like ,pezon1 has passed under the mill of their claws1 and they can both show the scars of serious wounds to those sceptics who may be inclined to deny the risk of their performances4 ,a number of chimerical stories are current about the lion-tamer's secret4 ,here is one of them3 that it is usual to mix narcotics with the animals' food1 or even to teach them those bad habits which led the celebrated ,charlot to a premature death4 ,the truth is that a certain number--a very small percentage--of the wild beasts in a menagerie are considerably stupefied4 ,guy de ,maupassant told me that in ,rouen a tamer having lost his keeper1 engaged a willing man from the port1 to whom he confided the duty of cleaning the cages4 ,on the morrow1 when he went into the menagerie1 the master paused aghast4 ,his new servant had quietly entered the cage as though it were a stall1 and was giving the lion some heavy blows with his broom handle to clean between his paws4 ,at the ,folies ,bergre a lioness was at one time exhibited by ,colonel ,bone1 who was taking her round the world4 ,this animal was so savage that it was necessary to chain her into p#adg the cage with an iron collar4 ,when the colonel merely passed near the den she would fling herself against the bars with such fury that the whole car trembled4 ,but one day one of the managers of the theatre was inspecting the side scenes and witnessed the following incident3 the colonel's servant was installed in the cage1 quietly painting a background of savannah on a canvas stretched over the floor4 ,the lioness was unchained and watched him as a dog watches a fisherman1 stealthily licking the green paint from time to time2 the result being an attack of colic which nearly sent her to roar in another world4 ,illustration ,i1 who now address you1 have entered a black-maned lion's cage quite recently4 ,oh6 do not exclaim at my heroism4 ,a great many people have visited this captive king of the desert2 first1 ,tartarin1 then all the ,marseillais1 then ,mademoiselle ,roselia ,rousseil1 who on a similar occasion dedicated a poem to ,bidel1 entitled1 ,la ,mort du ,lion1 ou le ,dompteur p#adh par ,amour 7,the ,lion's ,death2 or1 ,the ,tamer by ,love71 which commenced with these lines3 ,c'est un vaillant dompteur1 jamais il ne recule4 ,son corps semble ptri par les dieux2 l'on croit voir ,la grce d',apollon dans la force d',hercule4 ,pour moi1 j'aime surtout son grand il doux si noir4#g ,i did not visit the lion in order to write verses to him4 ,i merely wished to be introduced to him because ,i knew that ,i should have to mention him to you4 ,it was a scruple of professional honesty on my part4 ,here is a true account of the interview without any embellishment4 ,the lion-tamer1 with whom ,i had a short previous conference1 answered for the safety of the attempt4 8,you must wait10 he said1 8in the entrance to the door until ,i call you40 ,he then entered the cage in a familiar way1 and as the lion was asleep1 he pulled it by the ears4 ,when the beast1 who at first grumbled a little1 was sitting up and seemed composed again1 my companion called to me3 8,come in1 now60 ,i went in cautiously at the back1 taking two steps forward1 so that ,i might still be nearer to the door than to the lion4 ,i must own that the desert king did not honour me by even turning his head4 ,he was talking to his tamer4 ,the two gentlemen left me standing1 and ,i looked rather like a bootmaker waiting for orders from a nobleman4 p#adi ,man is a coward4 ,the lion's contempt gave me courage4 ,i advanced a step so that ,i could touch the leg of the beast4 ,illustration 8,oh60 ,i said1 8how silky it is60 ,it was not silky at all1 it was abominably harsh4 ,since then ,i have reflected upon the feeling which could have induced me to utter this falsehood1 and the result of this self-examination is so humiliating that ,i will confide it p#aej to you as a penance4 ,in fact 8how silky it is0 was prompted by an instinct of base flattery--a courtier's compliment--the toadyism of a coward who felt himself nearer to the lion than to the door4 ,the boldest individuals1 who put their heads two or three times a day into the lion's mouth1 have told me that the best way to withdraw it from the gulf is1 first of all1 not to open the acquaintanceship with this experiment2 and1 secondly1 to perform it with great nerve4 ,nerve1 that is the great secret of the lion-tamer1 the sole cause of his authority over his beasts4 ,when he has studied a subject for some time1 endeavouring to master its character--and amongst the higher animals the character is very individual1 very accentuated--one morning the man quietly walks into the cage4 ,he must astonish the beast and over-awe him at once4 ,as to the training1 it consists--and here ,i quote the words of an expert in such matters--in commanding the lion to perform the exercises which please him2 that is to say1 to make him execute from fear of the whip those leaps which he would naturally take in his wild state4 ,there is one fact which no one would suspect--that it is easier to train an adult lion taken in a snare than an animal born in a menagerie4 ,the lion of the booth is in the same position as sporting dogs which play much with children2 they are soon spoilt for work4 ,pezon possesses five or six lions which he has brought up by hand4 ,as a rule they live with the staff of the menagerie on terms of perfect familiarity1 but this frequently leads to tragic accidents4 p#aea ,lions1 even lions in a fair1 will devour a man in fine style4 ,illustration ,can ,i say that the fear of such an accident is ever sufficiently strong to make me pause on the threshold of a menagerie8 ,no4 ,i cherish1 and1 like me1 you also cherish1 the hope that some day perhaps we may see a lion-tamer eaten4 ,this contingency sometimes occurs1 in fact more often than is usually supposed4 ,for instance1 without leaving the ,pezon menagerie1 it is not a year since the proprietor narrowly escaped being devoured by his bear ,groom at ,chalons-sur-,marne4 ,he would have perished if his son ,adrian ,pezon had not thrown himself1 sabre in hand1 between the two combatants and killed the bear on the spot4#h ,this act of heroism has been celebrated by the poet ,constant ,robert in some remarkable ,alexandrines1 which deserve to be handed down to posterity3-- p#aeb ,l'assistance appelait au secours1 et l'horreur ,qui s'empara soudain de chaque spectateur ,ne saurait se dcrire6 ,on tait dans l'attente1 ,sans pouvoir l'viter1 d'une mort imminente6 ,lorsqu'au moment critique1 intrpide1 haletant1 ,un lion apparat sous les traits d'un enfant6 ,son fils et son lve6 4 4 4 ,adrien6 ,oui1 lui-mme6#i ,as to ,bidel1 every one recollects that in ,july1 #ahhf1 at the fair de ,neuilly1 a lion mangled all one side of his neck4 ,two of my friends were amongst the spectators of this duel--the painter1 ,edouard ,detaille1 and my dear comrade ,paul ,hervieu4 ,when ,detaille reached home1 on the same evening1 he made a rapid sketch of the conflict between the man and the lion whilst the impression was still fresh in his memory4 ,he has kindly authorized me to reproduce it here4 ,the effect is of a cat playing with a bird4 ,bidel's coat was torn into fine shreds by the scratching of the claws from the collar to the waist1 showing the flesh underneath4 ,on his side1 ,paul ,hervieu was good enough to send me the valuable notes which you are about to read4 ,he addressed them to me in the form of a letter1 which has been published in the ,monde ,illustre4 8,the accident took place on one evening in ,july1 #ahhf1 at the ,neuilly fair4 ,the weather was heavy and stormy1 and the lion-tamer had one foot bandaged for gout4 ,illustration3 ,,hypnotism ,,in ,a ,,wild ,,beasts' ,,cage4 p#aec 8,however1 the performance was nearly over1 and it seemed as though everything would soon be safely ended1 in spite of the unusually refractory voice and attitudes of ,sultan1 a fine dark-maned lion 7for the lionesses1 although ,i believe they are all blonde like ,eve1 can choose between dark-or light-coloured manes amongst their large-headed lords74 8,suddenly ,bidel fell1 having caught himself in his blunt two-pronged iron spear1 and in some way tripped over it4 ,every one present uttered a brief cry4 ,then1 a deadly silence fell upon the huge tent--a silence so intense that the hissing of the gas-lights could be heard4 8,i shall never forget the man's face at the moment he lost his balance4 ,i still see his starting eyes1 the white balls vividly contrasting with his features1 congested by gout and by his previous efforts4 ,it was the expression of one who feels that he is lost1 who is sinking into an abyss4 ,now the tamer was lying upon the floor of the cage like an inert mass1 without a gesture or a cry for help4 ,he never attempted to raise himself1 probably through some tactic dictated by his experience1 but apparently he had the time to do it in1 for the lion still remained crouched a few yards away4 ,illustration 8,perhaps1 my dear ,le ,roux1 you have some wish that ,i should define the nature of the emotion which seizes an eye-witness under these circumstances8 ,this emotion is certainly multiform4 ,thus1 for my own part1 you may feel sure that ,i was distressed1 horrified--that ,i regretted being present on that fatal evening4 4 4 4 ,on the other hand1 if you do not object1 ,i will tell you that ,i was accompanied by a friend1 a kind of inseparable1 who is very curious about rare sensations4 8,now this friend has since confessed to me that whilst the lion remained immovable he was conscious of one idea 4 4 4 4 how can ,i express it8 4 4 4 4 ,in short1 it was like a ferocious wish that something unexpected should happen1 like a monstrous impatience4 4 4 4 4 8,and1 in excuse for my friend1 ,i try to convince myself that he was not alone in feeling an abominable and vague desire2 to me it seemed to have imprinted a fugitive expression upon all the blanched faces that rise before me even now3 for instance1 that of a small1 freckled1 red-haired woman p#aed clinging to her husband's arm1 who gnawed her lower lip and mercilessly climbed upon my feet--mercilessly1 at all events1 for my feet4 ,illustration 8,at last the lion raised himself upon his four paws1 and without advancing1 gazed at his inert master with extreme distrust of the mass armed with a whip1 #8who was saying nothing worth hearing4' ,one second passed in this way1 or one century1 ,i could not be sure which4 ,then ,sultan made1 towards what he began to consider a possible prey1 two small furtive steps 4 4 4 4 two cat-like steps1 prudent and stealthy 4 4 4 4 and again1 two little steps4 ,then he laid one of his heavy paws upon his tamer's shoulder1 still not maliciously1 rather as a caution1 as we should place one hand upon a sheet of paper in danger of blowing away4 8,in thus interpreting the ideas passing #8through the darkness a lion has for soul1' to quote a line from ,victor ,hugo1 ,i have at least the satisfaction of knowing that my impressions harmonize with the picture that ,edouard ,detaille seized with the eye of a great painter4 8,but oh1 my dear ,hugues ,le ,roux1 no pencil of the illustrious artist can depict1 all the resources of the pen are powerless to describe1 the frightful tumult which1 in the hitherto silent theatre1 greeted this first act after the gloomy prologue--an infernal din1 the noise of falling chairs1 of shouts1 of screams6 4 4 4 4 8,if ,i ventured to write an essay on the physiology of modern wild beasts p#aee in the course of the reflections which ,i should be forced to devote to the accidents of the show1 ,i should not fail to mention these axioms3-- ,illustration 8#a4 ,a female spectator never faints until there is nothing more to see 4 4 4 4 8#b4 ,the audience in the second places is only waiting for an opportunity to rush into the first seats 4 4 4 4 8,and1 in fact1 without a moment's interval1 all the barriers were scaled4 ,round the cage women were eagerly pushing men aside in their efforts to get a better view4 ,and shrieks6--but the shrieks6 8,when the clamour first arose ,sultan turned his head towards the multitude1 p#aef which he looked at with really sublime tranquillity for an amateur1 as my friend pointed out to me4 ,no doubt it was the vivid light and the movement of the crowd which made the lion wink--yes1 his eyes twinkled4 ,and in itself that gave a shadow of indulgence to his strength4 ,but now he returned to his captive1 tormenting1 teasing1 mumbling1 rather than biting him4 ,it was like the play of a pupil who emancipates himself1 but is yet conscious of his fault4 ,but then it was lion's play6 ,sultan moved in small jumps1 all four paws together1 turning his hind quarters to the gallery1 tossing his jaws1 full of no one knew what 4 4 4 4 perhaps a human head6 ,illustration 8,here ,i can guarantee1 my dear ,le ,roux1 that those who at first shared my friend's infamous and fortunately indefinite wish1 must1 like him1 have found themselves almost fainting before such a realization of carnage4 4 4 4 ,it was frightful and senseless4 ,one felt scarcely alive1 and no longer heard oneself howl4 ,suddenly the lion relinquished his prey and steadily watched the back of the cage1 behind which he must have caught the sound of some noise only perceptible to a feline ear in the tumult of this bloody orgie4 ,in the midst of the excitement the door was abruptly opened and two men appeared1 presenting like bayonets two simple iron bars4 p#aeg 8,when he saw them ,sultan timidly drew back like a guilty schoolboy who has failed in respect towards his master1 and who is recalled to his duty by the entrance of the monitors4 ,he was already in retreat1 backing into the neighbouring cage1 spurred on by the vibrations of the partition which the men were handling4 8,already1 too1 ,bidel had been raised1 and his first energetic movement was to rush towards the lion1 who1 now separated from his enemy1 watched him through the railing1 rather jeeringly moving his head from right to left4 ,a thunder of #8,bravos' and shouts of #8,enough6 enough6' stopped the lion-tamer1 who had one half of his neck laid open4 ,from his forehead1 just between the eyes1 a red strip hung down4 ,the linen showed everywhere beneath the holes in the cloth4 ,the skin on his knees was bare1 yet intact4 8,after this scene1 whilst the wounded man received the first dressing to his wounds in his travelling-van1 the general attention was drawn towards ,sultan1 who had returned to the society of his comrade ,nero1 the blonde lion1 who was languidly stretched out1 digesting his daily rations of meat and blows4 ,but the dark-haired lion did not lie down2 he restlessly prowled up and down in suppressed excitement1 his haughty nostrils sniffing the scent of blood in the air4 ,his tail lashed his sides alternately4 ,and each time that he passed ,nero's jaws1 the latter soothingly licked a purple curdled spot1 which the taster of human blood still retained upon one of his great toes4 8,at this moment a harsh voice in the crowd murmured close to my ear-- 8#8,mo1 j'tais prtisan du lione6' 7#8,i was for the lion4'7 8,turning round1 ,i found myself facing an emaciated being1 tall as a pole1 beardless1 wrinkled1 without any visible marks of age1 and very dirty4 ,in the nervous state in which ,i found myself1 a superstitious influence at first led me to believe that ,i had met the ,englishman who makes it his profession to follow lion-tamers about the world until there is not a joint of them left4 8,but now ,i believe that the speaker had no connection with the legendary lord4 ,and the lione of which he was prtisan must have been the most respectable acquaintance that he could hang on to4 ,i have1 in fact1 met this individual again in the bookmakers' corner of the racecourse at ,longchamps1 and this was his trade3 imagine a start of six horses2 he would go up to six greenhorns1 and successively murmur in their ears1 as quickly as possible1 the name of a different winner to each man4 ,after the race he went up to the individual whom luck had favoured and claimed a reward4 8,let us1 then1 my dear ,hugues ,le ,roux1 distrust all the new acquaintances we may meet1 even under the patronage of a lion1 and let us rely upon old friendships1 such as ,i feel for you4 8,,paul ,,hervieu40 p#aeh ,i have quoted1 almost as it was written1 this letter from an artist1 who1 like the lion possesses a good eye and velvet paws1 first1 because ,i felt sure that it would interest you deeply2 secondly1 because it delighted me2 and thirdly1 because it is a good proof that there was some danger in approaching the lion1 whom ,i interviewed in his cage for your satisfaction4 ,i do not wish to pose before you as a ,tarasconese hero1 but ,i do not wish either that you should take me for the pantaloon of ,italian comedy4 ,illustration ,,footnotes3 #g ,he is a valiant tamer1 he never recedes4 ,his shape combines the gods1in it one seems to see ,apollo's divine grace1 with the strength of ,hercules4 ,but1 above all1 his soft1 dark eyes1 are dear to me4 #h ,in this summer of #ahhi another son1 ,edmond ,pezon1 has been twice injured by the lion ,brutus4 #i ,the audience screamed for help2 the great terror ,which seized the heart of every spectator ,no words can picture4 ,breathless all present wait1 ,helpless to rescue the man from impending fate1 ,when1 at the vital moment1 fearless1 yet panting1 ,a lion appeared1 in guise of a stripling1 ,his son and his pupil6 ,yes1 ,adrian himself6 p#aei ,illustration ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,equestrians4 ,i retain amongst the recollections of my provincial childhood1 the remembrance of an annual festival1 in itself noisy and marvellous1 and even now1 when ,i close my eyes1 ,i can recall the brightness of its lamps4 ,every year1 at ,saint ,michel1 in the month when the clear heaven is spotted with kites1 in one square of the old city1 by the side of the paved road by which the ,paris coaches formerly passed with sonorous smacking of the whip1 a palace of new planks would rise in a few days as light as a house of cards4 ,enormous placards on every wall announced the arrival of a grand circus consisting of fifty horses and one hundred and fifty artists4 ,for some weeks beforehand our boyish hearts were seriously disturbed4 ,every day1 after school-hours1 with p#afj books under our arms1 walking like truant schoolboys1 we went to enjoy1 through the half-open doors of the stables1 the intoxicating smell of horses1 blended with the scent of fresh sawdust and that perfume of musk which turns the brains of men4 ,and then1 peeping through the chinks between the badly fitting planks1 we could watch1 in the half light of the circus1 the rehearsals of the beautiful equestrians for whom our youthful hearts were beating1 as nave and courageous as those of their own horses4 ,at last some fine morning the passers by would see on the placards the announcement of a gala performance4 8,the professors of the college and ,,mm4 the pupils of the ,lyce will honour this entertainment by their presence40 ,it was on one of these evenings1 now almost twenty years ago1 that ,i first saw and loved poor milie ,loisset1 before her success in ,paris and ,vienna1 when she made her dbut in the haute cole1 and played in a pantomime disguised as ,prince ,charming1 with her sister ,clotilde1 now an ,hungarian princess4 ,her touching story has been related by ,philippe ,daryl in his charming novel ,la ,petite ,lambton4 ,at that time milie was not more than eighteen years old1 and she was the most charming creature in the world4 ,still her eyes and her face wore a curiously melancholy expression4 ,i learnt afterwards that the most flattering success could never dispel the instinctive distrust of life1 the romantic fancy for gloomy subjects which afterwards led her to take a house exactly opposite the little cemetery of ,maisons-,laffitte4 ,she was buried in it two days after she had been carried from the circus mutilated and crushed by the fall of her horse1 which1 in refusing a jump1 had fallen upon her4 p#afa ,forgive me for opening this chapter by evoking the melancholy smile of one who is no more4 ,but ,i owe this tribute to milie ,loisset2 for it is through her1 that1 as a child1 ,i received the first revelation of the beauty of a woman on horseback1 of the artistic union of the two most perfect curvilineal forms in creation--the horse adding height to the woman by the majesty of its stature1 the woman daringly poised on the animal like a wing4 ,illustration ,but long and serious work1 both for the equestrian and the horse1 has preceded this harmonious union4 ,although the woman and the animal have acquired the habit of conquering difficulties together1 and have even attained perfect unison of will and obedience1 yet they have each studied alone1 slowly p#afb reaching that perfection1 that confidence in their own powers1 which produce the success of their alliance4 ,it is important that the various phases of this education should be defined at once4 ,the studies of the equestrians of the haute cole1 the highest form of training for horse and rider1 differ completely from those of the pad equestrian1 whilst the lessons given to performing horses differ equally