CHANGES WROUGHT BY THE BICYCLE AND CIRCUSES IN CORTLAND

Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, May 23, 1896.

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

Changes Wrought by the Bicycle.

   Some trades have been helped by the bicycle. Others have been hurt. Individual tradesmen have been in some instances bankrupted. No invention since the railroad engine has wrought such far-reaching changes. As to whether the commercial gains or losses are greatest through its introduction it would be hard to say.

   Dry goods houses have suffered more than most others. The money women used to put into different costumes has been in thousands of cases carefully saved and invested in a bicycle. It is true that, womanlike, the girls probably think more of their bicycle clothes than they do of the exhilarating exercise itself, but at most there can be no great variety in a bicycle dress, and it must be of such strong material as to wear a considerable time. In self defense the dry goods stores have been forced to go into the sale of bicycles and bicycle suits, and even then their trade is not up to what it used to be.

   Others who lose money are the doctors and drug store proprietors. Certainly no such life and health giving agency has been bestowed on the world in many a year as this winged wheel. The pure air, the lively exercise, the sunshine and exhilaration to the spirits that come from bicycle riding, chase away many ailments and make people independent of doctors and medicines. But if the physicians and drug stores suffer, their patients gain both in money and health.

   The theater is the loser, too, from the inroads of the wheel. Formerly of afternoons the matinee was the thing. Now it is the bicycle and the spin into the country. Wheeling of evenings is also so common as to sensibly thin the theater audiences in pleasant weather. The losses inflicted on livery stable keepers, carriage makers and horse breeders will foot up into the millions. Savings banks, too, have suffered because the thrifty depositor now draws out his money to buy a bicycle.

   On the other hand, according to some figures published lately by the New

York Herald, wheelmen spend annually for their machines, repairs and excursions not less than $200,000,000. Capital invested in bicycle manufacture is $60,000,000. The work gives employment in all its branches to 120,000 persons. There are now 4,000,000 bicyclers in the Union. One of the best results of the craze is that we shall presently have good roads in every portion of the United States.

P. T. Barnum and Tom Thumb.

BARNUM IS COMING.

With the Greatest Show on Earth— "Some Time Soon."

   The first advertising car for the Barnum & Bailey shows is at the [Cortland] Lehigh Valley station to-day. All the announcement the management make [sic] in reply to numerous questions is that the show will be here soon.

A "Marriage" of Big Amusements.

   The great John Robinson and Franklin Bros.' enormous shows combined is an epoch in the annals of amusements, the like of which has never before been known.

   About every decade or so a new king of the tented world dawns upon the people. Of the famous personalities associated with the boyhoods of the men of the present day, "Old John Robinson," as he was familiarly termed, has passed away, but his great shows have passed from father to son for three generations. P. T. Barnum is but a memory and Adam Forepaugh's name has even ceased to be carted about the country, except as a circus trade mark. The face of the genial Barnum, however, is yet made to beam from the dead walls, although his body rests in the sepulcher, and his executors have disposed of the interest in the show which was held by his estate.

   The public has felt that Barnum and Forepaugh's shows without Barnum and Forepaugh were but hollow pretenses, and if it were not for the fact that the great John Robinson shows have passed from father to son, it would naturally have cast around for the coming of the leaders in this time-honored field of amusement.

   There is a destiny that shapes all ends, and the men who are to rule the circus world for the coming span of years are at hand. The sun never moved with more certain tread from the grey of early dawn to the radiance of noon, than has been the progress of the Franklin Brothers during the brief past to the present season, where they and John Robinson, the grandson of the originator of big tented amusements, now stand foremost in tented enterprises, either in this country or abroad.

   Four enterprising, honest and sterling men, all with futures full of promise, and each an accomplished gentlemen, as well as specially skilled in some branch of the circus business, The "world's " press have been a unit in pronouncing the exhibition foremost in metropolitanism, and the best ever seen. It is to pitch its tents in Cortland on June 5 and asks a verdict. All big cities are on the route, and sooner or later will be ready to welcome the new blood, enterprise and novelty that are wrapped up in just such a stupendous exhibition as this Napoleonic quartet is said to offer.

  

BAND CONCERT.

To be Held at the Park Sunday Afternoon at 3 o'clock.

   The Cortland City band, weather permitting, is expected to give a concert at the [Traction Co.] park to-morrow afternoon at 8 o'clock. The same program will be given as that announced for last Sunday which then had to be postponed on account of the rain. In case the weather should to-morrow prove unfavorable and the concert should have to be given up the public may know of it by the removal from all [trolley] cars of the banners announcing the concert. Cars for the park will leave the Messenger House every twenty minutes during the afternoon.

BASEBALL IN CORTLAND.

Team to be Formed—Ball Field to be Improved—Money Raised.

   Interest in baseball is increasing in Cortland and everything goes to show that we shall have a first-class team this year. Yesterday a subscription paper was circulated and over $80 were subscribed toward the project.

   The Agricultural society will improve the grounds materially. The judge's stand will be removed and the diamond moved back so that the home plate will be on the edge of the racetrack. This will enable spectators to sit in the grand stand and get a fine view of the game. Those subscribing to the fund will select a manager and it is probable that a game with a good team will be arranged for Memorial day.

Standard Boys Win.

   The STANDARD carrier boys crossed bats this morning with the Groton-ave. boys, and the result was a victory for the STANDARD boys by a score of 25 to 14. The best hitting for the STANDARD boys was done by Lynch and Whiting, the former making a home run and the latter a three-bagger.

   Whiting pitched for the STANDARD and O'Brien caught the first part of the game and Alexander the last part of it. The [best?] batting for the Groton-ave. boys was Northrup and Robinson.

BREVITIES.

   —Mrs. W. E. Wood entertained the ladies of the afternoon whist club this afternoon at her home on Church-st.

   —The Cascadilla baseball team of Ithaca meet the Normals at the fairgrounds at 3:30 o'clock Monday afternoon.

   —New advertisements to-day are—John Robinson and Franklin Bros., circus, page 6; F. E. Brogden, pure Paris green, page 2.

   —Rev. J. L. Robertson of the Presbyterian church and Rev. M. J. Wells of the Homer-ave. M. E. church will exchange to-morrow morning.

   —Cortland seems bound to have plenty of circuses this year. The latest addition to the list is the great and only Barnum & Bailey's greatest show on earth which "is coming soon."