Ringling Brothers and Geroge Washington

RINGLING BROTHERS CIRCUS

WORLDS GREATEST SHOW

A few remarks about the big shows and the 'Father of Our Country', George Washington, that need to be brought to the attention of today's America, as Ringling Brothers give their last show ever.

Abstract of an article on Thursday, November 8, 1894 of the Daily Commercial Herald, in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

The greatest of all shows, the biggest of all shows, the best of all shows, call out the advertizements, The Ringling Brothers Shows, are touring Mississippi for their first time ever.

They will draw more people from out of town than did the Civil War siege, and their show will be bigger, funnier, more pleasant and inviting than that was.

Ringling Brothers shows are, out of the question, a tremendous organization which will well repay the cost of seeing. They will come to the Delta loaded on four great trains and in crossing the Mississippi, the father of waters, test the ingenuity and capacity of the transport boat and its people to get them over in good time.

Washington's crossing the Delaware won't be a circumstance to Ringling's crossing the

Mississippi and a bet is, ten to one, that he would have stopped over to visit the greatest show on earth before or after his show with the Hessian's at Trenton. But now, Washington was not in on all that we are on to. Washington never saw a railroad train, he never saw a steam boat, nor a telegraph station to send a telegram. There are a good many things Washington was not on to., the telephone, a typewriter, nor electric light. George never read the Commercial Herald, but above all he never saw a Ringling Brothers main street parade or show.

Washington fought and won battles with less soldiers that there are people hired by Ringling, they have perhaps one thousand, and if he had the three hundred and fifty horses the big show has, he would have made short work of the enemy, being so well equipped. Come to think of it there was no elephant in this country in Washington's day.

In a good many ways the history of Washington's conquering army and Ringling's shows are alike. Both were raised from a little straggling unorganized nucleus to be a great power and to take first place of the foremost and greatest.

Harrison Howeth, 2017: Abstracts of Daily Commercial Herald, Vicksburg, Mississippi, November 8, 1894.