from those of the haute cole4 ,illustration3 ,,emilie ,,loisset4 ,france possesses the legendary trainer of performing horses1 ,m4 ,loyal4 ,for thirty-five years he has introduced his pupils to the public4 ,m4 ,franconi possesses an old mare--la mre ,tulipe--twenty-two years old1 who was trained under his whip4 ,every year ,m4 ,loyal undertakes some new p#afc pupils1 and enlarges the sphere of his conquests4 ,he is so certain of his own pre-eminence that he takes no trouble to conceal his method4 ,he has often invited me to his rehearsals1 and ,i have met fellow-workers there who had gone1 like myself1 to learn from him4 ,one day ,m4 ,loyal even gave one of us a short essay on the subject of his work1 which has since been published4 ,illustration p#afd ,the horse1 in the opinion of the celebrated trainer1 is one of the dullest animals created2 it has but one faculty1 memory4 ,on this account it must be forced to learn its tricks by the aid of the curb and whip2 they are imprinted in its memory by the whip if it resist1 and by presents of carrots if it obey4 ,on these terms every horse can be trained1 but it is well understood that certain breeds1 such as ,arabian and ,german horses from ,old ,prussia1 are easier to teach than any others1 and also that the animal's age is of great importance4 ,it must not be either too young or too old2 the best educations are given between five and seven years old4 ,before that age the horse is too excitable1 too nervous2 he gets confused4 ,later than that his muscles are not sufficiently flexible4 ,the ,a ,b ,c of education consists in rendering the horse familiar with the arena1 making it go round regularly and stop at a given signal4 ,to teach it this first lesson1 ,m4 ,loyal leads the creature into the circus and places it close to the palisade1 whilst he goes into the centre of the ring4 ,in his left hand he holds a long leash1 which has been passed through the curb or cavesson--every one knows that this is a semicircle of iron armed with a sharp point1 which is placed upon the nose of the horse4 ,in his right hand he holds a long whip1 whilst an assistant1 armed with a strong riding-whip1 is concealed behind the animal4 ,in this position the trainer utters a call1 then lightly pulling the horse1 forces it to walk4 ,if it resist the assistant gives it a blow with the whip1 if it obey it receives a carrot from its master as a reward1 after three or four turns round the arena4 ,to make it stop1 the trainer suddenly cracks the whip in his pupil's face1 whilst the assistant throws himself in front of it4 p#afe ,the same method is used in teaching a horse to leap4 ,it is placed in front of a barrier1 and is encouraged to jump over it by voice and gesture2 if it refuse1 the assistant gives it a volley of blows on the croup with his whip4 ,if it jump1 the ever ready carrot is its reward4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,mare ,,tulipe ,to make it point1 the ring-master has simply to place p#aff himself squarely in front of the horse1 to shake his riding-whip with the left hand1 whilst he cracks his long whip with the right4 ,but although the horse learns these tricks with comparative facility1 a great effort is required before it can be taught to kneel4 ,the trainer is obliged to resort to surprise4 ,a bracelet is attached to the two fore pasterns just above the hoof1 and a cord is attached to it by one end1 the other being held by the trainer4 ,suddenly ,m4 ,loyal attracts the attention of the horse by a sharp cry2 at the same time he shakes its confidence by a pull at the cord and a vigorous blow on its shoulder4 ,in a short time the horse kneels down at the master's call without being tripped or coerced in any way4 ,next to this achievement1 the most difficult feat is teaching a horse the trick of changing feet4 ,this requires fully a year of patience4 ,the animal is led into the arena and commences its usual exercise round it4 ,the trainer allows it to settle quietly into its stride1 then abruptly1 with a touch of the whip cleverly applied1 he tries to break its pace2 that is to say1 to make it change step4 ,if this result is obtained1 the horse is allowed to gallop round the ring once or twice1 then it is checked again to make it return to its former step4 ,when the animal understands what it ought to do at the touch of the whip1 instead of completing the turn round the ring on one foot1 it is forced to change at the half round4 ,afterwards it is only allowed a quarter turn1 then only three or four steps without changing1 and lastly only two4 ,the horse thus appears to dance the polka when it performs to music1 which accompanies and follows its movements4 ,the ring-master usually chooses a well-bred horse from p#afg amongst the animals trained in this way1 and already broken1 for initiation into the haute cole4 ,illustration ,no one will expect me to discuss here the principles of this training1 nor even the theories of circus horsemanship4 p#afh ,i refer the reader to the special treatises written upon the subject by men in the profession1 particularly to the fine book which the historian of sport1 ,baron de ,vaux1 has published under the title of ,les ,hommes de ,cheval4#aj ,i especially recommend the perusal of the chapter consecrated to the ,franconi family4 ,it contains an account of how ,laurence ,franconi taught the present manager of the two circuses the principles of the ,school of ,versailles1 whilst freeing good horsemanship from the superfluities in use in the time of ,pluvinel4 ,laurence ,franconi wished for a less formal1 less studied style of horsemanship4 ,the introduction into ,france of ,english horses trained in the hunting-field and on the race-course1 and the re-organization of the cavalry1 had demonstrated the necessity of preparing horses for greater freedom of action4 ,it was realized that good riding did not consist merely in forcing a horse to show off and tire itself uselessly in obtaining a striking effect1 but in well calculating the strength of the steed1 in husbanding its forces1 and regulating its paces4 ,it was at last recognized that the ideal horse of the haute cole should be easy in its balance and in its artificial paces under the guidance of its rider1 and that on his side the rider should only use the force necessary to maintain this balance1 and to secure the execution of the airs of the haute cole4 ,on these principles ,laurence ,franconi trained ,blanche1 ,norma1 and ,hector2 ,victor ,franconi1 his son1 trained ,frisette1 ,ajax1 ,waverley1 and ,brillante2 and ,charles ,franconi1 his grandson1 educated ,rgent and ,moscou4 p#afi ,illustration ,i remember being present at the ,cirque d't during one of ,moscou's rehearsals1 ridden by ,mdlle4 ,marguerite ,dudlay4 ,the little empty circus was illumined by a red light1 the reflection of the ,april sun upon the velvet of the benches4 ,charles ,franconi was watching the work of the equestrian and her horse4 ,it was a ,russian stallion1 beautifully shaped and very elegant2 in its veins it showed the vigour of the p#agj ,slav-blood1 full of revolt1 excitement1 passion1 and violence1 veiled by affected gentleness1 lost in compliance with its rider's will4 ,a ring-master1 armed with a whip1 held the horse in front of a barrier which he gradually raised4 ,without any apparent effort ,mdlle4 ,dudlay lifted the grand quivering beast over the bar4 ,the young girl was bareheaded1 and her hair had fallen down with the shock4 ,she was a charming picture in her dangerous leaps1 with her long wavy hair flowing over her shoulders4 ,illustration ,after the rehearsal ,i went up to her to speak about her horses4 ,she was very fond of them1 and would not allow them to be scolded4 ,they were her friends4 ,illustration 8,moscou is so gentlemanly60 she said1 showing me the p#agb horse1 which an attendant was leading away covered with foam4 8,he has such good manners60 ,and in a low tone she owned to me that she preferred him to ,regent1 a grey of classic beauty1 much more reliable than his comrade--loyal1 vigorous1 and brave2 but he replaced coaxing by a military deportment1 the correct stiffness of an officer4 8,no doubt ,i am unjust10 said ,mdlle4 ,dudlay1 8but how can ,i help it8 ,moscou and ,i love each other40 ,that is the secret of the haute cole as well as of everything else4 ,habit and skill are insufficient--love is necessary too4 ,it is through love of the little hands which caress their necks that these great horses throw all their energies into leaps which exhaust them2 it is through love that they humiliate themselves1 that they kneel down4 ,for my own part1 ,i know no grander spectacle1 no more spiritual combination1 no triumph more admirable of mental over physical force4 ,it is almost unnecessary to add that these instances of perfect harmony are the exception1 not the rule4 ,the little 8mashers0 in white ties and dress-coats who encumber the entrance to the ring1 and surround the equestrian as she mounts her saddle1 crying 8,bravo60 and 8,trs chic60 at every movement she makes1 hope by their eagerness1 by these exclamations1 to pose as horsey men in the eyes of the crowd2 but they never imagine the duplicity of which they are the victims nineteen times out of twenty4 ,illustration3 ,,haute ,,cole4 ,there are1 in fact1 two very different categories of equestrians of the haute cole2 first the wives1 daughters1 and sisters of the circus managers1 who are placed on a horse p#agc trained in the establishment at an early age4 ,let us softly add that these subjects are nearly always1 to quote an expression of ,m4 ,molier1 8,les fruits secs du panneau40#aa ,it sometimes occurs also that a well-to-do manager1 who thinks of marrying his daughter in the bourgeoisie--or even in the aristocracy--hesitates to exhibit the young girl in the semi-nudity of tights4 ,he is afraid of alarming the future husband4 ,this has happened with several accomplished equestrians like the late milie ,loisset1 and1 at the present moment1 ,mdlle4 ,renz4 ,illustration ,illustration ,as a rule1 the equestrian of the haute cole is a pretty girl who wishes to appear in a circus1 and who has found some one p#agd to minister to her vanity4 ,this 8some one0 must be rich--very rich4 ,the horsewoman in question must take with her three trained horses--two of the haute cole1 and one leaper4 ,this trio of horses costs a great deal4 ,it is only in a circus that they can be obtained ready to work p#age with a woman1 and the trade in them is a speciality of ,german circuses4 ,old horses trained in the haute cole1 regular as clocks in their movements1 may be found there for sale at from #aj1jjj to #ae1jjj francs each4 ,the value of the horse sometimes even rises to #bj1jjj francs if it has a good tail4 ,a few weeks' work suffice to 8adapt0--another expression of ,m4 ,molier1 to whom ,i owe the revelation of all these secrets--a very mediocre equestrian to one of these mechanical horses4 ,the animal1 annoyed by its bad rider1 who shuffles on her saddle1 does not perform one-half of the work which the man has taught him4 ,but the public does not know this1 and the would-be sportsmen who adorn the entrance to the ring open admiring eyes when the pretty girl assures them1 from the superior height of her saddle1 that she trained the horse herself4 ,these frank explanations will probably make many pretty enemies for me2 but1 at least1 they ought to assure you of the sincerity of the admiration and respect which ,i profess for the pad equestrians or standing equestrians4 ,apparently1 in a circus1 a woman's virtue is in inverse proportion to the length of her skirts2 the riding-habit is suspected1 whilst muslin petticoats soar above all scandalous aspersions4 ,illustration ,the 8standing0 equestrian is usually married to a circus artiste whilst still very young2 she is an excellent housewife and a model mother4 ,as long as maternity does not interfere with her profession1 she shares her husband's dangerous performances during her youth4 ,with him she dislocates herself1 and bravely fractures her arms and legs4 ,she has p#agf scarcely recovered before she recommences her work4 ,her circus education is complete4 ,she was placed on a horse at six years old1 and besides her standing-up performances--the p#agg most difficult of all--she has learnt the mimic art1 the slack wire1 juggling1 gymnastics1 sometimes even the 8carpet40 ,i am not alluding to the haute cole4 ,an equestrian who can ride standing is so sure of her balance1 and so much accustomed to her horse1 that she can ride on a side saddle with very little instruction4 ,she can therefore appear as an equestrian of the haute cole with only a few days' rehearsal4 ,but amongst all the necessary studies that form part of the education of a pad equestrian1 there is one fundamental and primary one to which she devotes as much time as to the riding-school2 this is the art of dancing4 ,the equestrian follows the same classes as a ballet girl4 ,dancing lessons make her turn her feet and knees out1 teach her to carry her arms and head well1 and give her equilibrium and grace4 ,there are some instances of dancers who1 having injured themselves in the exercise of their art1 have learnt to ride standing in less than a year4 ,illustration ,the horse ridden by a pad equestrian should be a reliable animal1 with smooth even paces4 ,the regularity of its movements is so important that now the most popular equestrians possess their own horses1 and insist upon the manager of the circus engaging them too4 ,this is a wise precaution4 ,i remember one day at the ,cirque d't seeing ,mdlle4 ,adle ,rossi contend with a fine piebald horse which replaced her usual steed4 ,she appeared as a jockey1 standing and booted1 in a vaulting performance in which she was charmingly jaunty and graceful4 ,she made her spring in the ring1 and alighted standing upon the galloping horse4 ,each time she leaped the animal was startled and changed p#agi its foot2 this produced an abrupt movement of the shoulder1 which sent ,mdlle4 ,rossi back into the arena4 ,the young girl was obliged to recommence her performance a dozen times before she succeeded in it1 amidst the applause of the audience4 ,illustration ,this wonderful equilibrium is only acquired by great practice and much patience4 ,you may now see an amusing performance at the ,nouveau ,cirque styled a 8,riding ,lesson0 on the programme4 ,the stablemen place a large gibbet1 which moves on its own axis1 in the centre of the arena4 ,from the arm of this apparatus a ring1 attached to a cord1 hangs above the ring-master1 who is on horseback4 ,the other end of the cord is attached to the pupil's waist4 ,you will at once realize the amusement which is derived from the awkward movements of the gibbet4 ,the man in the black coat1 who wished to take a riding-lesson1 is left swimming in the air1 whilst the horse gallops on the other side of the p#ahj arena4 ,but at the rehearsals of an artist1 the gibbet manuvres with more circumspection1 and it has very generally replaced the cord1 which was formerly fastened on one side to the pupil's waist-belt and held by the riding-master at the other end1 whilst it passed in the middle through a ring hanging from the ceiling4 ,the first time that an equestrian1 supported in this manner1 takes a lesson on the pad1 she is made to gallop in a sitting posture until she is thoroughly accustomed to the movements of the horse4 ,then she raises herself upon one knee before she stands upright1 her shoulder turned inside the ring1 between the horse and the master4 ,the equestrian then gradually rises to her feet1 and performs upon the pad all the steps that she has acquired in the dancing academy4 ,the man who has followed the same classes with her1 now adds to her work the attitudes and movements of an acrobat2 together they perform the pas de deux and the vaulting acts which amateurs delight in4 ,but although these vaulting acts1 this springing through hoops1 may charm the public1 they are a violent1 ungraceful performance1 which can rouse the admiration of the ignorant only4 ,ask the real artists1 like ,jenny ,o',brien1 what they think of these acrobatic exercises4 ,they will not hesitate to tell you that if these leaps are a sure way of winning applause1 they are the worst method of satisfying the conscience of an artist4 ,at the same time1 if it be true that danger defied adds some dignity to the effort made1 then the warmest expressions of public sympathy are due to pad equestrians4 ,perhaps no one will be surprised to learn that1 according to statistics1 p#aha circus-riders are more frequently killed than even gymnasts4 ,the reason is that an accident is not produced by an unfortunate physical cause only1 or by the distraction of one second3 a mistake of the horse may kill the man who is riding it4 ,during the years that ,i have frequented the ,parisian circuses1 ,i was once present at a cruel accident4 ,illustration ,an equestrian1 named ,prince1 was performing at the ,cirque d't a vaulting act on two horses1 which were leaping fixed bars4 ,suddenly one of the animals fell on its knees1 and the man was thrown forward upon his head4 ,the assistants at once rushed towards him and covered the body with a mantle4 ,it was carried out1 and ,m4 ,loyal1 in a choked voice1 but with a smile on his lips1 came forward and said3 8,it is nothing1 ladies and gentlemen--a slight accident4 ,m4 ,prince begs that the public will excuse him40 ,the truth was that the rider had been killed on the p#ahb spot--he had broken his neck4 ,and whilst a number of clowns tumbled into the ring1 reassuring the public by their jokes1 ,prince's wife and children were weeping over his body in the great whitewashed room1 where the reins of the performing donkeys were hanging on the walls side by side with clowns' wigs1 training whips1 and spangled tights4 ,illustration ,,footnotes3 #aj ,j4 ,rothschild1 diteur1 #ahhh4 #aa ,those who are too old for the pad4 p#ahc ,illustration ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,hippodrome4 ,the re-opening of the ,hippodrome and the first performance of its pantomime are a great event in each year2 a festival for 8society10 which for this occasion makes a large outlay in spring toilettes1 and a festival for the ,parisians of the 8fifth floor0 and the shop parlour too4 ,the number of those who cannot escape to the sea or the country during the heat of the dog-days1 of those whom work and economy hold prisoners1 is greater than one usually feigns to believe4 ,during the whole summer these people have no other oasis of refreshment within a walk than the great hall with its movable glass roof1 which gives the ,hippodrome a ceiling of stars4 ,it is important to those ,parisians who from ,july to ,september will go at least once a week to the ,hippodrome1 to know that each time they will see the new pantomime with renewed pleasure4 p#ahd ,illustration ,i have frequently overheard the following definition given by very superficial people3 p#ahe 8,the ,hippodrome is a circus1 of larger size than the others 4 4 40 ,there are some degrees of ignorance which should be sent back to learn ,a ,b ,c ,d4 ,on the other hand1 some amateurs may be found who are convinced they are right because they do not quite know what difference exists between the two4 ,a circus is a circular arena of fourteen yards nine inches in diameter1 surrounded by benches4 ,travel with a yard measure1 measure the diameter of the ,cirque d',hiver1 of the ,cirque d't1 and of the ,nouveau ,cirque4 ,cross the sea towards ,america1 follow ,barnum and measure across his arena1 continue your journey round the world by exploring ,australia and ,asia2 lastly1 return to ,europe by the ,caucasus1 raise the canvas of one of the numerous travelling circuses which erect their tents at ,astrakan in the fair time--you will not discover the difference of a fraction of an inch from the rule of fourteen yards nine inches in diameter4 ,fourteen yards nine inches is the regulation size4 ,a superstition1 perhaps8 ,do not believe it4 ,the unvarying dimensions of the arena respond to a double necessity3 the exigency of the man and the exigency of the animal4 ,you already know that the banquiste is instinctively nomad1 both through disposition and interest4 ,it is therefore most important that1 although he continually changes his locality he should find the scene of his performance unvaried4 ,this rule is extremely convenient for men1 but it is indispensable for animals4 ,a performing horse must find1 in whatever spot he appears before the public1 a ring of fourteen p#ahf yards nine inches sanded to a depth of three inches and a quarter1 surrounded by a palisade opening in two places only1 and low enough to enable it to walk round it1 with the fore hoofs on the red cushion and the hind legs in the arena4 ,illustration ,the ,hippodrome is not restricted to these dimensions4 ,its arena is an elastic parallelogram1 rounded at the four angles to assist the horses in turning4 ,its shape excludes all acts of equestrian vaulting1 based upon the support given by the centrifugal force to circus acrobats4 ,it is not only the name but the principles of art which the ,hippodrome has borrowed from ,greece4 ,no doubt the circus gives us an