Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 December 1891 — "QUEENS OF THE AIR.” [ARTICLE]

"QUEENS OF THE AIR.”

llow Haring Gymnasts Propara for Tholr Perilous PerforinanoM. The chief thing r o the gymnast is per feet physical control, which comes through perfect health. The fearlessness Is a matter of training, and anomalous as it may appear, is never i.uite perfected untli after a fail or two. The lithe, slender, limited Lawrence, goddess of the trap ze in I‘arnum s circus, said, in speaking on this point: “You are never tree from fear until after you have had a s ill and see what a simple thing it Is to fal into the net, You have only to think not to put you hand; out and passively lh at down ” In order to maintain the perfect physical equi ibrtum essential to success, the woman gymnast rises about U o’clock, ( ats a ;gi t breakfast, practices on the trape e an hour or so take a cold ponge hath and rests until midday. If there 1 a . afternoon performance. No emergen. ) ould make her hurry, and wo ry s a thing she ignores and will not ton rat nly simple viands are include in h ‘ bill of fare, for one of the thug particularly >0 b> avoided is in-digo-t on which interferes with the actou 01 the heart and the requisite utoadim s; o nor e. There are colors in which the woman gymnast can never be pors aded to appear. There are days i winch she will not appear in the co ors that on other days she enjoys wearing She is very sure never again to wear a coior in which once she has a 1 nor been hurt As a rule sh-> fears nothi ... aid feels as safe on her high per h on tne trapeze as In a parlor hair, btil mo t of them admit that they could not endure the strain if it were not for the in piiarion of the music. Adrienne Anceon, one of the most skillful gymnaTso the day. suffers torture from fear at every performance, and yet she a comp i es more dangerous, though less brilliant, feats than any woman performer 11 w In the ring. Among these aro tho dlili- ult tricks of standing on a ball - n tho trapeze, balancing herself on one foot on a ladder extending I rom the bar to the guy ropes, and kneeling on li - bar without touching her hands. he alway.. goes down to her act pale with fear beneath her rouge, and comes back panting, breathless, with her heart uttering with nervous terror she gets many bruises and sprains und her hands aro torn and lacerated with the ropes. Usually though, tho woman gymnast Is nonchalant and plu ky and very much in love with tho profession of her adoption. She is fast crowding men out of th ■ field, for though men still do the must daring acts, tho charm and piquancy of women performers Is so great that they receive larger sa aries for their work, and are in greater demand among managers.