Last Tuesday I hied me to Olympia as I thought you would want to know something about The Greatest Show upon Earth," but it seems to me that one visit is freaks but thought many of them very ho rible. The armless man was busy writing with his toes—for the sum of one penny he wrote any one's name—noxt to him was a gentleman minus legs. liked him least of riy one as although he had no legs he had bare feet, which he twisted about ina most uncanny way. The fat-woman was near them, her arms were a revelation. Next to her was the skeleton dude whom I much preferred. The Midget was rather pretty and Murphy the Irish giant 'a fine speci-mon of aman." Jo-jo the dog-faced man and the bearded woman were equally objectionable and the twin phenomenon Lallo-Lalla even more so. Johanna, the trained gorilla, pleased me far more} her performance is really most entertaining, she rises a brush and comb, powder puff and hand mirror, ina most dexterous way while Qefore her and after examining her menu preparing her toilet, then dinner is placed she decides what she will partake of like the greatest epicure. She seems quite conver-Sant with the use of knife and fork and servielte and uses a finger-glass after partaking of her fruit in quite the prescribed fashion. 'The Circus is of course wonderful, but very conducive to headache, as in point of fact three circuses' go on'at once And it is impossible: to now what to look at. There are three separate arenas in one huge building, each with its separate artistes and all performing at once; all is good but most bewildering. The Hippodrome races were however most interesting and exciting, the racing being first-class, especially the chariot races in imitation of. those in ancient Rome with two and four horses abreast. After this came the spectacle of the Mahdi, for which more than 1,000 Soudanese have been specially brought over. It is in three acts or scenes, the first: giving an idea of a Soudanese marriage, then the faithful at prayers, then some tourists are seized and trouble begins. Scene 2 shows some very curious native games and sports, then a division of the British army comes and breaks up the revels to rescue the tourists. Scene 3 shows a fortified native village, an attack by British soldiers, rescue of tourists, decoration of Sergeant McLean with the V.C., and—curtain; enough in all conscience for one afternoon.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.