opportunity of admiring the human body1 after the education of the ancients has restored it to the forms chosen by them for the eternal life of marble2 but the purest lessons in ,greek sthetics are to be found at the ,hippodrome4 p#ahg ,you know that one of the most important differences which distinguish our conception of human beauty from that formed by ,greek art lies in this principle3 the subordination of the body to the head4 ,illustration ,christian civilization has taught us that we must seize p#ahh every opportunity of mortifying and humiliating the flesh to secure the predominance of the superior and spiritual principle--the soul4 ,no doubt the passions and emotions of this soul manifest themselves by gesture to some extent2 but they are chiefly revealed in the expression of the face1 of the mouth and eyes4 ,hence the preponderance given to the head1 which1 at the first appearance of ,christianity1 when the art of the ancients escaped from the ,byzantine bonds1 led the early painters to represent hydrocephalic ,christs and angels1 with the enormous eyes of batrachians1 and emaciated1 anchylosis1 meagre bodies4 ,hence also the habit that we all have at the present time of judging beauty--and particularly feminine beauty1 which is more expressive than the other--from the features of the face4 ,greece never despised corporeal beauty in this way4 ,she taught that if the soul be divine1 the body is the temple of a god4 ,and on the same principle that she decorated the houses of the ,olympians1 so that it might please them to dwell therein1 she also commanded the body1 the habitation of the soul1 to be embellished by gymnastics4 ,she placed the musik1 the tutor of the soul1 and the gumnastik1 the tutor of the body1 on the same level in the practical education of her heroes4 ,this is why the artists who embodied her ideal of beauty did not give more expression to the face than to the torso4 ,suppose that the ,venus had lost her head instead of an arm2 she would not appear more mutilated4 ,one of the most beautiful legacies that ,greek sculpture has bequeathed to us is a headless ,victory4 ,the immense extent of the ,hippodrome prevents the p#ahi spectator from seeing the details of the features1 and transfers his habitual attention to the observation of the whole figure4 ,i noticed this effect a short time ago1 when watching the classic poses of a group of young ,italian girls--the sisters ,chiesi4 ,to increase their resemblance to statues1 and to produce as far as possible the illusion of nudes in marble1 these young models wear tights whitened with flour4 ,thus moulded1 the ,chiesi mount upon each other1 and pause in bold yet classic attitudes1 which combine the poses of the acrobat and the academy4 ,i did not for one second dream of looking at the beauty of their faces1 not even when they were triumphantly driven round the ring under my eyes in the gilded carriage of the late ,duke of ,brunswick4 ,illustration p#aij ,this is an exceptional case4 ,but given equal talent1 we always prefer a woman's performance to that of a man4 ,it gives us1 besides the peculiar pleasure which acrobatic feats always produce1 the general pleasure which the exhibition of a perfectly-formed woman never fails to excite4 ,and to us moderns this is not merely an intellectual and moral enjoyment2 in it there mingles a little voluptuous emotion4 4 4 ,illustration ,this fascination1 which ,greek art knew nothing of1 does not affect us at the ,hippodrome4 ,the latent sentiment is p#aia in abeyance1 like the pity which the ,spaniards never feel at their bull-fights1 probably because the arenas are too vast4 ,a true pagan would probably congratulate himself upon the freedom from emotion which1 at the ,hippodrome1 leaves him free to enjoy the essence of beauty4 ,but we cannot all raise ourselves to the level of this ,olympian indifference2 we do not care to be cured of the pleasure we enjoy--contenting ourselves with deploring1 like ,thophile ,gauthier1 8d'tre si fort corrompus de ,christianisme40 ,illustration p#aib ,the ,hippodrome regains all its advantages when it leaves to the circus the exhibition of 8expressive novelties10 which must be seen close at hand1 and contents itself with its speciality of races3 foot and horse races1 chariot races1 8,berberini races10 processions1 and pantomimes4 ,the race of riderless horses is one of the most attractive spectacles one can possibly see1 and it is easily understood why the ,italians with their artistic genius elected to close the festivities of their carnival by this exciting contest4 ,every one has read some descriptions of this hippique fte which so greatly delighted papal ,rome4 ,for a fortnight before the race the horses which were entered for it were led out every morning to accustom them to the course1 and corn was given to them at the end of the ,corso1 near the winning post4 ,on the day of the race1 at four o'clock in the afternoon1 two cannon shots gave the signal4 ,all the carriages at once turned out of the road1 the spectators fell back into two lines1 and a detachment of dragoons cleared the ,corso at a rapid gallop4 ,the murmur of the crowd died away into a profound silence4 ,the horses chosen for the race were held in a line behind a cord stretched towards the column of the ,people's ,gate4 ,their foreheads were decorated with plumes1 which worried their eyes by waving in front of them2 golden spangles were plaited into their tails and manes4 ,small copper plates and leaden balls armed with steel points were attached to their flanks and croups to goad them on their way2 and the effort to frighten them even led to light sheets of tin and stiff paper being fastened on their backs1 which1 rustling and quivering1 p#aic produced the discomfort of a rider without the drawback of weight4 ,before the cord fell1 the animals1 impatient to start1 excited by the crowd1 uttered loud neighs1 pranced about1 and produced a clamour which filled the ,corso4 ,it frequently happened that one of them would knock its groom down and rush amongst the crowd4 ,at last the senator of ,rome gave the signal4 ,a trumpet sounded1 the cord fell1 the half-maddened horses started wildly1 urged on by the applause of the people as though by whips4 ,usually the 8,berberies0 traversed the #hjj fathoms of the course in two minutes twenty-one seconds1 that is to say that they ran thirty-seven feet per second4 ,in the confusion1 if one horse could overtake the competitor which preceded it1 it would bite it1 kick it1 and use every artifice to impede its progress4 ,the arrival of the horses was announced by firing two cannon2 to stop them carpets were extended across the end of the street4 ,in later years the ,corso was only a speculation of the horsedealers4 ,the ,hippodrome revives the best days of this ,roman institution2 the epoch when the first families of ,rome1 the ,barberini1 the ,santa-,croce1 the ,colonna1 and the ,borghese entered their horses for the race1 the champions of their rivalries and of their colours4 ,since the managers of the ,hippodrome object to injuring the valuable beasts they place in the arena1 they have abandoned the practice of harnessing them with spurs and spangles4 ,it is really bare-backed horses1 free from all carnival disguise1 which they produce in the lists4 ,the animals have been trained for a long time1 placed p#aid before the barriers with a whip to urge them to jump1 guided all round the ring by sentinels1 who punished any deviation from the course4 ,now they know what they are expected to do1 and as soon as the bell rings they all start4 ,they reach the barrier1 their manes flowing in the wind1 their hoofs flying1 terrible as the tide1 white as the surge which rises on the waves4 1 said ,pindar1 describing a horse rearing4 ,it is a brilliant meteor which flies over the barrier1 but it is also a crest of foam4 ,illustration ,and the pleasure of watching these riderless races is augmented by the good faith1 the honesty of the beast1 which cannot be suspected of corruption1 which strives for victory only4 ,neither crime nor death can stop them4 ,m4 ,houcke has told me that he has known some horses to be killed in the p#aie ring by their jealous rivals1 and others after the victory have died from fits of apoplexy when they had gone back to the stables4 ,if the riderless horse is superb1 it is certain that the chariot1 the ancient ,greek chariot1 immortalized by ,homer1 is the most sthetic frame for it4 ,the other day ,i read a commonplace remark from ,madame ,dacier1 who has only1 and quite justly1 seized the meaning of words in ,greek4 8,i do not understand10 she said1 8why the ,greeks1 who were so wise1 should have used the chariot for so long a time--why they did not see its great inconvenience4 ,i am not speaking of the difficulty of managing a chariot1 although it is far greater than of managing a horse2 nor of the space occupied by it3 ,i only say that there were two men to each chariot4 ,these two men were important individuals1 both fit for war4 ,yet only one of them could fight4 ,moreover1 some chariots required not only two1 but even three or four horses for a single warrior--another loss which merits attention40 ,illustration p#aif ,the excellent ,madame ,dacier has forgotten one thing1 that the ,greeks were devoted to beauty before everything else4 ,they liked the chariot1 because the quadriga was a superbly sthetic picture--a moving pedestal for the hero4 ,so that the chariot was not only an engine of war in their eyes2 it was an object of luxurious pleasure4 ,do you remember the beautiful descriptions of chariot-races which fill the literature of ,greece1 and particularly the plays of ,sophocles8 ,do you remember1 amongst others1 the account of the tutor of ,orestes8 ,for my own part1 ,i never witness one of these heroic displays without the lines of the divine poet recurring to my memory4 8,at sunrise the chariot-races took place4 ,orestes appeared1 and with him many charioteers4 ,one was ,achean1 another from ,sparta2 two came from ,lybia1 true masters of the reins4 ,orestes was fifth1 with mares from ,thessaly4 ,the sixth brought light chestnuts from ,etolia4 ,the seventh was from ,magnesia4 ,the eighth1 a son of ,enia1 advanced with white horses4 ,the divine ,athene had sent the ninth4 ,lastly1 a ,beotian mounted the tenth chariot4 8,the heroes were standing1 and when the lots had been drawn and their places were assigned to them1 they sprang forward at the blast of the brazen trumpets4 ,all together they raised the beasts2 they shook the reins2 the arena was full of the roll of their ringing chariots4 ,and all mingled1 confused1 lavished the whip to pass by the axle of some opponent4 ,and the breath of the horses1 covered with foam1 the backs of the drivers1 and the wheels of the chariots4 p#aig ,illustration 8,when they reached the last post ,orestes grazed it slightly with his axle4 ,he slackened the reins1 and gave the wheeler his head4 ,with his right hand he restrained the other4 4 4 4 ,he was preparing for the finish of the race4 ,but when he saw that only the ,athenian was left1 he made his p#aih whip whistle round the ears of his steeds1 and sprang forward behind his rival4 ,the two chariots rolled on in front4 ,alternately they passed and re-passed each other by the length of a head4 ,upright in his uninjured chariot1 ,orestes had successfully run in every race2 but in giving the left rein to the horse rounding the post1 he struck the column4 ,his axle was broken2 from the height of his chariot he rolled entangled in the reins1 whilst the frightened horses tumultuously rushed into the arena40 ,pantomime--another ancient amusement--is the glory of the ,hippodrome as well as the races4 ,all who saw it will still remember the splendours of the ,chasse4 ,it seemed difficult to find anything more brilliant1 for there are not many subjects which can be used for these grand spectacular shows4 ,when a ,roman ,triumph has been displayed1 a ,nero with chariot races1 a ,fte amongst the ,rajahs with rivulets of precious stones1 an ,arab ,fantasia1 a fairy piece1 and a genuine ,congo1 the management must fall back upon military pieces4 ,but we live upon former triumphs1 and the ,hippodrome dare no longer produce old-fashioned effects from its storehouses4 ,the embarrassment of ,m4 ,houcke the manager1 who arranges his own plays1 was therefore very great4 ,the resources of a large place like the ,hippodrome vary from one season to the other4 ,sometimes acrobats form the great novelty1 sometimes a troupe of vaulting clowns is the central attraction4 ,lastly1 the horses were there to be exhibited1 so that the director found himself obliged to select a military pantomime4 ,illustration ,m4 ,houcke is a type1 a true child of the stage4 ,he has p#aii five or six brothers scattered through the world1 all managers of riding establishments4 ,his father1 under the name of ,leonard1 was formerly proprietor of the ,deux-,cirques before the ,franconi4 ,he has taken ,m4 ,loyal's place in the ring in ,russia1 ,germany1 and ,scandinavia4 ,this will tell you1 if p#bjj heredity is not an empty word1 that he is gifted with a large amount of professional genius4 ,moreover--and this does not spoil it--,houcke is very knowing4 ,his choice of the name of ,skobelef1 as the hero of his last military fte1 appears to me an excellent proof of this acuteness4 ,you may vainly search contemporary history without finding the name of any other victorious general who would command the sympathy of the ,parisians4 4 4 4 ,skobelef and ,plevna1 the ,russians and the ,turks6 ,houcke had grasped his pantomime4 ,the chief outlines of the plot were quickly arranged1 and ,m4 ,thomas1 the former decorator of the ,thtre ,franais and the ,opera ,comique1 ,houcke's right hand man left for ,russia1 with a great deal of money in his pockets to buy weapons1 costumes1 sledges1 moujiks1 drovskies1 and snow4 ,he returned with all ,russia in his trunks4 ,picture to yourself1 from one end of the arena to the other1 a parquet floor laid down1 over which sledges and skaters glided as though upon the ,neva4 ,in the first tableau the parqueterie represented a high road1 a post-station in the steppe4 ,the orchestra1 which had reinforced its musicians by a choir of genuine moujiks1 was suspended above the buildings of the ,isba4 ,the good people sang with those deep voices which ,agrenieff had already enabled us to hear1 in their national songs1 some years previously at the ,trocadero4 ,they were placed in a suitably decorated gallery1 and when1 accompanied by bells1 the moujiks chanted their national hymn-- ,boj tsara krani ,silni der jarni ,stsar stvouyna slavouna1 slavounam4 4 4 4 one p#bja really felt carried far away on the wings of the music4 ,during the singing ,i looked over towards the third places1 filled with the poorer people1 who are less sceptical than the others4 ,many of them were quite touched1 their eyes were glistening1 their breasts heaving4 4 4 4 ,illustration3 ,,chariot ,,races ,,at ,,the ,,hippodrome4 ,illustration ,whilst the bells and the moujiks were singing in unison1 the processions commenced to pass over the road4 ,first came the singers and wandering dancers1 who followed the army to the scene of war2 then groups of officers1 convoys of prisoners1 the fantastic gallop of an orderly2 then1 with a bustle1 a troka1 containing a tall man enveloped in a grey pelisse4 ,this was ,skobelef1 who had arrived to take command of the army4 ,illustration ,then we were transported before ,plevna4 ,the country people were taking refuge in the town1 carrying all their wealth in their carts4 ,they were just in time6 the ,russian soldiers were at their heels6 ,but they are only scouts4 ,the ,turkish sentinels have seen them from the walls of ,plevna4 p#bjb ,the alarm is given4 ,a sortie is made1 and they are surrounded4 ,their case is not quite clear2 their reconnaissance has a fatal look of spying4 ,the ,turks prepare to shoot them1 when a thundering gallop shakes the floor4 ,the ,cossacks have arrived at furious speed to rescue the prisoners4 ,ah1 the brave men6 ,i always thought that a candle diet developed heroism4 ,with the thrust of a lance1 the p#bjc ,turks are properly settled2 a few of them run away in great style1 and succeed in re-entering the town4 ,they merely postpone the moment of surrender1 for the whole ,russian army is advancing4 ,it rushes to the assault of the practicable places in the fort4 ,in the midst of the engagement and smoke the whole end of the ,hippodrome becomes p#bjd illumined with the lurid light of fire4 ,vive ,skobelef6 vive ,ruggieri6 ,plevna is burning6 ,plevna is burnt6 ,illustration ,and the victors have nothing to do but rejoice6 ,in a moment a painted canvas has been unrolled round the arena1 which represents ,st4 ,petersburg in perspective2 the parqueterie has changed into the frozen ,neva4 ,the whole town has come out to greet the victorious soldiers6 ,a fine evening for skaters6 ,with the point of their skates1 on the ice1 in ,english1 in ,italics1 in ,gothic1 they write the name of ,skobelef4 ,lamps suspended to the arches reproduce the glorious word4 ,the sound of the clarions and fifes playing the triumphal march is already heard4 ,the moment has come6 ,the leader of the orchestra lowers his baton4 ,one1 two1 three6 ,and as though the whole army1 the whole people had been stopped spellbound at this signal1 the cannon thundered1 the orchestra bellowed1 the fireworks1 are let off1 the bells ring1 and high above all the clamour the national hymn rises for the last time-- ,,boj ,,tsara ,,krani4 ,although ,buffalo ,bill's company has not appeared at the ,hippodrome1 this seems to be a fitting place in which to chronicle the magnificent equestrian spectacle with which they have delighted the ,parisians during the ,exhibition4 ,illustration ,the innumerable readers of ,cooper's ,american novels have seen the prairie of the ,sioux transported1 with its actors and its decorative accessories1 to the ,porte ,maillot4 ,all were there3 the ,red ,skins--genuine ,red ,skins1 the mustangs1 p#bjf buffaloes1 cowboys1 vaqueros1 waggons1 tents1 bows1 arrows1 rifles1 dogs1 squaws1 and papooses4 ,illustration ,this extraordinary troupe was taken to ,paris by ,nael ,salsbury1 a manager who is celebrated in every ,english-speaking country4 ,it is commanded by an extraordinary man1 ,colonel ,w4 ,f4 ,cody4 ,picture to yourself the most perfect type of trapper that you can imagine after reading ,the ,spy and ,the ,mohicans4 ,born on the frontier1 brought up on horseback1 of chimerical courage1 and unequalled skill in the management of horses and firearms1 ,colonel ,cody is six feet high1 and this fine body is crowned by the head of a stage musketeer4 ,his curling hair falls upon his shoulders1 and he has the moustache of an ,aramis beneath the straight classical nose of an ,american4 ,colonel ,cody's warrior troupe has its female star1 ,miss ,annie ,oakley1 called the 8infallible little shot40 ,she is also a child of the frontier1 where her name is as much feared as her bullet4 ,and in fact she has accomplished wonders4 ,one p#bjg day at ,tiffin 7,ohio7 she hit a fifty-centime piece held between a man's finger and thumb at a distance of thirty feet4 ,in ,february1 #ahhe1 she fired at #e1jjj glass balls1 which three projectiles threw up for her fifteen yards high2 she broke #d1ggb of them in nine hours1 although loading the guns herself4 ,miss ,oakley manages a horse quite as well as a gun4 ,at a ,new ,jersey fair she won four races out of five4 8,and ,miss ,oakley is rendered still more interesting10 says a biography from which ,i am copying1 8by the fact that she is short1 and only weighs #ajf lbs40 ,not one word more4 ,the young girl is still unmarried4 ,illustration ,illustration p#bji ,illustration ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,equilibrists4 ,the equilibrists are the most artistic acrobats1 the true ,olympians4 ,the gymnast excites our admiration by the marvellous development of his thorax and limbs1 and by the epic relief of his muscles4 ,the equilibrist does not require the same effort in his work4 ,the beauty of the performance lies in the delicacy1 variety1 facility1 and grace of the artist's movements1 and on this account women excel as equilibrists1 for men cannot reconcile themselves to the suppression of their p#baj strength in the feats they achieve1 and therefore take a second rank in equilibrium4 ,they prefer special branches of the art1 and are usually jugglers1 bicyclists1 or antipodeans4 4 4 4 ,a proverb is current behind the scenes of the circus1 to the effect that love destroys the centre of gravity in tight-rope dancers1 and as a rule equilibrists--that is to say the true artists1 not the pretty girls who use the cord as a springing-board--might rank with the ,roman vestals4 ,their reputation is their fortune1 and they are carefully guarded by their parents4 ,it is not only a question of averting the danger of maternity1 which ends the artistic career of an equilibrist4 ,no risk must be encountered of anything that could damage the artist's health2 and1 therefore1 those who are particular on these points can enjoy the performance of an equilibrist without any uneasiness