Life, 1892-03-31 · page 12 of 18
Life — March 31, 1892 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Reformed Circus" Analysis This article praises P.T. Barnum's modern circus innovations at Madison Square Garden, particularly his elaborate Columbus discovery spectacle. The piece argues that traditional circus acts (rings, acrobatics, horses) had reached saturation—audiences couldn't absorb more simultaneous performances without losing sanity. Barnum's solution: theatrical spectacle on an unprecedented scale. The Columbus pageant transcends circus into pure drama, employing masses of performers with "feasts of color and combination" that overwhelm viewers. The author notes this educates young Americans about their own history while questioning whether such scale could ever work on a legitimate theater stage. The brief comic below, "Needed Finesse," shows a cynic who won't praise anyone, illustrating that some people lack social polish—a light satirical jab at personality types.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-LIFE-: THE REFORMED CIRCUS. HE late Mr. Barnum evidently saw that the circus had reached its limitations in the way of strictly circus perform- ances. Some time before his death it had come to the point where no more rings or simultaneous performances could be added without imperilling the sanity of the audiences. In his desire for new circus worlds to conquer, Mr. Barnum revived the old idea of dramatic and spectacular effect in the circus ring, but on a scale never known before. That is why, in the perform- ances now given at the Madison Square Garden, the spectacular element seems to encroach on the domain of the equine and gymnastic. People who go to the present Barnum show with the expectation of getting much of the sawdus: and pink lemon- ade circus of their childhood’s days are likely to be disappointed. Not that there isn’t a profusion of such features numerically, but in point of time the bewildering spec- tacle founded on Columbus's discovery of America is the greater part of the show. The Columbus part of it isn’t circus, but spectacle, and spectacle on a gor- geous scale. Just how the marching, grouping and handling of so many people is managed is a source of amazement even to people accustomed to stage methods. It furnishes such feasts of color and combination to the eyes that they become sated and almost weary. The spectacle has also an instructive side which may teach the young American idea to shoot some- what in the direction of the history of his own country. If the present evolution of the circus continues, we may yet have it presenting dramatic performances on a scale impossible to the legitimate stage. NEEDED FINESSE. RAWFORD: He seems to be a confirmed cynic. 1 didn't hear him say a good word about anybody. CRABSHAW : himself. Perhaps you didn’t draw him out about Chappie: DICKEY MADE A OWEADFUL WOW AT THE CLUB YESTERDAY. Chelly: WHat vip THEY DO? Chappie: THE PRESIDENT TELEGRAPHED HOME FOR HIS GOVE NESS AND HAD HER REMOVE UIM, HE EVEN TWIED TO GET UP A FIGHT, comicbooks.com