about her private life4 ,the children of acrobats are equilibrists and jugglers from their birth4 ,stroll into a circus some morning during rehearsal1 you will see all the corners filled with boys and girls1 who1 on every tightened rope and round the iron bars1 are imitating the paternal exercises for their own amusement4 ,i remember1 one day in ,london1 witnessing a curious scene in a seventh-floor garret4 ,under the roof two cords were stretched across the attic2 a young boy was practising walking on one of them without a balance2 on the other a monkey was faithfully copying the gestures of his companion4 ,the professor had probably gone out to buy some tobacco2 in his absence the two dancers silently continued their parallel work4 ,i can tell you that acrobats learnt the value of mutual instruction before the schoolmasters6 p#baa ,illustration ,the lowest step of equilibrist art is the globe performance4 ,walking upon the rolling ball1 forward or backward1 vaulting p#bab and dancing upon it1 are the ,a ,b ,c of the profession4 ,this old-fashioned accomplishment is1 therefore1 never used1 unless some new invention is added to increase the difficulty4 ,illustration ,this has happened with ,lady ,alphonsine and the ,russian ,frankloff1 whom we saw walking upon the water at the ,neuilly fte1 standing upon a ballast-tub1 which he rapidly turned round with his feet4 ,lady ,alphonsine ascended a small spiral upon her globe4 ,it resembled the winding turn upon a screw1 and was twisted round a mast fifteen or eighteen feet high4 ,the ascension is not so bad1 but ,i assure you that the descent gives you some trouble4 ,it is necessary to restrain the enormous wooden ball1 always on the verge of escaping1 and the feet patter frantically1 vibrating like the sounding-board of a mandoline4 ,here the effect produced is out of proportion to the exertion forced upon the artist2 and this performance has another inconvenience3 if p#bac it be continued for too long it spoils the shape of the leg by undue development of the calf--two reasons why the globe should not be reinstated in the esteem of the public4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,slack ,,wire4 ,however1 here as elsewhere1 fashion rules the world1 and tight-rope dancing1 after falling into abeyance for a time1 is now apparently returning to favour4 ,if1 some fine morning1 we may find ourselves globe spiral ascensionists with little previous exertion1 no one can become a tight-rope dancer without much patient labour4 ,you see how easily the rope-dancer runs across her narrow path1 and may feel tempted to say1 8,really1 it only requires nerve to do as much40 ,but it is a pity that1 for your own edification1 you were not present at the artist's first experiments4 ,all the strength of the dancer lies in the back and in the rigidity of the legs4 ,on this account children cannot be placed upon the cord before they are ten years old4 ,the apparatus used in these performances is very simple1 and has not changed since antiquity4 ,the cord is raised upon 8croiss10 two crossed sticks1 at each end1 which form two of different size4 ,the at the back is the highest1 so that it may support the back of the dancer during the intervals of rest4 ,the second 1 or 8crois de face0 which bears the 8guidon0 or object of sight1 from which the dancer never moves his eyes1 is not higher than the cord1 which is attached at each end by cross bars of flexible wood4 ,in ,europe we use the ash1 but the ,americans use a still more pliant wood1 the ixry4 ,the whole apparatus is fixed by an arrangement called a 8cadrolle0 of pulleys4 ,the first time the dancer attempts to cross the cord he is supported by straps on either side4 p#bad ,with the balancing-pole carefully held in both hands1 his eyes fixed upon the point of sight1 he endeavours to turn his feet out as much as possible1 treading first on the heel and then upon the great toe4 ,after a few months' practice he can dance the 8sabotire0 which does not wound his still tender feet4 ,the other exercises which he must slowly acquire are the walk forward1 the walk backward1 the dangerous spring forward1 the dangerous spring backward the horse spring1 and the art of springing from one foot to the other4 ,illustration ,this is the classic series of exercises4 ,when the dancer has once mastered them his own imagination must aid his performance4 ,he must attempt some new feat upon the cord that no one else has yet tried1 and this 8novelty0 is p#bae more difficult to find than you would suppose4 ,artists like ,ada ,blanche1 who inherit the talents of ,madame ,saqui and ,blondin1 have a right to repeat ,la ,bruyre's melancholy words1 8,we have come too late40 ,illustration ,i have purposely given very little space in this book to former artists4 ,the skill of our living gymnasts1 acrobats1 equestrians1 and clowns1 prevents our regretting the dead2 but amongst the arts practised in the circus1 that of the equilibrist has been in vogue longer than any other1 and it is also the most limited in its resources4 ,it is therefore expedient1 ,saqui1 to place your charming picture in this place1 who forced the ,great ,emperor to raise his eyes to watch your aerial exploits1 whom he called his enrage1 whose chimerical daring he secretly admired for its p#baf resemblance to his own audacity4 ,the astronomers of our time1 less gallant than the ancient poets1 have not yet placed you amidst the stars2 yet1 on the other hand1 ,i fear that you have not been received into ,paradise3 for1 little pagan1 you once desecrated the sacred towers of ,notre ,dame with your little sabots4 ,may this sin be remitted some day6 ,i know1 in one corner of ,paris1 an old centenarian ,italian woman1 who still has masses said for the repose of your restless soul1 and believes that in expiation of your pride you are condemned to wander for two hundred years between heaven and earth1 without any amusement except that of playing with the rainbow as a hoop when there is no storm4 ,the pleasant memory of this peri is closely allied with the name of mile ,gravelet1 called ,blondin4 ,is there any place in the world where the famous crossing of ,niagara has not been spoken of8 ,the two ,americas hastened to see the feat1 and every day ,blondin added some novelty to his performance4 ,sometimes1 seated on a little chair1 he would cook an omelet upon his cord1 and eat it amidst shouts of applause4 ,sometimes he took his son on his back and ran from one bank to the other4 ,one day ,blondin caught sight of the ,prince of ,wales amongst the spectators4 ,he was presented to him1 and proposed that the ,prince should make the journey across the ,falls with him4 ,his ,royal ,highness alleged that his rank obliged him to remain on the bank4 ,this offer was one of ,blondin's favourite jokes4 ,pierre ,vron told me that on the day that the rope-dancer crossed the ,seine he suggested to ,cham1 who had come to make a sketch1 that he should cross with him4 p#bag ,illustration 8,i am perfectly willing10 replied the caricaturist1 8but ,i will carry you on my back40 8,nonsense6 ,monsieur ,cham1 you cannot think of doing that60 p#bah 8,you see you are the one to refuse10 coolly answered the unsmiling jester4 ,illustration ,the sudden discredit into which rope-dancing has fallen during the last few years dates from the appearance of ,oceana4 ,this young woman1 anxious to adopt a 8novelty0 which p#bai would exhibit her beauty without too much exertion1 chose a wire1 which1 hanging slacker than the cord1 enabled her1 with a little oscillation1 to assume the attitude of reclining in a hammock1 the voluptuous indolent postures of ,sarah la baigneuse4 ,but the genuine rope-dancers at once determined to reproduce all the exercises of the cord upon the wire1 which ,oceana had so easily brought into fashion1 and1 with the exception of the horse-spring1 they can all be performed upon it4 ,the difficulty of preserving the equilibrium on a support that is even more unstable than the cord delighted the equilibrists4 ,illustration ,a young ,oriental1 ,lady ,ibrahim1 in the winter of #ahhh1 at the ,folies ,bergre1 showed us the advantages a clever equilibrist could derive from the flexibility of the wire4 ,illustration ,illustration ,a little too tall1 with the almost thin arms of a dancer1 she allowed herself to be raised by one hand to a rather high platform1 from which she started1 far above all heads4 ,once there1 she opened a ,chinese parasol1 which she used as a balance2 then1 with a very serious expression1 an anxious p#bbj rigidity of the whole face1 her eagle eyes fixed on the point of sight1 she stepped upon the wire1 which1 brilliantly plated with nickel1 looked like the slippery floor of a skating-rink under her feet4 ,when she reached the centre of her wire1 ,lady ,ibrahim caught a steel hoop in its flight2 for one second she placed it behind her head2 it was the starlit night3 then she slipped it over her head1 and slowly1 with graceful precautions1 she made it glide down the whole length of her p#bba body to her feet4 ,some flags arranged in a small wheel1 so that their folds waved as she moved1 afterwards replaced the parasol in her hand1 and then1 suspended between the draperies of undulating silk1 ,lady ,ibrahim violently swung herself from right to left on one leg2 suddenly she closed her feet1 raised herself in the air on the points of her toes1 turned1 and went towards the back crois4 ,the performance was crowned by a promenade on a plank balanced on the wire4 ,lady ,ibrahim repeated upon the plank the various exercises that ,i have already described1 until at last1 amidst loud p#bbb applause1 she picked it up and carried it off upon her shoulder4 ,the wish to conquer increasing difficulties has raised the equilibrists from the slack wire to the trapeze4 ,the danger of this work lies in the instability of the support4 ,the slack wire and cord are less steady than the ball2 the trapeze1 although weighted by lumps of lead at the ends of the two cords1 oscillates perceptibly more than the cord4 ,it is like a thoroughbred1 a nervous1 supple1 and rebellious horse1 which must be mounted with infinite care and delicacy of movement4 ,therefore the equilibrists who have once tried the trapeze will never abandon it4 ,through the meshes of their net they disdainfully look down upon the poor slack wire-dancers1 who are with difficulty raised two yards above the sand of the arena by the croiss4 ,globe1 cord1 slack wire1 trapeze--this is the complete cycle1 and we have already seen that these graceful exercises are performed chiefly by women4 ,a man has not the same sthetic reasons for exhibiting his body in a work which provides no use for his masculine strength1 and he therefore rarely leaves the 8carpet20 he is a juggler or an antipodean4 ,all the banquistes juggle1 and all their children too4 ,it is their leisure work between the exercises that exhaust their strength4 ,they sit in a corner1 pick up whatever is near their hands--a key1 an orange1 a stone--and throw them into the air4 ,but daily practice is necessary before they can surpass the average skill and attain the dexterity which excites our wonder on the stage4 ,illustration ,the true juggler1 who is usually left-handed1 never juggles on horseback1 nor on a cord or trapeze2 he performs with p#bbc balls standing on the ground4 ,this is a speciality of the ,japanese4 ,one was seen this winter in drawing-room performances whose dexterity approached sorcery4 ,he only used a large white ball and a small red one1 but in his hands they seemed like living things4 ,they ran over his face1 up p#bbd and down his arms1 and stopped on his nose or the tip of a finger4 ,illustration ,our friend ,agoust was celebrated in ,america as a juggler before he became a comic clown and manager of the ,nouveau ,cirque4 ,i have seen him juggle simultaneously with an egg1 a ball1 and a bottle of champagne2 and this is a miraculous feat1 through the difference in the muscular effort required in throwing back each object as it falls into the juggler's hand4 ,the ,dane ,svrus is also one of the present celebrities of carpet equilibrism4 ,he appears on the stage like ,hamlet1 in a black velvet tunic4 ,one expects him to commence the monologue spoken on the terrace of ,elsinor4 ,no4 ,he orders a small velvet chair to be brought to him1 and perches himself upon it head downwards1 feet in air4 ,but he has first balanced a lighted lamp1 with its glass and globe1 upon the nape of his neck4 ,he then moves it forward upon his skull by tiny jerks of the skin of the hair4 ,it reaches his forehead2 from there it travels down his profile1 and finally descends to his chest4 ,this ,svrus has made a speciality of juggling with fragile objects4 ,he replaces balls and knives by basins1 salad-bowls1 lamp-glasses1 and plates of all sizes4 p#bbe ,whilst seeing his performance one cannot but regret having left the cook at home1 instead of giving her one good lesson in the art of skilfully handling a dinner-service4 ,svrus has a remarkable iron arm4 ,the biceps of the arm develop very strongly in jugglers1 and the crural muscles attain an extraordinary expansion and strength in the antipodeans4 ,the banquistes use this term for the jugglers who work with their legs4 ,for instance1 the ,japanese ,yotshitaro and the ,mexican ,frank ,maura4 ,i have seen ,maura perform one of the most extraordinary bounds that ,i ever witnessed on the stage4 ,it did not excite much applause from the audience1 who little suspected the immense force of the exertion4 ,frank ,maura knelt at the edge of the stage1 seated himself upon his heels and crossed his arms1 then1 without assisting himself by one movement of the bust1 by one effort of the loins he threw his body into the air1 and did not return to the ground until he had completed the revolution of a dangerous somersault4 ,after seeing the performance of this antipodean1 one can understand the wonderful vigour of his muscles4 ,frank ,maura places in the middle of the theatre a metal handle about two yards high1 which supports a small saddle4 ,the equilibrist balances his shoulders and nape upon it1 and then raises both legs at a right angle4 ,an assistant throws to him successively three enormous balls1 a barrel1 and a bench long enough to seat six persons4 ,maura catches these objects1 throws them into the air1 recatches them1 passes them from his hands to his feet1 turns them violently round and then suddenly stops their rotation from time to time4 p#bbf ,with this extraordinary strength the faculty of 8prehension0 is so curiously developed amongst antipodeans1 that many of them can pick up a ball or an orange with their feet1 and throw these objects1 like a projectile1 towards a given mark4 ,illustration ,we must add to the group of equilibrists two classes of acrobats1 whose appearance in the ,hippodrome dates from the grand spectacular pantomimes which rendered it necessary to cover the arena with a parqueterie floor4 ,these new comers are bicyclists and skaters4 ,illustration ,the bar used to guide the bicycle was certain to attract the attention of the equilibrists sooner or later1 and we can understand how the idea suggested itself of reproducing upon this unsteady support some of the exercises which the gymnast performs upon the fixed bar4 ,since the number of these borrowed 8acts0 is necessarily very restricted1 the wish to introduce variety into his 8novelty act0 led the bicyclist to add a companion to his p#bbh performance1 who springs upon his shoulders whilst he is in motion1 and executes there some of the acrobatic feats which the pad equestrians perform in the pas de deux4 ,the summit of the limited performance possible on a bicycle is attained when the artists attempt on a monocycle the exercises which are now frequently seen on the two wheels4 ,as for the skaters1 they appear upon the parqueterie in order to provoke laughter by their falls2 their performance belongs to comic acrobatics4 ,you who in former days have tested the asphalte of the ,skating ,rink in the ,rue ,blanche1 with your shoulders1 back1 and knees1 are well acquainted with the horrible sprains which followed your attempts4 ,the clown-skaters have found means of avoiding those inconveniences by the suppleness of complete dislocation4 ,at the same time they make great capital out of the natural perversity which impels us to laugh at our neighbours' falls4 ,i shall not astonish you when ,i tell you that these comic equilibrists are looked down upon by 8professionals40 ,they are held a little aloof1 and are regarded as entertainers rather than artists4 ,for they have not been forced to conquer an enemy in whose defeat lies all the glory of an equilibrist--the vertigo4 ,can we say that the equilibrist is really victorious over the vertigo8 ,after much observation ,i am convinced that it would be more accurate to write that the vertigo conquers the equilibrist4 ,illustration ,you all know the experiment which plunges a hen into a state of immobility and renders it more or less completely p#bcj insensible by placing its beak upon the ground and drawing a straight chalk line towards which its eyes forcibly converge4 ,in the same way1 if any one take a brilliant object between two fingers and hold it a few inches from the eyes and a little above the forehead of a somewhat nervous person1 first engaging him to look at it fixedly and to concentrate his attention on what follows1 there is every chance of sending the person who is victim of the experiment into an hypnotic sleep4 ,the series of phenomena which then take place are familiar to all3 ,first1 the eyes water a little through the fixed gaze1 the pupils dilate and contract alternately1 the members become extended1 rigid1 in some degree cataleptic4 4 4 ,now recall the succession of acts which the equilibrist accomplishes in his work4 ,he too1 fixedly1 obstinately gazes upon a single spot--the point of sight4 ,all those who perform upon the cord have acknowledged that the same peculiar phenomena are produced at the end of the first seconds of this intense gaze2 the equilibrist feels a sensation of absolute isolation1 and at the same time a curious attrahent feeling towards the point of sight4 ,in this nervous state the muscles assume a species of rigidity which assists the acrobat in his work4 ,must we then conclude that the phenomena found here border upon hypnotism8 ,this is a delicate question4 ,i know that it will soon be laid before the ,acadmie de ,mdecine by two clever savants of the ,faculty of ,montpellier4 ,i commend these remarks to their attention1 for they may feel some interest in them1 owing to the difficulty which impedes close p#bca observation of these wandering artists1 whose confidence is so hard to win4 ,illustration ,those who study this question of hypnotism amongst equilibrists should notice3 #a4 ,that as a rule they are female subjects1 #b4 ,that the most skilful equilibrists come to us from the land of the fakirs1 from ,india1 ,japan1 the ,east2 #c4 ,that all the ,european subjects that attain exceptional dexterity are at least neurolopathic4 p#bcb ,illustration ,to quote but one instance3 ,erminia ,chelli1 the queen of equilibrists upon the trapeze1 is a natural somnambulist4 ,from ,may till ,july1 #ahhg1 ,paris possessed this charming p#bcc young girl at the ,cirque d't1 and her departure has left us inconsolable4 ,i shall never forget the emotion which her performance caused me at our first meeting4 ,i at once begged ,m4 ,franconi to introduce me to her father4 ,m4 ,chelli and ,i exchanged cards4 ,i have copied the document here as an extraordinary monument of acrobatic and paternal pride3 ,,emilio ,,chelli1 ,,ex-,,artist1 ,,gymnast1 ,,and ,,clown1 ,,father ,,of ,,the ,,celebrated ,,aerial ,,equilibrist1 ,,signorina ,,ermina ,,chelli4 ,the wife's card said 8,madame ,mre40 ,erminia ,chelli is not more than nineteen2 she is a ,venetian1 and by lengthening her legs in the trapeze she has acquired the supreme grace in walking1 the elegant proportions1 which are usually rather lacking in ,italians ,the bust is youthful yet charming1 the neck delicate2 the little dark head is proudly carried upon shoulders which the trapeze has rendered supple without unduly developing the shoulder blades4 ,since the appearance of ,oceana no one of such perfect proportions has been seen in either of the circuses or the ,hippodrome4 ,the beauty of ,oceana was1 perhaps1 a little more individual and original2 but ,erminia is better bred and more typical4 p#bcd 8,she is her father's pupil10 ,madame ,chelli1 her mother informed me1 as she assisted ,erminia in putting on a large pelisse4 8,she began to appear in public when she was quite a little girl4 4 4 40 ,illustration ,as she spoke an equestrian came in to tell them that the net was being prepared for ,mademoiselle ,chelli's performance4 ,erminia threw off her mantle1 and with the caressing tones p#bce of a young girl1 a little seriously and gravely1 she went up to her mother and put her arms round her neck3 8,addio1 mamma10 she said1 kissing her4 ,a little surprised1 ,i inquired3 8,is this a superstition1 ,madame ,chelli80 8,no one knows10 the mother answered4 8,it has been her custom since childhood40 ,truly1 in spite of the net extended beneath her1 she might well be excused1 poor little girl1 for having one moment's uneasiness whenever she was fetched for her dizzy work on the trapeze4 ,for one whole month ,i strained my neck watching her extraordinary performance in the friezes4 ,without the assistance of her hands1 which she used as a counterpoise1 she bent low enough to pick up with her teeth a handkerchief laid upon the trapeze4 ,she mounted a ladder which was only poised upon the round oscillating piece of wood4 ,lastly1 she balanced an immense ball still upon this frail support1 and then1 without leaning upon anything1 she mounted upon it4 ,and thus1 lost in space1 the globe beneath her feet1 she seemed1 the little acrobat1 so beautiful1 so unconscious of danger1 like a goddess travelling through the air with the earth for a movable pedestal4 ,the enthusiasm with which ,i had praised the beauty and talents of ,erminia ,chelli in several newspapers procured for me at that time the letter which ,i reproduce here with great pleasure4 ,it is from a literary man1 and throws a genuine light upon the customs of some of those acrobats who as a class are so misunderstood by the public4 p#bcf 8,,sir1 8,the article in which you allude to ,mademoiselle ,chelli recalls to me a souvenir which ,i have much pleasure in relating to you4 8,three or four years ago the ,chelli family came to ,vichy and took part in the performances at the ,eden ,theatre4 ,the father went through some acts of strength and equilibrium2 the daughter was commencing on the flying trapeze the work for which she is now distinguished4 ,the mother watched them both1 admired them1 and trembled4 8,at that time the child1 who might have been fourteen years old1 already placed a ball upon a movable trapeze1 steadied it as far as possible with her feet whilst holding by the cords1 then loosening her grasp of the cords1 she rose1 bowed1 stood upon one foot1 and threw kisses to the crowd1 visibly directing some of them towards her mother1 who usually occupied the second chair in the second row of the orchestra stalls2 the first chair being reserved for the child1 who came back to her mother as soon as her performance was over4 8,my usual place was in the first chair in the first row4 ,i soon began to talk to the mother and her daughter1 whose modest manners and childish affection for her parent were perfectly free from all affectation1 and attracted me immensely4 8,one evening ,i ordered a bouquet to be thrown to ,erminia as she left the trapeze4 ,on the following day ,i asked her mother if this attention1 which the audience warmly applauded1 had pleased her daughter4 8#8,oh6 yes1' she said1 #8and this morning ,erminia carried it to the ,virgin's chapel4' p#bcg ,illustration 8#8,she is pious1 then8' 8#8,certainly2 it is only a fortnight since she received the communion2 she often communicates4' p#bch 8,i will not point out the contrast which presents itself to the mind4 ,there are some facts like the drop of water1 in which1 as ,mademoiselle de ,gournay has already said1 the whole sun is reflected4 8,poor child6 has she travelled so far in safety on the rough voyage of the life which she leads8 ,i hope so2 it is the sincere wish of an old and unknown friend4 8,c4 ,,livet40 ,the 8old and unknown friend0 of ,erminia ,chelli may feel reassured4 ,i have eaten macaroni in the society of ,mademoiselle ,erminia and her family1 and since her departure from ,france we live in the friendly intercourse of letters3 the pretty equilibrist is still just the same as when he knew her4 ,the horse filled the thoughts of poor milie ,loisset1 and so the trapeze fills the whole life of ,erminia ,chelli4 ,it is her vocation2 when quite small she would go under the table and swing her dolls upon a trapeze made of a hairpin and the elastic from her hair net4 ,and1 on the other hand1 whenever she is not in the circus she passes her time in making bonnets for herself and her friends4 ,this talent for millinery replaces ,ingres' violin4 ,one has much more chance of pleasing her by saying1 8,how becoming your bonnet is1 ,erminia60 than by complimenting her upon her talent as an equilibrist4 ,erminia is likely to amass a very large dowry4 ,do you know that #abj per month may be earned by walking head downwards upon the ceiling of a circus8 ,in four or five years' time she will marry4 p#bci 8,but there is no hurry10 she said1 shaking her head1 when some one mentioned this contingency to her4 ,illustration ,she was right4 ,the sight of her youthful form flying through the friezes is a delight to those pagans who appreciate pure curved lines1 and it is also a subject for meditation to those philosophers to whom the little acrobat unconsciously gives a symbolic lesson when she has exhausted in an ascending p#bdj scale of difficulties all the most unexpected combinations of equilibrist art1 upright upon her globe1 supported by the trapeze only1 she pauses1 and upon this vantage point of unsurpassable perfection1 feeling sure that nothing more is possible1 she smiles1 sends a kiss from the tip of her fingers to her admirers1 then abruptly1 as though struck by lightning1 she falls into the net4 ,illustration p#bda ,illustration ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,gymnasts4 ,the tragic accident which killed an unfortunate equilibrist1 ,castagnet1 by a fall from his cord in ,september1 #ahhh1 roused great emotion amongst the public4 ,those persons1 even1 who wrongfully credit the poor acrobats with practising every vice1 cannot restrain their admiration for the marvellous courage which these pariahs display on these terrible occasions4 ,we must take advantage of the intervals thus produced in the contempt usually felt by the public for circus artists1 to prove to all lovers of fine physical performances that this great skill is not acquired without the practice of many daily virtues1 of which temperance ranks least1 and incredible perseverance is the most admirable4 ,i have now frequented the society of banquistes for many years1 and am on confidential terms with them2 ,i cannot assert p#bdb too often the very great esteem ,i feel for them4 ,their art is wholly traditional1 and it preserves habits of respect and obedience in their families which1 perhaps1 can scarcely be found elsewhere4 ,of course there are some black sheep in the band1 some slave-drivers1 like the bully whom ,nils ,forsberg formerly painted in a picture--,avant la ',loi ,talon--which caused a great sensation in ,paris1 but the subject of it appeared so cruel that the committee dared not admit it to the ,salon4 ,but this is an exceptional case1 which is much less common than is usually believed4 ,the 8families0 whom you see pirouette in the arena1 vault over fixed bars1 and scale the trapezes1 keep1 as a rule1 to the old patriarchal customs4 ,rehearsal fills every hour of the day which can be spared from the theatre1 and this muscular work produces a healthy physical fatigue1 which is the best school of morality4 ,the first business of a family of acrobats that wishes to succeed in its tour round the world1 is to perfect each member of it in some special exercise which suits his natural aptitudes4 ,some men are born carpet acrobats1 others are attracted by the fixed bar1 others seem born for vaulting4 ,no mistake must be made at the dbut of a professional education1 for an artist who wishes to acquire fame and fortune must become a specialist from his first teeth4 ,whatever branch may be decided upon1 the carpet acrobats1 the bar experts1 and the trapezeist have always commenced by training themselves in a certain number of universal exercises which form the basis of gymnastics1 as the scale is the basis of all music4 ,they consist in learning the innumerable number of somersaults4 p#bdc ,illustration ,the first attempted with the feet firm1 that is to say without springboard or batoude1 is the somersault backward4 ,this is much easier to learn than the somersault forward4 ,the neophyte wears a strong tight belt provided with a ring above each hip4 ,cords are passed through these rings1 and are held by two companions in work1 enabling them to uphold the gymnast4 ,the latter strives to turn round upon the axis formed by the two cords1 gradually decreasing his reliance upon them4 ,at last he can dispense with them entirely4 ,before the acrobat attempts the somersault forward1 he must go through the whole series of exercises in posturing4 p#bdd ,first bending forward or 8posturing10 the hands laid flat upon the ground so as to support the body1 which is raised with the legs opened1 the first time in the form of a ,y1 the second time in an elongation of ,i4 ,then comes bending backward1 in which the body is arched in an inverse sense1 the hands on the ground near the heels4 ,next follows the curvet1 which is performed by throwing the body suddenly backwards until the hands touch the ground4 ,and at the moment they reach the floor a vigorous relaxation of the muscles of the legs makes the acrobat rebound upon his feet4 ,when any one has mastered these three primeval exercises1 he may attempt the somersault forward without the aid of his hands4 ,he must now rely upon combining these various acquirements in 8acts0 of his own invention that will dazzle and astonish the public4 ,the classical performance of a carpet acrobat opens by bending backward4 ,it is continued by a monkey's somersault--a decomposition of the somersault backward1 by the rondade--a curvet backwards1 and then by a somersault4 ,but vaulters do not end here2 each of them varies in an infinite number of ways by the acts of his invention1 the outline of his acrobatic career4 ,he introduces an ,arab somersault 7a somersault from the side1 which is obtained by starting from the ground on one foot only72 the lion's somersault1 which is a monkey's somersault forward2 the coward's leap1 in which the acrobat1 lying upon his back1 raises himself by one effort of the loins2 the forward somersault1 a lion's somersault without the hands1 which throws the man1 legs in air1 head downwards upon the nape p#bde of his neck2 the carp's leap1 also the sudden spring of an extended acrobat1 which raises him to his feet through the relaxation of the muscles of the spine4 ,illustration ,the double somersault cannot be performed from the carpet without assistance2 the artist must spring from the shoulders of a companion1 or with the aid of the peculiar spring-board which ,french banquistes call the batoude4 ,with p#bdf the batoude ,auriol cleared twenty-four bayonets with a flying somersault1 ended by a dive--a jump from a great height4#ab ,with the batoude specialists have bounded over twenty-four horses1 and at the gymnasium ,du ,marais1 belonging to ,m4 ,pascaud1 last year an amateur1 ,m4 ,mars1 performed a triple somersault4 ,this feat is the realization of the highest ambition of those carpet acrobats whom you have so often seen grouped in an apotheosis in one of those human pyramids which rise in a second through the strength of the gymnasts' biceps1 and which fall to pieces like fireworks1 in rockets of somersaults4 ,illustration ,we cannot leave the circus floor without allusion to a series of individuals who exhibit themselves by the side of the genuine acrobats in performances of a special kind4 ,these are the contortionists1 the india-rubber women--all those who were formerly known by the more general name of boneless acrobats4 ,these boneless or dislocated performers are more numerous in the world than one would imagine4 p#bdg ,ballet-dancers are all dislocated1 for their feet1 legs1 and loins have been disarticulated to obtain beautiful points2 the naturalist quadrille-dancers from ,mabille1 who are now seen at the caf concerts1 are also dislocated4 ,there are some naturally disarticulated men4 ,all ,parisians will remember in their youth1 a beggar who was celebrated as the 8humpback of the ,pont d',austerlitz40 ,this mountebank caused his hump to pass from his back to his chest as he liked4 ,the vertebral column turned without any effort from back to front1 and from front to back again4 ,he was found drowned one day between two coal boats1 and his skeleton is still shown in the ,museum4 ,illustration ,but he was an exception4 ,one must begin early in order to manufacture a dislocated man like the 8man in the ball40 ,a wooden ball1 about one yard in diameter1 is rolled into the arena4 ,this huge sphere ascends an inclined plane1 and rolls from right to left upon it1 then descends and recommences the ascension like a living being4 ,and truly1 for it suddenly opens and a dislocated man appears1 who1 without any semblance of fatigue1 bows to the astonished audience4 p#bdh ,illustration ,no one has yet guessed the secret which enables this wonderful contortionist to bend and move his body in so small a space4 ,the bones1 instead of being joined by articulations1 are held together by a fibrous membrane which envelops them like a kind of muff and holds them in their sockets4 ,this membrane1 called 8a capsule10 is very flexible1 p#bdi and is capable of great elasticity of tension1 during childhood particularly4 ,by preserving and developing this natural disposition1 the abnormal movements can be obtained which surprise us amongst acrobats4 ,illustration ,the performances of ,walter1 called the ,serpent-man1 are not less extraordinary4 ,i will not insult you by supposing that you have not seen and applauded this wonderful artist2 it is1 therefore1 for the p#bej inhabitants of hyperborean countries that ,i shall now describe his work4 ,j4 ,h4 ,walter appears in black tights spangled with silver1 classic as an ,antinos1 nervous as a stag4 ,he looks as though he could reach the friezes with a bound1 and one is quite surprised to find that he does not leave the 8carpet40 ,his performance opens by an important and novel act1 in which the bust is reversed1 and the head touches the back of the knees1 whilst the right hand seizes one of the ankles1 and the left is extended in an inverse sense1 flat upon the ground4 ,and the startling series of leaps1 of movements1 of contortions1 which follow1 end in an alarming pose1 which recalls the monstrous gargoyles of ,gothic sculpture2 for the acrobat drops his feet1 knots them under his head1 and in this attitude1 with starting eyes1 and rigid1 open lips1 he resembles a skull supported on cross-bones4 ,when we were introduced to each other1 ,i complimented him upon his artistic skill4 ,j4 ,h4 ,walter seemed pleased with my praises2 his ,british stiffness thawed1 and we chatted familiarly4 ,i was very curious to know whether this acrobatic monstrosity had attracted much notice from the women4 ,he frankly replied-- 8,sir1 the chastity which monks do not always observe is forced upon an artist of my class4 ,you will guess that ,i did not obtain this complete flexibility in one day4 ,on the very morning of my birth my father commenced to bend my joints4 ,i grew up with the idea that ,i would be the greatest disarticulated artist of the century1 or perhaps of all ages4 ,i never had any other ambition4 ,with regard to the point on p#bea which you question me1 the greatest reserve is imposed upon me4 ,i have all the appearance of a strong man2 my chest is wider than your own1 but beneath it ,i conceal the lungs of a child2 they are stunted by the daily pressure of my thoracic cage4 ,consumption threatens me1 and will carry me off very early unless ,i break my neck in the circus some evening1 which ,i should certainly prefer40 ,illustration ,the acrobat told me all this without any affectation1 in so natural and decided a tone that ,i did not feel justified in pitying his fate4 ,but since ,i wished to know what sentiment could survive1 in a being of such mediocre intellectual culture1 his resignation to the sacrifice of life1 ,i said to him with some interest-- 8,i quite understand2 dear ,monsieur ,walter1 that the applause you receive seems to you1 whilst it lasts1 a sufficient reward for your past sufferings and approaching end4 ,but1 tell me1 when the fever of the circus has passed away1 in your hours of leisure and solitude like this one1 do you not curse your destiny80 ,the ,englishman smiled quietly4 8,i have10 he replied1 8a specific against ennui--a passion which saves me from reflection4 ,i gamble1 sir1 gamble madly for whole nights at a time4 ,i stake the thousands of francs which the managers p#beb pay me every month2 worse than that1 ,i have staked my skeleton1 and lost it60 ,the terrace of the caf1 where we were talking1 had become empty through the lateness of the hour2 the waiters had already closed the front1 and were taking in the chairs4 ,illustration ,the ,serpent-man rose2 and as ,i stared at him with wonder in my eyes1 he added-- 8,we are driven from here1 sir4 ,will you accompany me to my hotel8 ,i will tell you how it occurred40 ,he led me to a family boarding-house in the ,rue du ,colise1 which has no customers except the acrobats who pass through ,paris4 ,j4 ,h4 ,walter occupied a fairly comfortable room on the first floor4 ,he lighted a lamp1 and p#bec when we were seated1 facing each other1 he continued his story in these words-- 8,it happened about five years ago ,i was performing in ,london1 and every evening ,i played poker in the taverns with an ill luck that would not change4 ,all my savings were lost1 and when ,i had no money left the idea occurred to me to insert an advertisement in ,the ,era 7you know that is our professional newspaper71 in which ,i said-- ,illustration 8#8,j4 ,h4 ,walter1 the celebrated ,serpent-man1 will dispose of his skeleton upon his death for one thousand guineas1 payable at once4' 8,on the following day ,i received a visit from a celebrated surgeon4 ,he made me undress1 carefully examined p#bed my back1 felt the vertebr of my spine1 then drawing out a pocket-book1 he handed me a cheque for a thousand guineas without a word6 ,illustration 8,alas6 my ill-luck still pursued me1 and the money soon followed my wages4 8,it is now eighteen months since ,i lost the last guinea of the surgeon's money on the card-table4 ,but if the treasure has gone1 the contract still stands4 ,in obedience to a formal clause in the agreement1 ,i always travel with this4 4 4 40 ,the ,serpent-man rose1 went to his bed1 and1 stooping down1 he drew a long1 narrow oak box from under it4 ,an p#bee address was painted in large black letters upon this queer violin-case-- ,,doctor ,london4 ,the acrobat raised the lid1 and ,i saw that the box was empty4 8,this10 he said1 8is my coffin2 ,i always travel with it4 ,now1 when ,i break my neck1 ,i shall be hurriedly embalmed and packed into it4 ,you see this paper gummed inside the box8 ,it contains instructions from the doctor himself1 written in four languages1 for the undertakers1 who will lay me out4 ,look1 here are the directions40 ,the ,serpent-man stooped down with the lamp in his hand2 ,i knelt beside him1 and read-- 8,the persons who place the acrobat1 ,j4 ,h4 ,walter1 in this coffin1 are begged to inject a solution of chloride of mercury and acetic acid into his veins1 according to the method used by the ,american1 ,doctor ,ure4 8,in default of the above1 an injection of about four quarts and a half of sulphate of zinc may be used4 ,the latter is even preferable1 if the coffin will be more than forty days on the road40 8,well10 said the acrobat when ,i had finished reading1 8what do you think of it all80 8,i think1 my friend1 that you must have been tempted more than once to leave this box in the cloak-room40 p#bef ,i smiled as ,i spoke1 hoping to induce the ,englishman to speak out2 but the ,serpent-man replied rather dryly-- 8,no1 sir2 such a temptation has never occurred to me3 a gentleman keeps his word40 ,illustration 4 4 4 4 ,the performance of carpet acrobatics is something like a state of larva to gymnasts4 ,they all aspire to take flight4 ,the first step in this elevation is the 8bars40 ,the second1 the glorious altitude1 is 8vaulting40 ,any one who has put on the belt of a gymnast1 if but for p#beg one trial1 has practised on the single bar the following rudimentary exercises3-- ,illustration #a4 ,breasting the bar1 which consists in gently drawing the body1 without jerking it1 to the level of the bar1 by the contraction of the biceps4 #b4 ,circling the bar--curling the body gently over the bar head forward1 holding tightly with the hands4 #c4 ,simultaneous 8upstart0--the elevation of the body p#beh above the bar1 with both arms through a spring from the back--8temps de reins40 #d4 ,alternative 8upstart0--one arm after the other4 #e4 ,upstart on one leg1 which has a corollary called ,german upstart or swinging4 #f4 8,cutaway up10 which is obtained by giving a strong spring1 which throws the body forward1 brings it back again in a natural swing1 and is completed by an 8upstart40 #g4 ,long swings or giant swings1 forwards and backwards4 ,this is a series of rapid somersaults round the bar1 executed with extended arms4 ,at times they are so rapid that the body describes a succession of circles round the bar1 like the arms of a windmill4 #h4 ,hough swings4 ,this exercise resembles the preceding one1 but the bar is grasped below the kneecaps1 without the assistance of the hands4 #i4 ,hands and feet swings4 ,this is performed backwards or forwards2 the hands and feet are both placed on the bar1 the hands outside1 the feet inside4 ,this is a fairly complete list of the exercises of an amateur1 but very few of them practise the whole series4 ,they pause at the 8upstarts10 and at once pass to the double bars or parallel bars1 which possess the hygienic virtue of widely opening the chest and developing the biceps4 ,circus gymnastics usually commence with the triple parallel bars4 ,there are a few acrobats who perform with the single bar and a double 8batoude10 but ,i have only seen one specialist with the parallel bars--,gustave de ,penthivre1 who is rarely seen now in the hippodromes4 ,illustration ,on the other hand1 the triple parallel bars offer signal p#bei advantages for acrobats1 through the opportunities they provide for numerous and very varied exercises4 ,they enable several gymnasts to appear together1 and thus give p#bfj the artists breathing-time whilst their companions perform their share of the entertainment4 ,these frequent intervals of rest are indispensable1 on account of the exhaustion which follows the violent exertions of the gymnasts4 ,the series of acrobatics performed upon the fixed triple bars are called passes4 ,amongst them you will find all the exercises of the single bar perfected1 enlarged1 and multiplied--the simple swings1 demi-pirouette swings1 swings on the feet1 swings standing1 vaulting acts1 hands and feet swings1 hough swings1 somersault swings1 heel swings4 ,sometimes the artist raises himself1 sits on the first bar1 opens his legs and profits by the impulse thus received to spring forward upon the other bar 7vaulting act72 sometimes he springs in recoiling1 and then turns upon himself to catch the next bar facing him 7swing upon the heel72 but it must be understood that each acrobat has his particular acts which are combinations of these exercises suited to his dexterity and personal strength1 and blended with various falls1 somersaults backwards and forwards1 double somersaults forwards1 double reversed somersaults1 etc41 etc4 ,the fixed bar is also the best school of vaulting or flying4 ,before ,lotard invented the flying trapeze by a stroke of genius1 vaulting exercises were restricted to the river jumping4 ,acrobats have now rejected with some contempt the two cords which held them prisoners by the wrists2 to-day1 they are masters of space4 ,this subject reminds me of the modern kings of the trapeze--the two brothers ,volta4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,hanlon-,,voltas ,,at ,,the ,,crystal ,,palace4 ,these gymnasts belong to a good family4 ,they were educated in ,england in one of those country colleges where p#bfa ,english boys develop the lobes of their brains and the biceps of their arms at the same time4 ,thanks to this system1 my two friends1 although they are the kings of the fixed bar1 can also read the ,iliad in ,greek with great facility4 ,illustration ,they both worked in a bank1 and in the evenings1 after dinner1 they practised gymnastics for their amusement in a public gymnasium4 ,naturally supple fine young men1 they made wonderful progress4 ,a 8manager0 who accidentally saw them perform1 proposed making an engagement with them4 ,they consulted each other4 ,they laboriously earned #fjjl4 per annum between them in the bank4 ,now the ,barnum offered a salary of #afjl4 per month4 p#bfb ,the brothers ,volta closed their books1 crossed the ocean with a somersault1 and made their dbut in ,america4 ,they joined a band which already possessed two flying trapezists and an iron arm1 the ,hanlons1 the genuine pupils of the old ,hanlon-,lees4 ,the ,voltas' contributions to the entertainment was a very clever series of performances on the fixed bars4 ,this completed the scale of vaulting exercises4 ,the band could make the tour of the world in glorious style with the varied accomplishments of its members4 ,with the exception of the standing swing and the feet swing1 all the exercises of the fixed bar can be performed on the trapeze4 ,some special swings are also risked1 such as the passe ventre1 which is executed by throwing one's self over the trapeze4 ,but the most popular of these exercises is the simple flight from one trapeze to the other1 with a few yards' interval to be crossed between them4 ,this infatuation is explicable1 for there is no doubt that this performance gives us the best opportunity of admiring as in apotheosis the beauty of the human form1 and this is the reason why the idea of placing young girls upon the trapeze was so quickly grasped4 ,with the advent of woman1 passion and crime made their appearance in the serene atmosphere of the aerial realms2 which1 like the republic of ,aristophanes' ,birds1 extend beyond the reach of human perversity4 ,you have all felt the anxiety which seizes the heart during the flight supported 7voltige en porteurs71 when one of these young girls hangs by the feet to her trapeze--hushes the music1 and in the sudden silence calls to her companion-- 8,are you ready80 ,the youngest of the two acrobats is mounted upon her p#bfc saddle2 with eye and muscle strained she watches the trapeze1 which advances towards her in waves of rhythmical movements approaching nearer each time4 ,illustration ,suddenly the word is given-- 8,go60 ,illustration ,the youthful body launched by the trapeze like a stone from a sling1 crosses the whole width of the circus1 and the p#bfd flying girl clasps the hands of her companion4 ,the shock causes the two bodies to sway together for an instant1 then they free themselves1 and with a double somersault reach the net4 ,you can imagine how easily a jealous girl can rid herself of a rival in those few minutes4 ,an imperceptible movement of the loins1 the delay of one-tenth of a second1 and the girl flying through space is condemned to death4 ,this misfortune recently happened through an accident1 but there are some criminal cases of it4 ,one of these incidents has been related already4 ,the two heroines were called 8,ohia0 and 8,nella40 ,the advertisement styled them 8sisters10 but they were only companions in their aerial work4 ,they detested each other with the indescribable artist-jealousy1 in spite of their entry hand in hand and their stage smiles4 ,it happened that the applause was warmer for ,nella1 the vaulter1 than for ,ohia who caught her2 and on this p#bfe account the miserable girl hated her companion so intensely that she resolved to kill her4 ,one day1 therefore1 when after the great spring ,ohia grasped ,nella by her hands1 an abrupt movement suddenly precipitated the young girl outside the net4 ,fortunately the shock was not too violent to allow ,nella to catch hold of the cord as she fell4 ,she remained suspended1 dazzled for one moment1 clinging to the saving line4 ,ohia was still swinging in the friezes4 ,warned by the shouts of the audience that her scheme had failed1 she made one tremendous spring1 traversed the whole width of the circus1 and fell shattered upon the palisades of the arena4 ,thus another proverb1 also current in the side-scenes of the circus1 was verified1 and this time the whole world may take warning from it--8,if you value your bones1 never work with wine or with a woman40 ,i once questioned some celebrated acrobats upon a subject which piques the curiosity of the public4 ,we all know by experience that ,eves love well-made ,adams4 ,i do not mean the 8mashers0 with girls' faces1 but men built like the old statues1 with supple limbs and broad chests4 ,from this point of view1 the gymnast who acquires strength without losing his agility1 seems an ideal lover4 ,i therefore asked them to tell me in friendly sincerity if they found many scented notes in their dressing-room every evening4 8,i am sure10 replied ,alphonse1 the elder of the two friends1 the orator of the pair1 8that we receive quite as many love-letters1 as the tenors do4 ,from this you may conclude1 if you like1 that there is exactly the same number of practical women as of sentimental ones1 unless the same individuals write to the p#bff tenors and the gymnasts--and this seems very probable to me40 ,illustration 8,and in what terms do you answer these passionate advances1 my dear ,alphonse80 p#bfg 8,we throw the letters into the fire without reading them10 replied the acrobat4 ,illustration 8,you are afraid of being tempted80 8,of course all excess is forbidden us4 ,no one must mount into the friezes without a perfectly clear head4 ,it is too easy to miss a spring and break one's neck1 even by falling into the net--which is more useful for reassuring the audience and the police than for anything else4 ,but this is not our only reason for avoiding women4 ,ask ,adolphe's opinion on the point40 p#bfh 8,we do not like women because they are badly made10 replied his comrade1 with a grimace of disgust4 ,i could not help smiling4 ,illustration 8,well1 my friend10 ,i replied1 8,i think you are speaking of them like a jealous artist2 you object to them because1 with very limited skill1 by the exhibition of their bodies flying through the air they attract as much applause as you do with all your artistic dexterity4 ,it is not personal dislike in your case1 as you seem to think--it is trade jealousy40 ,at this ,alphonse interposed4 8,adolph is right10 he answered4 8,women are badly made4 ,a woman is not an object of art1 but of use4 ,look at her hips--how they exceed the falling line of the shoulders1 crush the short legs and destroy all proportion by their excessive width4 ,this defect requires concealment by some drapery1 p#bfi and should prohibit the exhibition of the nude4 ,on the other hand the strength of the body1 which in a woman lies in her hips1 a man carries in his shoulders4 ,atlas bears the weight of the world upon his neck4 ,get up1 ,adolph1 and show us your back40 ,illustration ,his friend was smoking1 but he quietly laid down his cigarette1 and took off his shirt4 ,alphonse looked at him for an instant1 admiring him with the enjoyment of an artist1 a smile on his lips4 8,you can put that fellow10 he said1 8into the ideal oval of the egg upon which ,greek sculpture has inscribed the hermaphrodite1 and you will see whether his shoulders destroy the classic lines of sexless beauty40 ,i have often heard these sthetic truths expressed by other trapeze artists more coarsely and with less appreciation of art4 p#bgj ,illustration ,after an interval of some centuries1 the life of the gymnasium has revived the customs which astonish modern readers in the ,banquet4 ,this surprise is unworthy of philosophers4 ,it is logical that throughout all ages the same causes should produce the same effects4 ,the woman of antiquity remained in the gynceum1 and she was rarely seen by the outer world4 ,woman is banished from modern gymnasiums by her natural destination of wife1 mother1 and nurse4 ,the ,greek youth became enamoured of the ephebe in the gymnasium1 where they appeared nude and beautiful4 ,modern gymnasts admire their fellow-workers in their p#bga dangerous performances with equal enthusiasm4 ,and it would show little knowledge of human nature if we inquire how the admiration for beauty becomes transformed into the wish to possess it1 that is1 into love4 ,illustration p#bgb ,illustration ,i write the word without fear of any misunderstanding4 ,illustration ,we are now contemplating simple1 healthy men who pass p#bgc their lives in performing very hard work1 and who are freed from sensual temptation by physical fatigue4 ,as a rule1 p#bgd therefore1 the passions of gymnasts are purely sentimental and platonic2 you will find in them first of all the great element of all love--the protection of the weak by the strong4 ,there is1 in fact1 in every pair of acrobats1 a male and a female1 the 8hero0 or bearer1 the 8man underneath0 who supports the weight of the whole 8act10 to whom the 8man above0 confides his life4 ,the latter is the younger1 the most supple and graceful of the two4 ,he receives the larger share of the applause1 the most enthusiastic 8bravos40 ,his existence depends upon the self-sacrifice and affection of the man who upholds him4 8,we must rely upon each other10 said one of the ,hanlons to me one day1 referring to their young comrade1 8,bob10 the favourite of the whole troupe4 ,translated3 8,we must love each other like the youthful soldiers of the ,theban legion1 like ,castor and ,pollux1 to whom legend has never assigned any mistress40 ,this conviction of the superior1 absolute beauty of man is so bound up in the customs of the gymnasium1 that you will find that all men of high culture who devote themselves to physical exercises1 acquire with their attachment to the trapeze1 the same sthetic views4 ,the most illustrious example that ,i can quote on this point is certainly ,pierre ,loti4 ,you have read his novel of ,azyad1 and you know the enthusiasm with which he speaks of the gymnasium4 ,remember1 on the other hand1 the tenderness of the novel-writer for ,frre ,yvres1 recall the ,pcheurs d',islande clinging to the helm of their boat1 and you will more easily realize the p#bge discipline by which gymnastics lead an acrobat who cares for his profession1 to the sthetic admiration for man4 ,for my own part until ,i read the works of ,pierre ,loti1 ,i never thoroughly understood the epithet which ,pindar throws in the face of an ,olympian victor in a lyrical antistrophe-- 8,oh1 barren gymnastics60 4 4 4 4 4 ,illustration ,,footnotes3 #ab ,originated by 8,little ,bob0 ,hanlon4 ,illustration p#bgg ,illustration ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,the ,,clown4 ,the clowns are the most popular members of the motley crowd that attracts the audience of the circus1 hippodrome and other places of amusement1 where strength and beauty form the basis of the entertainment4 ,their pirouettes fill the house1 they are the 8attraction10 the great success of the programme4 ,as they are not very numerous1 for there are not more than thirty of them scattered over the globe1 p#bgh the directors compete for them at very high salaries4 ,like the star-tenors they contract engagements for many years in advance1 and receive the emoluments of an ambassador1 and their requirements increase with their success4 ,i am told by the agents that their commissions have never been so high as in the last few years4 ,although much appreciated in ,france1 the clown is not a creation of the ,latin genius4 ,it only invented the three personages of the comedy dell'arte1 the three typical masks from which every expression of the human face arise3 ,pierrot the coward1 ,arlequin the crafty1 and between them1 the perverse ,columbine4 ,during many centuries these three puppets have moved through every shade and variety of psychological pantomime4 ,at the present time ,italian pantomime is an extinct art4 ,in the time of ,watteau the poor masks had already lost their definite outlines1 and their idiosyncrasies had become misty and dim4 ,they are now effaced1 dispelled by the cloud of powder which the clown1 launched from the other side of the ,channel1 scattered in the air as he tumbled upon the ,french stage4 ,etymologically the clown is the rustic1 the rough peasant1 pugnacious1 ignorant and silly1 who enlivens the sombre dramas of ,shakespeare by his foolish quibbles4 ,in ,england this ludicrous personage was the indispensable accessory of every play2 he is nearly related to the ,french ,jocrisse1 who also wears the garb of a well-to-do countryman1 and is equally ridiculed by the city folk4 ,the ,shakesperian clown has not yet disappeared4 ,he is to be found with all his traditional attributes in the three p#bgi companies of ,hengler's ,circus1 which travel all over ,england1 and at ,christmas time give simultaneous performances in ,london1 ,liverpool1 and ,dublin4 ,illustration ,i remember entering the arena of this national circus one ,sunday morning in ,london1 and being considerably surprised to find the whole company in morning dress assembled in the ring4 ,a black-coated individual1 ,bible in hand1 was addressing the acrobats4 ,he was a clergyman4 ,i have been told since that ,mr4 ,hengler exacts punctual attendance at the ,sunday services from every member of his troupe4 ,in this traditional house1 the ,shakesperian clown1 the jester1 as he is called in the profession1 appears in white tights1 p#bhj ornamented with blue or red patches indiscriminately arranged1 with a short drapery round the hips1 and a fool's cap on his head4 ,thus attired1 he does not caper and joke1 but declaims passages from ,shakespeare and sings ,irish songs which delight the public in the cheap places4 ,you can easily imagine that such a figure could not be moved from its native surroundings4 ,the dialect of ,old ,tom1 the tirades of ,king ,lear1 would not please any audience1 except in the ,united ,kingdom4 ,some other work must be found for foreign engagements4 ,the jester1 therefore1 looked round to see if he could not gather some useful hints from his stage companions1 that might help to fill his travelling bag1 and naturally he studied the coloured minstrels4 ,it is impossible to write a serious history of the clown without making some allusion to these negro singers4 ,the modern clown1 acrobat1 magician1 and pantomimist was produced by the union of the jester and the minstrel4 ,lovers of old books1 who strolled round the ,quai ,voltaire last winter may have noticed in the window of a dealer in curious prints1 a collection of bad chromolithographs from ,new ,york which attracted and amused the passers by4 ,they depicted the misfortunes of 8coloured men10 caricatured by their old masters2 ridiculous falls into buckets of water2 a horse kicking a negro in the jaw2 a gun exploding1 blows a negro into a thousand pieces like ,captain ,castagnette4 ,the mouths with their gleaming teeth are always split by a foot placed across them1 the legs are thrown above the woolly heads in grotesque dances1 which seem performed in rhythm to the blows of a whip4 ,these coarse pictures were not signed p#bha by the artist1 they bore the names of the publishers only1 ,currier and ,ives of ,new ,york4 ,illustration ,english pantomime1 the extraordinary pantomime of the ,hanlons1 ,pinauds1 ,renards1 ,leovils1 ,ramys1 and ,leopolds1 is considerably influenced by these slave gaieties1 by the monkey-like tricks of the negroes capering for the amusement of their cruel masters4 ,freedom has been granted1 the whip no longer inspires the p#bhb epileptic dances of the blacks1 but their jerky gambols so greatly diverted the 8massa10 that they have survived slavery itself in an essentially ,american and ,english institution3 the ,christy ,minstrels4 ,visit music halls you will find on occasional stages a curious chorus of men in evening dress1 sitting in a semicircle1 their faces blackened with soot4 ,in ,st4 ,james's ,hall the effect is particularly curious1 for it is here that ,messrs4 ,moore and ,burgess1 who have carried negro minstrelsy to the highest perfection1 exhibit their company of coloured minstrels4 ,the back of the stage is occupied by the orchestra4 ,from an artistic point1 no pains is spared to seek out and engage the best musicians who come before the public both vocal and instrumental4 ,among the vocalists may be reckoned some of the finest voices obtainable in ,england or in ,america4 ,the singers are seated in a semi-circle1 the comic men are placed at either end of the row1 and these furnish the life and humour of the entertainment2 they are the comic vocalists1 the propounders of quips and tellers of droll stories2 their instruments are the bones and tambourines4 ,they play1 sing1 dance a jig and make jokes4 ,this is the duty of the two leaders of the band1 the jester and his butt4 ,messrs4 ,moore and ,burgess confine their well-recognised original ,christy ,minstrel ,entertainments to the ,st4 ,james's ,hall4 ,it is the key-note of their programme that they 8never perform out of ,london40 ,on the other hand1 their commonplace imitators become out of the ,london season itinerant humourists4 ,in the summer you will find them on the sands p#bhc of every sea side town4 ,banjo in hand1 arrayed in the cotton trousers worn by the old slaves1 always accompanied by the black dress coat1 an eyeglass in one eye1 straw hats on their blackened heads1 they call themselves the ,ethiopian serenaders4 ,they travel in bands and perform in the open air4 ,illustration ,very agile and supple1 they repeat in violent dances a p#bhd species of gymnastics which a little resembles the 8chahut0 of the lower classes in ,france4 ,the great 8split0 is as familiar to them as the somersaults1 etc2 and these two exercises form the greater part of the pantomime1 which the minstrels perform when they are tired of playing on the banjo4 ,the acrobatic success of the minstrels pointed out a road for these clowns1 who were anxious to place a girdle of somersaults round the terrestrial globe4 ,the pirouette had the advantage of being understood by the spectators in every land4 ,the clown therefore started without any other luggage4 ,this ,english emigration dates from about #ahfe4 ,this was the time of the clever entries of vaulting clowns1 who starred the whole ring with their capers4 ,they vaulted from the 8carpet10 and from the great and little batoude1 that is to say1 performed a somersault from a spring-board over a wall of horses4 ,in the course of his travels the jester1 now an acrobat1 learnt the idiom of several countries4 ,from a few words interspersed through his performance1 he at once saw that his ,english pronunciation easily roused the laughter of the audience4 ,his accent amused the ,parisians particularly1 and he thought that great capital might be made of his broken ,french1 and a large salary earned whilst sparing his physical labour4 ,the corporation at once divided into two branches4 ,the clowns who found that their inclinations prompted them to become 8patterers0 renounced the 8carpet0 and the 8spring-board0 to speak to the public4 ,those whom gymnastics had fascinated turned towards acrobatic pantomime4 p#bhe ,and here we must weave a crown of laurels and immortal flowers for ,billy ,hayden1 the incarnate type of a patterer clown1 and you may be sure that some day his place in the history of the stage will be quite as important as that of the late ,deburau4 ,illustration ,billy related the history of his life to me4 ,he was born in ,birmingham1 and his vocation dates from his early childhood4 ,he was one day mounted upon his father's shoulders to watch an acrobat performing in the open air1 who ascended a movable perch4 ,the spectacle made a deep impression upon the p#bhf child1 and nothing could prevent him from following his vocation4 ,billy is a pupil of the minstrels4 ,at the opening of his career1 he travelled through the world besmeared with black4 ,in ,germany1 the idea first occurred to him to powder himself like ,pierrot1 and at once found that the change produced a great success4 ,the clever expressive features previously concealed by the soot were suddenly disclosed by the powder4 ,and the audacity of the clown increased with the encouragement of public applause4 ,nearly all the jokes with which he has amused us are borrowed from the minstrels4 ,they always repeat the scene of a jester and his butt1 the stock-in-trade of the old show4 ,at the circus1 the ring-master is the butt1 the sensible man who corrects the childish nonsense of the clown4 ,the clown ,footeet plays one of these traditional scenes very naturally4 ,mounted upon a horse1 with his face to the tail1 he calls out3 8,oh1 this horse hasn't got a head40 ,the ring-master gravely answers3 8,it is on the other side1 clown40 8,turn it round then40 8,that is impossible1 clown1 you must turn round yourself40 ,footeet prefers vaulting to talking4 ,but ,billy ,hayden is as lazy as his donkey1 and prefers jokes to somersaults4 ,his repertoire includes an amusing story of a stolen child4 ,when the star equestrian dismounts from her horse1 ,billy turns to ,m4 ,loyal and says3 8,ma aussi1 j t oun cholie ptit dmoisel40 p#bhg 8,allons donc6 clown60 8,v n'tiez pas l quand j suis n8 ,ma1 j'y t4 ,alrs j dois savoir mieux que v60 ,illustration ,and in a lamentable voice he relates the misfortune which befell him3 8,labonn' m promnait dans oun vouture d'enfant1 et ell' p#bhh s'assoit sur le bi-du-bout-du-banc causer avec oun militair'4 ,et alors oun vieil' sorcire venue avec oun ptit garon4 ,et ell' a pris ma la choli ptit' fill' de la vouture d'enfant'1 et ell' a mis la place ma1 le vilain petit garon1 dans la vouture d'enfant4 ,et depuis ce temps-l j oun souis vilain ptit garon60#ac ,with this ,billy draws out an indescribable pocket-handkerchief and bursts into tears4 ,those whom this clown does not amuse1 who prefer drama to comedy1 will reserve their approbation for the acrobat-clown1 who has inherited the genius of the ,hanlon-,lees4 ,this radical transformation of style tempted the jester by many advantages3 first1 by replacing words by gestures1 it suited the natural taciturnity of the ,anglo-,saxon character1 which cannot dispose of the resources of ,italian loquacity2 then it evoked great applause by the unexpected contrast between the somersault suddenly executed precisely according to rule1 following the ridiculous knockabout performance of the tumbling scenes4 ,in making this evolution the clown exposed himself to the danger of being confused with the professional gymnast whose exercises he reproduced4 ,this danger however was more p#bhi apparent than real4 ,the work of a gymnast is of a special traditional character which no whimsical variation is ever allowed to tamper with4 ,its immediate aim is the display of daring movements and harmonious attitudes of the human body1 and above all it is a plastic performance4 ,the clown's art1 on the contrary1 should aim at evoking laughter1 not applause4 ,it appeals less to the sense than to the intelligence1 and1 unlike gymnastics1 it is not confined by classic fixed rules4 ,it has the right to follow the wildest fancies of a whimsical imagination4 ,it is not a ,greek art1 but an ,english one1 and it reflects all the most curious characteristics of the ,anglo-,saxon people4 ,illustration p#bij ,the prevailing note in the ,anglo-,saxon character is melancholy4 ,this produced the spleen1 the gloomy ideas and the systematic calculated first tinge of madness which the ,english themselves call 8eccentricity40 ,to this habitual sadness the ,anglo-,saxon joins a certain brutality1 which is visible in all his games1 sullies all his pleasures1 and even gives to his vices a peculiarly sombre hue4 ,in ,england gymnastics are cultivated1 not for the beauty which they bestow upon the body1 but for the murderous weight which they give to the fists of a boxer4 ,england is the cruel country1 where men first formulated the law of the 8struggle for life40 ,illustration p#bia ,the clown1 the direct son of the ,saxon genius1 said to himself3 ,illustration 8,to please my fellow-countrymen1 who worship strength more than anything else1 ,i must first of all be strong1 before ,i can excite their admiration4 ,i will therefore commence by developing my muscles4 ,as to my pantomime1 if ,i wish it to succeed1 it must1 by the incoherence of its actions1 the whimsicalness of its pointless gestures1 the automatism of its movements1 imitate the terrible spectacle of insanity40 ,with this idea1 the ,english clown has adopted a mourning livery of black and silver1 and has broken the powdered mask p#bib of ,pierrot by two red spots1 two bloody patches2 the insignia of boxing and of ,english consumption4 ,illustration ,this gloomy clown crossed over to ,france upon the steamers that carried ,darwin's books and the commentaries of ,schopenhauer4 ,for one hour the ,french imbibed the sadness of their insular neighbours1 the black acrobat was well received4 ,every one will remember the welcome which the ,magiltons and the ,hanlon-,lees received in ,paris4 ,it was the first time p#bic we had seen ,english pantomime4 ,the exotic art upset all our ideas of logic1 it was in direct opposition to all our innate taste for clearness and delicate performances4 ,however1 it succeeded1 for it evoked the only laughter of which we were at that time capable1 a laughter without merriment1 convulsive1 full of terror4 ,the ,hanlon-,lees6 ,how many pleasant artistic feelings the name evokes in the memory of ,parisians4 ,the troupe is scattered now1 throughout the world1 there are the ,hanlon-,lees on one side1 the ,hanlon-,volta on another1 three of the brothers are dead1 and their comrade ,agoust has abandoned them to become manager of the ,nouveau ,cirque4 ,illustration ,this intelligent and amiable man1 who intends some day writing the memoirs of his eventful life1 has told me the details of the history of the ,hanlon-,lees--their true history1 not the account of them which you will find in a little book published under the title of the ,memoirs of the ,brothers ,hanlon-,lee1 p#bid with pretty illustrations by ,regamey and a splendid preface by the master1 ,theodore de ,banville4 ,the six brothers ,hanlon1 ,thomas1 ,george1 ,william1 ,alfred1 ,edward1 and ,freddy1 first met ,agoust in ,chicago1 about #ahfe4 ,they were then working as trapeze and carpet acrobats4 ,thomas and ,alfred1 two splendidly built men1 were the 8underneath men10 the carriers in the pyramid4 ,the other brothers were--rather puny2 they always wore double tights4 ,under the silk tights--worn outside--was another suit1 called in the acrobatic vocabulary1 a thirty-two franc4 ,in the place of muscles this suit was arranged with fine woollen fringes1 which were carefully combed upwards so as to obtain good curves2 and one of the favourite jokes amongst artists1 is to stick pins1 provided with little white flags1 into these false muscles4 ,at ,chicago the ,hanlons were vaulters1 and ,agoust juggled4 ,a tight-rope dancer1 and ,tanner with his dogs1 had joined the company1 but the entertainment was still too short4 ,agoust1 who had been manager of the ,young ,henry ,theatre1 pantomimist and leader of the ballet1 suggested to the ,hanlons that they should perform a pantomime4 ,he made them rehearse two old pieces by ,deburau1 ,harlequin ,statue1 and ,harlequin ,skeleton4 ,the experiment succeeded1 and in #ahfg the little company went to ,paris1 where it made its reputation by the pantomime of the ,village ,barber4 ,the war of #ahgj divided every one4 ,the ,hanlons returned to ,america with the ,strandges company1 which had been installed at the ,chtelet4 ,agoust enlisted in a marching regiment4 ,they met again in #ahgf1 at the ,walhalla in ,berlin4 ,the p#bie ,hanlons were trying to mount a scene borrowed from the minstrels1 the celebrated ,do1 mi1 sol1 do4 ,they were made up like negroes4 8,what can you do in this piece80 they asked ,agoust4 ,he replied1 8,you have no conductor4 ,i will place myself in the desk40 ,the five ,hanlons then accepted their old comrade as a partner in the place of their brother ,thomas1 who had died in ,america4 ,thomas ,hanlon had fallen at ,cincinnati whilst making the spring for life1 and had broken his head against the balustrade4 ,it had been mended somehow1 but he suffered intense pain when his brothers jumped with both feet upon his head4 ,he had complained1 saying that he could not bear it1 but he still continued this performance4 ,at the end of a few months he went mad4 ,the brothers ,hanlon were always a band of terribly hard workers4 ,every day1 except ,sunday1 they rehearsed from ten in the morning1 till two--and from four till six in the afternoons4 ,when they were tired of vaulting they sat down and worked mentally4 8,my boys1 never drink before a performance10 ,george 7the leader7 would say to them4 8,after it is over1 do whatever you like40 ,the ,hanlons were ,irish1 and were supposed to drink deeply sometimes after leaving the theatre4 ,but if there were excesses they were utilised1 for when they met on the following day1 they related their dreams to each other and endeavoured to construct a play out of them4 ,do1 mi1 sol1 do met with extraordinary success at the ,folies-,bergres4 ,the ,hanlons had been engaged for one p#bif month at a salary of #cfj1 but the first evening after the performance1 they signed an agreement for #fjj per month1 and played their pantomime for thirteen months running4 ,do1 mi1 sol1 do and the ,journey in ,switzerland were performed in ,belgium and ,england with extraordinary success4 ,in the latter country ,agoust separated from his companions4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,entry ,,of ,,clowns ,english pantomime does not require any tragic incidents in order to fill us with admiration and wonder4 ,we have lately seen two companies of artists in ,paris1 the ,leopolds and the ,pinauds1 who recalled the best days of the ,hanlon-,lees4 ,i am thinking chiefly of the ,pinauds1 who are exceptionally clever4 ,i made the acquaintance of these three talented ,american actors whilst they were at the ,folies-,bergres4 ,they are not brothers1 but friends1 and they are thorough gentlemen4 ,i say this quite earnestly1 for if you p#big meet them in the ,american ,minister's drawing-room you will not feel at all surprised to find them there4 ,illustration ,they are devoted to their art1 extol it with much enthusiasm1 and discuss it like artists who have deliberately adopted it1 and who exert all their inventive faculties in the production of their pantomime and in bringing their unique idea into full relief4 ,i saw this strange performance several times running and should find great difficulty in analysing it4 ,it consists of a series of disjointed actions placed side by side1 accompanied by rapid changes of costume1 mad pursuits1 and grotesque disguises4 ,illustration ,illustration ,a gentleman is playing a guitar1 but he is constantly p#bih interrupted by the entry and exit of strange individuals leading animals1 which are all musical instruments4 ,everything is musical in this pantomime--the pig that the peasant drags after him1 the carriage of the cannon with which a malefactor fires a shell at the back of the guitarist4 ,the last part of the farce p#bii is filled with the misfortunes of the peasant with the pig4 ,in the first place the rustic is roughly attacked by a bull1 which aims violent blows at his umbrella with its horns4 ,the peasant valiantly resists the blows from the horns and tail of the animal1 drives it off1 and proud of his victory1 sits down to rest with a triumphant air4 ,but1 alas1 an ill-disposed jester sets fire to ,john ,bull's hat1 it explodes like a petard and flies into the friezes4 ,in despair the peasant lifts his arms to heaven4 ,his prayer is answered immediately4 ,as though the ceiling were a horn of plenty1 a rain of hats and caps descends upon the stage4 ,but they are the crushed shabby hats of bookmakers and poor ,irishmen1 a lot of those formless head-gear1 which are only seen in ,london1 where the workman has no distinctive head-dress1 but puts on the cast-off garments of p#cjj the rich1 thus giving to his poverty the appearance of a masquerade4 ,the peasant quickly tries on about twenty of the hats1 but not one of them fits his head4 ,again he lifts his arms to heaven with a gesture of despair1 and the curtain falls4 ,illustration ,with the mania which we ,frenchmen have of insisting that everything should have a meaning in spite of all appearances1 ,i asked the ,pinauds what their pantomime signified4 8,absolutely nothing10 replied one of them4 8,on the contrary1 we try to destroy all connection between the scenes of our entertainment4 ,we only wish to produce upon the audience the impression of violent terror and madness4 ,and therefore we represent a man1 alarmed by the successive apparitions of animals which play music when they are touched40 ,i listened p#cja quietly1 but ,i could not help remembering the invariable question1 which ,i had heard the doctor at the police station ask the drunken maniacs whom the police had picked up in the streets-- 8,you see beasts1 do you not1 animals that swarm round you80 ,illustration ,they all reply in the affirmative1 hanging down their heads4 ,these drunken hallucinations1 these apparitions of animals1 are the framework of the ,english pantomime1 the terrible visions of a gin-drinker who has rolled into a gutter at the door of a drinking bar4 ,the ,craggs1 8gentlemen acrobats10 also appeared at the ,folies-,bergres4 ,they came from ,new ,york1 where they had made a great success4 ,they had also made large profits during their six p#cjb weeks' engagement1 for they received #ajj dollars a night4 ,they enter the stage in ,indian file1 all the seven1 wearing evening dress and white ties4 ,they come forward in a line to the front of the stage1 and bend their heads2 you think that they are going to bow1 simply like you or ,i4 ,instead they make a somersault4 ,seven somersaults forward4 ,they are so quickly executed that every one present asks if he is dreaming4 ,very correctly executed1 notwithstanding1 very correctly6 ,not one smooth head is ruffled1 not one white tie unloosed1 not a shirt front creased4 ,illustration ,we must however believe that the coat inconveniences the gentlemen in their work1 for with very leisurely movements1 p#cjc and perfect indifference1 the seven ,craggs go to the back of the stage1 and there1 one1 two1 three1 in time1 as though performing an exercise1 they take off their coats and appear in fourteen shirt sleeves4 ,illustration ,and from that moment1 for the space of half an hour1 they execute the most wonderful acrobatic feats4 ,the seven ,craggs mount upon each other1 then fall away like houses built of cards4 ,,mm4 ,craggs senior turn ,,mm4 ,craggs junior round their arms4 ,one half of the ,craggs always has the legs in the air1 whilst the other half is head downwards4 ,and what deportment6 how completely it differs from the smiles1 kisses thrown to the public1 and rolling eyes p#cjd of the ,italian acrobat6 ,we shall see that in the ,molier ,circus1 authentic gentlemen have been converted into passable clowns4 ,messrs4 ,craggs have proved to us1 a more unexpected fact1 that perfect gentlemen can be made from professional clowns4 ,illustration ,since it is my mission to betray the secrets confided to me1 ,i will tell the public1 the whole world1 that the ,craggs are not seven brothers1 as we might be tempted to believe1 but a family consisting of the father1 six sons1 and one little sister ,cragg4 ,mr4 ,cragg1 the father1 is nearly forty-two years old1 he looks like the brother of his eldest son1 who is not yet twenty-four4 ,the little girl who so bravely wears the black coat asserts that she is fourteen4 ,i kissed her1 after the performance1 and complimented her most sincerely4 p#cje 8,she is a little ,australian10 said her father1 smiling kindly at her4 8,an ,australian1 ,mr4 ,cragg80 8,yes1 she was born at ,sydney1 whilst her brothers and ,i were performing in ,new ,zealand and ,china40 ,the ,craggs have just returned from ,pekin4 ,they have travelled round the world1 with gardenias in their buttonholes1 and ,barnum has thrown golden bridges across the ocean for them4 ,i told you that the time had come for writing a monograph of the clown-king6 ,illustration ,,footnotes3 #ac 8,i too was once a pretty little young lady40 8,come now6 clown60 8,you weren't there when ,i was born8 ,well1 ,i was4 ,so ,i ought to know better than you6 4 4 4 4 4 4 8,the nurse had taken me out in a perambulator1 and she sat down on the end of a bench to talk to a soldier4 ,and then an old witch came by with a little boy4 ,and she took me1 the pretty little girl1 out of the perambulator1 and she put in my place1 me1 an ugly little boy1 into the perambulator4 ,and ever since then ,i've been an ugly little boy60 ,illustration p#cjg ,illustration3 ,cirque ,molier ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,private ,,circus4 ,whilst the acrobat was endeavouring to become a man of the world1 the man of the world was becoming an excellent acrobat4 ,the 8governing classes0 determined to have their ,lotard4 ,the gentleman quitted his stall in the circus to ascend the pad and the trapeze4 p#cjh ,lieutenant ,viaud--in literature ,pierre ,loti--was one of the first to achieve this metamorphosis4 ,illustration ,those who have read his novels with a little attention will know the high value he places upon human beauty4 ,azyade particularly1 contains whole pages1 infinitely curious1 a little disquieting1 very pagan in their candour1 in which p#cji gymnastics are extolled with technical knowledge and lyric warmth4 ,m4 ,pierre ,loti thinks1 with the ,platonics1 that the body should be formed and embellished with as much refinement as the intelligence4 ,certain of the superiority of his mind1 he wished that this cerebral strength should be served by the muscles of an athlete1 and worked with indefatigable patience to correct in himself the weakness of nature4 ,and he has really transformed his body by the practice of gymnastics4 ,now1 well set up1 although of medium height1 he produces an impression of strength and agility4 ,one feels that in him exists that spring of elasticity which raises a body from the soil and wrests it from the laws of gravitation4 ,and indeed1 or so it has been said1 ,pierre ,loti joined a troupe of acrobats a few years ago1 and appeared as a trapeze 8novelty0 in a circus in the south of ,france4 ,the ,naval ,ministry would have been agitated by this whim4444 ,is this story true8 ,at all events it is probable1 and it proves--and this is all that concerns us--the high esteem which1 at the present time1 a gentleman can feel for an art which the last generation decidedly ignored too much4 ,the men of taste1 even1 who clearly perceived the picturesque side of a circus1 were not too numerous4 ,the collection of ,m4 ,louis is perhaps unique in the world4 ,paul ,ginisty1 who has examined these treasures1 has related his impressions1 with much ability and grace1 in the ,dieu ,bibelot4 8,do you know10 he says1 8the ,montchanin ,circus80 p#caj ,illustration 8,you do not go into it through a large entrance1 you need only knock at the door of a charming little htel4 ,you do not p#caa find in it any of those odours usually noticed in hippique establishments1 because it contains neither arena1 stables1 nor horses4 ,the title of #8circus' is simply the familiar name given to the collection of an old amateur1 who dwells in a calm quiet street in the ,quartier de ,villiers1 and who has really a passion for everything relating to equestrian exhibitions4 ,no one possesses as many traditions of circus art as he does4 ,he has not only known all those who for thirty or thirty-five years have distinguished themselves in the arena2 but he has also lived with every dynasty of ring-masters1 ,hercules and jugglers of the past4 ,in fact1 he has surrounded himself with an infinitely curious collection of prints and documents of all ages referring to the circus4 ,it includes portraits of all the masters1 specimens of costumes1 placards1 programmes1 and advertisements of #8phenomena4' 8,some of these prints1 drawings by ,carle ,vernet1 engravings of ,grimaldi and ,debucourt1 are artistically interesting2 others are simply typical4 ,there is not one corner of the htel without some of these pleasing designs40 ,another lover of the circus1 no longer content with collecting portfolios full of beautiful equestrian placards1 determined to quietly live the healthy existence of a circus performer for his own amusement4 ,when first the public read in the paragraphs of the society papers that ,seor ,molieros had built a circus1 in his private house1 in which he was ring-master1 and trained horses for the haute cole and other performances1 people said3 8,it is simply a whim of a ,spanish grandee40 ,the truth is that ,seor ,molieros is really named ,ernest ,molier1 that he is a ,manceau1 and that possessing a large p#cab fortune1 he prefers spending it upon horses that he loves1 rather than with gamblers1 who bore him4 ,illustration ,not every one who asked for admittance to the small htel p#cac in the ,rue de ,boulogne obtained it4 ,molier's intrepidity led him to prefer vicious horses1 and difficulties only increased his eagerness to conquer them4 8,he was never happier than when some dangerous animal that no one had hitherto ventured to mount1 would obey his eyes and his lightest touch4 ,like ,anthony he would have rather killed the horse than allowed him to disobey60#ad ,ernest ,molier has often told me that he did not learn his profession from books4 ,you have seen too in the perusal of these monographs1 that the science of the circus is entirely traditional4 ,but you would never guess with how much suspicious jealousy the banquiste defends the guardianship of his secrets4 ,i have learnt by experience how unwillingly he confides even a few items of his knowledge to a writer1 who can never be a rival2 and from this ,i can imagine how much he would distrust a horseman4 ,only ,molier's integrity and military frankness enabled him to overcome this dislike4 ,besides1 ,molier has the circus genius1 and a man of genius can dispense with masters4 ,in the ,rue ,blanche his stable overcrowded him4 ,air and space were both lacking4 ,in #ahgi he therefore transported his luggage and caravan to ,rue ,benouville1 at the gate of the ,bois4 ,a house1 fencing hall and stables sprang from the soil as though built by magic4 ,the riding-school was ornamented with the decorations of the fte of the ,paris-,murcie and was converted into a regular circus4 ,a few boxes were added for the use of privileged spectators2 no one then foresaw the wonderful success obtained by the meetings in the ,rue de p#cad ,benouville2 the preparations were only made for the reception of friends4 ,they came in crowds to visit the hospitable mansion4 ,illustration ,illustration ,the fencing hall was opened to them2 they fenced1 vaulted1 practised with the dumb-bells and mounted the trapeze4 ,but ,molier1 faithful to his passion1 devoted himself to his horses4 ,he trained ,arlequin1 a dappled grey ,russian horse1 in the p#cae arts of the haute cole1 which consist in performing the ,spanish walk and trot1 in galloping1 cantering1 changing feet1 balancing on the fore legs1 as well as on the hind quarters2#ae 8and also ,blondin1 a superb ,norman chestnut1 with a light mane and p#caf tail1 a horse trained in the haute cole almost in the same style as ,arlequin40 ,illustration ,molier also trained equestrians for the pad and the haute cole4 ,his first pupil was the pretty ,mademoiselle de ,trves4 p#cag ,he placed her on a horse1 and made her an exceptionally good rider1 capable of riding standing1 on a bare-backed horse and of leaping over barriers1 in the best style of the haute cole4 ,then followed ,mademoiselle ,irma ,viollat1 one of the ornaments of the corps de ballet4 ,the master taught her to repeat on horseback all the dances that she excelled in upon the stage4 ,illustration ,insensibly a crowd of amateurs had gathered round ,molier2 and they formed a complete company4 ,at last ,molier one day yielded to the entreaties of his comrades and consented to give a performance in his circus4 p#cah ,illustration ,it was quite understood that it was to be a private entertainment4 p#cai ,illustration ,all ,paris tried to get in4 ,artists and society people broke open the doors4 p#cbj ,they left the circus in great astonishment1 and loudly proclaimed their admiration4 ,of course1 the newspapers were full of it4 ,the people who had been left out were very severe4 ,they declared it was a scandal4 ,noblemen playing at acrobatics were an easy subject for abuse4 8,what do you say8 ,messrs4 ,hubert de la ,rochefoucauld1 ,martel1 de ,saint-,aldegonde1 de ,maulde1 de ,visocq1 de ,sainte-,marie1 ,courtay1 d',arquevilliers and de ,pully had appeared in spangled tights80 ,they recalled the ,romans during the decadence1 and ,m4 ,prudhomme crossed his arms upon his breast in the attitude of the philosopher of ,couture4 ,since then1 men have realized that these acrobatic amusements were only the artistic form1 the blast of trumpets preceding the vanguard of the revolution1 which has just ended in the formation of the ,society of ,physical ,education4 ,molier and his friends1 who1 with legitimate pride1 remember that on one occasion they presented the ,duchesse d',uzs with #ej1jjj francs for the benefit of the ,hospital for ,incurables1 claim1 with some reason1 a share in influencing this national movement4 ,they certainly rendered bodily exercises fashionable once more1 and this is a great deal in a country where routine is the only queen that has never been dethroned4 ,moreover the warm applause which greeted the tirade of the ,brettigny in the ,rvolte last winter1 proved to the acrobats of the ,cirque ,molier that they had won their cause in the opinion of the public4 ,illustration3 ,m4 ,,ernest ,,molier4 ,you may remember the indignant tirade in which the gentleman acrobat defends his favourite amusement against the witticisms of ,madame ,herbeau3 p#cba 8,what do you want a man of our class to do at the present time8 ,politics are prohibited4 ,they are monopolized by other buffoons1 whose exercises are much more dangerous for the spectators and not so amusing4 ,the army8 ,well1 it is a refuge for those who have courage1 and ,i have belonged p#cbb to it4 ,but there was too little to do in time of peace4 ,literature8 ,i should not know how to begin1 and ,i dare own that ,i would not deign to adopt it4 ,naturalism is too dull1 and dilettantism too sterile4 ,i find it better to enjoy life than to write about it4 ,you say that ,i degrade my race8 ,nay1 ,i revive it4 ,you know the language used by the rhetors and journalists in describing the corrupt scions of the old aristocracy4 ,well1 we will regenerate this corrupt youth6 ,we are strong1 our muscles are like those of the street porters1 of our ancestors the ,frank warriors1 of the companions of ,charlemagne1 who were only superb brutes40#af ,illustration ,molier and his friends have triumphed without noise1 just as they resisted the ill-humour of foolish grumblers without bluster4 ,during the last ten years this clever troupe of amateurs has wonderfully increased4 ,it now includes two new star equestrians--,mademoiselle ,blanche ,lamidey and ,miss ,anna4 ,you have probably seen ,mazeppa performed in a circus1 at least once in your life1 but1 since ,miss ,ada ,menken1 you have never seen a very young girl1 thrown on her back1 held by one foot only1 her loosened hair dragging in the sand1 and in this dangerous position leaping with her galloping horse an arrangement of several barriers4 ,illustration ,nor since ,jenny ,o',brien left us for ,america have we ever seen a woman ride standing upon two horses with as much dainty jauntiness1 self-possession and audacity as ,miss ,anna4 ,and then how well she dresses6 ,lovers of ,florentine bronzes will never forget a certain suit of grey tights1 a harlequin's p#cbd costume1 cut low and heart shaped at the neck1 with greaves of the same grey tint below the knees4 ,illustration ,molier has grouped a number of pretty women1 actresses1 p#cbe artists1 and young men of the world round these two charming girls4 ,amongst the ladies are ,mesdemoiselles ,lavigne and ,desoder from the ,palais ,royal1 ,mademoiselle ,felicia ,mallet1 ,mademoiselle ,rene ,maupin1 from the ,opera1 ,jeanne ,becker1 ,la d',asco1 etc42--amongst the men3 ,messrs4 ,frdric ,vavasseur1 ,jules ,ravaut1 ,arthus1 ,gerbaut1 ,adrien ,marie1 ,craffty1 ,goubie1 ,pantelli1 ,j4 ,lewis-,brown4 ,i must apologize to those whom ,i forget to name4 ,illustration ,with these resources the performance of a pantomime was easily arranged1 and these spectacles are one of the chief p#cbf attractions of the entertainments given in the ,rue ,benouville4 ,it was here that ,flicien ,champsaur made the first trial of contemporary pantomime by which he amuses us without introducing the form of ,pierrot or the bat of ,harlequin4 ,illustration 8,why10 he reflected1 8should we show the fashionable people who annually fill the boxes of the ,molier1 some old fairy story remounted in a new form8 ,men of the present day with money and audacity accomplish greater prodigies than the magicians of old40 p#cbg ,m4 ,champsaur resolved to show us his contemporaries at work--and this is the plot of his pantomime-- ,the charming ,mademoiselle ,rivolta1 from the ,eden1 appeared disguised as a little ,spring looking for her course4 ,no one had thought of using her to fill a lake1 rush down a waterfall or turn a mill4 ,she therefore wandered about the ,cirque ,molier1 shedding floods of tears4 ,good ,luck1 who never likes to see pretty girls cry1 led two speculators in the same direction4 ,they remark to each other3-- 8,look6 here's a little ,spring6 ,and there's no casino on the bank60 8,no race game60 8,no gambling house60 8,cannot this little ,spring cure some illness80 8,if not1 she is the only one of her kind60 ,to satisfy themselves on this point they then take ,mademoiselle ,rivolta's hand1 lead her to the house of ,madame ,dezoder1 a lady doctor in the same neighbourhood1 and knock at the door4 ,armed with a goblet1 ,madame ,dezoder tastes ,mademoiselle ,rivolta4 ,after carefully testing her1 her gesture says 8,pooh60 8,what does that matter80 replied the bankers4 8,we will bottle ,mademoiselle ,rivolta and1 with a good label1 she will cure as well as her companions40 ,no sooner said than it was done4 ,and since a godmother was required for the new ,spring launched upon the world1 the bankers fetch ,fortune1 ,mademoiselle ,rene ,maupin1 from the ,opera6 p#cbh ,ah6 what a delightful person6 ,i always liked ,fortune instinctively1 before ,i knew her2 but since ,i have seen her feet1 figure1 and eyes6 4 4 4 4 4 ,illustration 8,you shall cure everything60 ,fortune assured the ,spring4 ,they placed the bottle in the doctor's house and in it ,mademoiselle ,rivolta1 who looked like a saint in her shrine4 ,then the procession of those wounded by ,life 7,ereints de la ,vie7--this is the title of the pantomime--commences4 p#cbi ,they are all invalided by love3 first1 a number of pretty girls who have flirted too much2 then all the gentlemen who have been wounded by these flirtations4 ,love himself comes to the ,spring4 ,he is very ill4 ,his poor little wings hang down his back in a lamentable way4 8,douche him6 ,douche him60 ,the child is dipped in the water and is drawn out transformed into a ,farnese ,hercules1 with enormous muscles which stand out in huge rolls upon his arms from the shoulder to the elbow4 ,the entertainment closes by a procession accompanied by a blast of trumpets1 at the end of which appears the ,golden ,calf1 led by ,fortune with a leash4 ,i have quoted this pantomime by ,m4 ,champsaur in preference to others of more recent date which have been equally successful1 because it clearly indicates the nature of the entertainment given in the ,cirque ,molier4 ,people see and perform in the ,rue ,benouville pieces that could not be played or shown elsewhere2 for here the audience and the actors are all people of the same education1 the same surroundings1 who know each other4 ,the doors have been more widely opened than they formerly were4 ,but they are still closely guarded1 the members of the society intend to amuse themselves as they please in their own circle1 and to exclude anything that offends them4 ,for instance1 you will not find either at the rehearsals or at the performances in the ,rue ,benouville in the boxes or behind the scenes1 the shadow of a professional actor4 p#ccj ,illustration ,the door is closed against theatrical men4 ,what6 even 8,chose0 and 8,machin80 p#cca ,even for them4 ,the 8cross0 and the banner are both useless4 ,monsieur le ,socitaire has vainly tried to force a door which is half open for the banquistes 4 4 4 4 4 ,a voice has cried to him from the trapeze1 8,we are very sorry1 sir6 ,but we have retained the prejudices of the comedians40 ,illustration ,,footnotes3 #ad ,baron ,,de ,,vaux1 ,les ,hommes de ,cheval4 #ae ,baron ,,de ,,vaux1 ,les ,hommes de ,cheval4 #af ,,jules ,,lema,,tre1 ,rvolte1 ,act ,i41 ,sc4 #c4 ,,index4 ,a ,,agoust1 #cd1 #bbd1 #bic1 #bid1 #bie1 #bif ,,agrenieff 7d'71 #bjj ,,allard1 #hf ,,allen1 #bj ,,alphonse1 #bfe-bfi ,,alphonsine 7,lady71 #bab ,,anciou 7,miss71 #h ,,arabelle1 #gd ,,archimedes1 #aac ,,arquevilliers 7d'71 #cbj ,,arthus1 #cbe ,artist 7der71 #g1 #h ,,asco 7,la d'71 #cbe ,,auriol1 #ac1 #ae1 #bdf ,b ,,bailey 7,j4 ,a471 #ag ,,banville 7de71 #c1 #bif ,,barlow1 #bj ,,barnum 7,p4 ,t471 #aj1 #af-bj1 #bfa1 #cje ,,bayard 7mile71 #ajj ,,becker 7,jeanne71 #cbe ,,berberie1 #agb1 #aic ,,bermont1 #ha1 #hd1 #he1 #hf ,,bertini 7,suzanne71 #gd ,,bertrand1 #hf ,,bidel 7,franois71 #bf1 #bg1 #acj1 #adc-adf1 #aec-aeg ,,bi,,ville 7,berthe71 #gd ,,blanche 7,ada71 #bae ,,blondin1 #baf1 #bag ,,bone 7,colonel71 #adf ,,bonheur 7,rosa71 #add ,,bonnefois 7,melchior71 #gd1 #gf ,,bonnetty1 #abg-aca ,,boulmiers1 #he ,,bretonni,,re 7,guy de la71 ix ,,brioch1 #hf ,,bucquet1 ix ,,buffalo-,,bill1 #aj1 #bjd-bjf ,,buffon 7de71 #abf ,,burgess1 #bhb ,c ,,callias1 #fd ,,carrabilliat1 #db ,,carver 7,dr471 #ae ,,cephissodote1 #gg ,,chable1 #da1 #db ,,chadwick1 #bh ,,cham1 #baf1 #bag ,,champsaur1 #cbf-cbi ,,chelli 7,emilio71 #bcc ,,chelli 7,erminia71 #fj1 #bcb-bdj ,,chung1 #abd-abf ,,cladel 7,lon71 #adj1 #ada ,,clam1 #ia1 #ib-if ,,cocherie1 #hi1 #ia ,,cody 7,w4 ,f471 #bjf ,,coquelin an1 #ia ,,coquelin cadet1 #abj ,,corradini1 #abb ,,corso1 #aic ,,corvi1 #bf1 #aag1 #aah1 #abj ,,courtay1 #cbj ,,couture1 #aah1 #cbj ,,craffty1 #cbe ,,craggs1 #cjj-cje ,d ,,dacier 7,mme71 #aie1 #aif ,,daryl 7,philippe71 #afj ,,darwin1 #aag ,,deburau1 #bid ,,delille1 #bc1 #if1 #ajj ,,desoder1 #cbg ,,detaille 7,edouard71 #aeb ,,dominique1 #hf ,,dudlay 7,marguerite71 #afi-agb ,,dals,,me1 vii ,e ,,elijah 7,prophet71 #ajf ,,ellevanti,,mie1 #bc ,era 7,the71 #d1 #e1 #f1 #h1 #bec ,,eseudier1 vi ,,exaltier1 #da ,f ,,fatma1 #gb ,,footeet1 #bhf ,,forsberg 7,nils71 #bdb ,,fran,,ois1 7,monsieur71 #fj1 #fa1 #fb1 #ga ,,franconi 7,chs471 #afh1 #afi ,,franconi 7,laurent71 #afh ,,franconi 7,victor71 #ac1 #ad1 #afb1 #afh ,,frankloff1 #bab ,,friedlander1 #bj ,g ,,gallici1 #if ,,gautier 7,thophile71 #aca ,,gerbaut1 #cbe ,,gibson1 #fc ,,ginisty 7,paul71 #cji ,,goncourt 7de71 vii ,,goubie1 #cbe ,,griffiths1 #abb ,h ,,hanlon-,,lees1 #bib-bif ,,harris1 #abd ,,hayden 7,billy71 #fj1 #aba1 #bhe1 #bhh ,,hengler1 #bgi ,,hervieu 7,paul71 #aeb1 letter from1 #aeb-aeg ,,hitzig1 #aj ,,homer1 #abj ,,houcke1 #be1 #aid1 #aih-bjj ,,houdin 7,robert71 #ajb ,i ,,ibrahim 7,lady71 #bai-bba ,j ,,jackley 7family71 #ab1 #ac ,,joseph1 #fi1 #gj ,,jumbo1 #afg ,k ,,kinner1 #fc ,,kiang1 #aag ,,kolta 7de71 #ajb-aje ,,krauss 7,c471 #g ,l ,,la ,,bruy,,re1 #bae ,,la ,,grille1 #hf ,,lalanne1 #ac ,,lamidey 7,blanche71 #cbb ,,lavigne1 #cbe ,,ledger1 #d ,,lehnen 7,jacob71 #fb ,,lema,,tre 7,jules71 #ajj1 #aje1 #aca1 #cbb ,l,,opold1 #bif ,,leotard1 #ae1 #bfj1 #bjg ,,leovils1 #bha ,,le ,,roux 7,hugues71 ,letter to #aeb-aeg ,l,,vy 7,chs471 #bj ,l,,vy 7mile71 #bj ,,lewis 7,brown71 #cbe ,,lilianne1 #ae ,,linon 7,rose71 #gd ,,linsky1 #ac ,,livet 7,g471 #bch ,,lockhart 7brothers71 #ae1 #abb ,,loisset 7,clotilde71 #afj ,,loisset 7milie71 #afj1 #afa1 #afb1 #agc1 #bch ,,londe 7,albert71 ix ,,loti 7,pierre71 #bgd1 #bge1 #cjh1 #cji ,,louis 7,mr471 #cji ,,loyal 7,mr471 #abj1 #afb-aff1 #aha ,,lut,,ce 7,mdlle471 #gc1 #gd ,,lycurgus1 #gg ,m ,,mabille1 #bdg ,,magilton1 #bic ,,mallet 7,flicia71 #cbe ,,marie 7,adrien71 #cbe ,,mars 7,mr471 #bdf ,,marseille1 #ge1 #gf ,,martel1 #cbj ,,mathieu1 ix ,,maulde 7de71 #cbj ,,maupassant 7de71 #adf ,,maupin 7,rene71 #cbe1 #cbg ,,maura 7,franck71 #bbe ,,maurice1 #hf ,,mengal1 #cb ,,menken 7,ada71 #cbb ,,metra1 #ce ,,midgetts1 #fd ,,miette1 #aad-aaf ,,mireille1 #ge1 #gf ,,mite 7,general71 #fd1 #fe ,,molier 7,e471 #agc1 #age1 #caa-cag1 #cbj1 #cbb1 #cbd1 #cbf ,,moore1 #bhb ,,moscou1 #afh-agb ,n ,,nella 7,miss71 #bfd1 #bfe ,new ,york ,mirror1 #f ,,nine 7,la ,petite71 #fd ,,nouma-,,hava1 #ach ,o ,,oakley 7,annie71 #bjf1 #bjg ,o',,brien1 #ahj ,,oceana1 #bah1 #bai1 #bcc ,,octave1 #hf ,,ohia1 #bfd1 #bfe ,p ,,pantelli1 #cbe ,,paquerette1 ,,paravicini1 #aj ,,parfaict 7frres71 #he ,,paulina 7princess71 #fe1 #ff1 #fg1 #fh1 #fi ,,pezon 7,adrien71 #aea ,,pezon 7,j4 ,b471 #ach1 #adj-adc1 #aej ,,philippe1 #dj1 #eg ,,pinauds1 #bif1 #cjj ,,pindar1 #aid ,,plutarch1 #gg1 #abb ,,pluvinel1 #afh ,,prince1 #aha1 #ahb ,,pulli 7de71 #cbj ,r ,,ramy1 #bha ,revue 7le71 #f1 #g ,,ravaut 7,jules71 #cbe ,,regamey1 #bid ,r,,gent1 #agb ,,renan 7,ernest71 #af1 #aje ,,renards1 #bca ,,renz1 #agc ,,revest 7,j4 ,b471 #bf ,,rigo1 #ee ,,rivolta 7,mlle471 #cbg1 #cbh ,,rochefoucauld 7,hubert de la71 #cbj ,,romanes 7,g4 ,j471 #ajh ,,rosinsky1 #aj-ac ,,rossi 7,adle71 #agg1 #agi ,,rousseil 7,roselia71 #adg ,,ruggieri1 #bjd ,s ,,sacqui1 #bae ,,saint-,,aldegonde1 #cbj ,,sainte-,,marie 7de71 #cbj ,,saint-,,senock1 ix ,,salsbury1 #aj1 #ce1 #bjf ,,sari1 #ab1 #ac ,,selle1 #hf ,s,v,,rus1 #bbd1 #bbe ,,shakspeare1 #bgh ,,sirius1 #aag ,,skobeleff1 #bjj1 #bja1 #bjd ,,sophocles1 #aif ,,souvary1 #fc ,,stenegry1 #gc1 #gd ,t ,,th,o 7,mme471 #gf ,,th,,ocritus1 #gg ,,thomas1 #bjj ,u ,union mutuelle1 #bd1 #bf1 #bg1 #bh1 #ca ,,uzes 7duchesse d'71 #cbj ,v ,,vaux 7baron de71 #afh ,,vavasseur 7,f471 #cbe ,,vega 7,antonio71 #gd ,v,,ron 7,pierre71 #baf ,,violat 7,irma71 #cag ,,virgil1 #ajh ,,vissocq 7de71 #cbj ,,vivien1 #bc ,,volta1 #bfj-bfb ,voyageur forain1 #bc1 #be1 #bf1 #bg1 #cj1 #ca ,w ,,walter 7,j4 ,h471 #bdi-bef ,,warner1 #aj ,,watteau1 #bgh ,,wild1 #aj ,,worenzoff1 #gd ,,wulff1 #aj ,y ,,yotshitatro1 #bbe ,,young 7,brigham71 #ab ,,young 7,chs471 #abd ,,richard ,,clay ,,and ,,sons1 ,,limited1 ,,london ,,and ,,bungay ,,transcriber',s ,,endnote ,original printed spelling and grammar is generally retained4 ,footnotes were renumbered and moved from the ends of pages to the ends of chapters4 ,illustrations were moved out of paragraphs to between paragraphs4 ,ellipses look like the originals4 ,the original printed page numbers are indicated thus3 p#jhi4 8,lemaitre0 was changed to 8,lematre0 in the two places it was originally printed 7in a footnote1 and in the index74 ,the entry 8,paquerette0 in the index had no page number associated with it1 and neither 8paquerette0 nor 8pquerette0 appear elsewhere in the book4 ,page x1 ,,errata3 ,the error mentioned in the first note1 regarding 8,vitellii01 has been corrected at page #gh4 ,the second note--#8,page #bjf1 line #c from top1 for 8,naet ,salsbury01 read1 8,nael ,salsbury0'--is wrong4 ,page #bjf was actually printed with 8,naet ,salisbury04 ,in this ebook1 page #bjf has been changed to read 8,nael ,salsbury04 ,the original 8,salisbury0 was printed only once1 while 8,salsbury0 was printed in several places4 ,page #fc3 8noue was exhibited0 was changed to 8nous was exhibited0 ,page #bbe3 the word 8,yotshitaro0 is spelled 8,yotshitatro0 in the index4 ,page #bch3 8,emilie ,loisset0 was changed to 8milie ,loisset04 ,page #bfb3 8admirn g0 was changed to 8admiring04 ,page #bgd3 8them selves0 changed to 8themselves04 ,page #cca3 the index entry 8,bretonnire0 probably refers to 8,brettonire0 on page ix4 ,page #ccd3 the index entry 8,jaclley0 was changed to 8,jackley04 ,page #cce3 the index entry 8,linsky1 #ac0 probably refers to 8,linski0 on page #ac4 ,the entry 8,mallet 7,flicia70 doubtless refers to ,felicia ,mallet on page #cbe4 ,page #ccf3 the index entry 8,worenzoff1 #gd0 might refer to 8,worouzof01 which occurred on page #ge4 ,the entry 8,vissocq 7de71 #cbj0 probably refers to 8,visocq01 as printed on page #cbj4 ,the entry 8,violat 7,irma71 #cag0 probably refers to 8,viollat0 on page #cag4