Last week’s column surely recalled to Wayne’s old-timers that merry Labor Day now thirty-seven years past, when some 10,000 people gathered on the School Field to eat popcorn and peanuts as they witnessed the antics of clowns, performing at that Society Circus of 1913. We told you of ringmaster Van Schaick and the clown, Theodore T. Grayson; of the bareback riders Penman, Robert and Thomas Wood; of Wallace Dickson, snake charmer and A. J. D. Peterson, bearded lady.

But there were others, too, including Dr. Norman Sinclair, “for two years all the rage in Paris and Strafford”, who performed in a comedy riding act. After Dr. Sinclair came an animal act when Tom Walton was master of the wild beasts, and of the Wild Man, a very dangerous character, who, according to the program, had been captured less than two weeks before in Ithan. As impersonated by Ralph Weadley this Wild Man escaped from a side show at an inopportune moment, much to the consternation of the audience. But this was not all. For Osgood Sayen, as “Moke”, the monkey, stepped on the tail of the lion, George Ling, whereupon William Lynch, the tiger, joined in the fracas!

In the side shows, George C. Allen, “P. D. Q. R. S. V. P. Professor Nella, who had just completed a series of Chautauqua lectures on ‘Grape Juice and Our International Relations'”, exhibited his human curiosities. Among them were Crutze, strong man, as done by Thomas Hearne, and Lady Winne, whose snakes loved her as much as the program promised her audience would do. “Even Lillian Russell is jealous” of this lady as personified by Wallace Dickson. Others in the side show were William Holiday, who would “rather eat swords than watermelon”, and A. J. D. Peterson, the bearded lady, whose name was “Princess Pet”.

Besides side-shows there were eating contests. one was a bun and jelly number, another a huckleberry pie and still another was a watermelon contest. Almost impossible to believe is the fact that one person could possibly win two of these contests, as did Nicholas Tulena when he came away with the prize for both bun and watermelon eating. And Walter Fritz, according to the Public Ledger’s account “Stained his nose with glory and huckleberry as he ate himself into first place with pie.”

Quoit pitching began early and ended late with hundreds of men taking part in the contest. Thomas Costello won first place in the singles and Thomas Disken second place, with too many other prizes to enumerate among the numerous contestants.

In the baby show, according to the Ledger, “every baby got a blue ribbon just for being a baby”. Thirty-five infants in all were in the contest and all riding in beautiful decorated coaches. of great interest, of course, were the triplets, Redmond George, Eleanor Ida and Margaret Powell, children of Mr. and Mrs. Redmond Smith, of Rosemont. And then there was Eleanor Pearl Thomas, who as “fairy butterfly” took first prize for decoration while her cousin, Marie Thomas, had third place as “nymph of goldenrod” and Jean Law, as “fairy queen”, won second prize. Carl Rex Clark, as noted in last week’s column, won first prize for novel decoration of his small hay wagon. And George and Warren Lentz received a prize for their cart loaded with Fall flowers. In addition to the triplets, three sets of twins were exhibited in this event. Judges were Mrs. Theodore E. Wiedersheim, Mrs. McComb Elmer and Mrs. August von Bernuth.

Women patrons of the Circus were more than busy around flower exhibits and fancy work, and were faithful patrons of the gypsy caravan for it was there that they could have their fortunes told.

Great interest was shown in the exhibits of old dresses, quilts, fancy work and antique embroidery. Winners in these classes were Mrs. Silver and Mrs. Pile for samplers; Mrs. G. F. Hale for old handkerchiefs; Mrs. Petery, mrs. Austin Obdyke, Miss Margaret Elder and Mrs. McKenna for old-fashioned silk quilts, and Mrs. Silver and Mrs. Chapin for antique lace work.

Prominent Wayne women who won prizes in the cookery section were Mrs. Charles Fox, Mrs. W. H. Margerum and Mrs. Robert P. Elmer for large cakes; Mrs. H. B. Lienhardt, Mrs. Virginia Johnson and Mrs. Howard Adams for bread; Miss Katharine Gallagher and Mrs. Charles M. Sheaffer for rolls; Mrs. William Holman, Mrs. William B. Riley and Mrs Sheaffer for small cakes; Mrs. Marshall Ward, Mrs. William C. Lobb and Mrs. H. J. Warfield for preserves; Mrs. Brandt for pickles; Mrs. Marshall Ward, Mrs. Oscar Ward and Mrs. Oscar Russell for preserved vegetables and Mrs. Von Bernuth and Mrs. Riley for pies.

As this columnist glances once more through the old copies of the Philadelphia Press and the Public Ledger lent to her by T. Griffiths Roberts, she notes a few names not already mentioned. Among them are W. J. Buxton, “an impressive bandmaster”; Squire M. F. D. Scanlon, chairman of the Celebration Committee; Fred H. Treat, the “Mayor of Wayne”; officers Green, Muench and Erbaugh and Sergeant Crager of the Radnor Township Police Force. To all these and to many, many others of its citizens already mentioned, Wayne owed probably the greatest Labor Day celebration ever presented along the Main Line. Compared to it, last, Monday, in spite of the tremendous flow of traffic along the Pike, was quiet, indeed!

Except for closed stores, quiet business streets and an extra flow of automobile traffic along Lancaster avenue, next Monday will seem much like any other Monday in Wayne. But Labor Days have not always been like that in our town. There was Monday, September 1, 1913, when some 10,000 people gathered together on Radnor School field to witness a “Society Circus”, the like of which was never seen before, nor ever has been since–not in Wayne, at any rate!

Faded copies of the good old Public Ledger and of the Philadelphia Press printed the following morning tell the story by pictures and the printed columns. There are the three Wood brothers, Penman, Robert and Thomas, members of the Second City Troop and sons of Major John P. Wood, pictured as they did bareback stunts on two beautiful horses. “The champion fancy and bareback riders of the world”, and bareback riders of the world”, to quote the “Ledger”, certainly gave a daring exhibition!

And then there’s a picture of Theodore J. Grayson in a polka dot clown suit and B. L. VanSchaidk, chairman of the circus committee, in an elegant riding costume, including a tall silk hat and a coat with tails. Wallace C. Dickson is pictured as a snake charmer and just to prove his claims to that title, he has a large snake coiled around his waist. Standing with him is A. J. D. Peterson, the bearded lady, and very ladylike, indeed, in a high waisted silk dress and kid gloves reaching above the elbow.

Francis Leonard, queen of the gypsy caravan, is pictured with three fortune telling companions, Mona Whitlock, Margaret Riley and Mrs. B. L. VanSchaick.

Triplets from Rosemont are lying side by side in another picture, with a combined weight of 23 pounds at the tender age of 11 weeks. They are Redmond George Smith, Eleanor Ida Smith and Margaret Powell Smith, children of Mr. and Mrs. Redmond Smith. Still another picture shows Carl Rex Clark, “a wee fellow driving his pet goat ‘Billie’ and cuddling his dog ‘Gipsy!’ Carl Rex won first prize, too, for novel decoration of his wagon, “All hay and corn and squash”.

Boy Scouts, commanded by County Scout Executive, S. S. Aplin are pictured atop their 16-ft. tower where they gave “a remarkable exhibition of what to do if the tower is on fire and there are a lot of people holding a blanket for you to jump into. They jumped and carried each other about on stretchers”.

The reader goes through columns of printed matter to discover just why such a pretentious affair was staged on Labor Day, 1913. Apparently there was no attempt to make money for any purpose, charitable or otherwise. It was sufficient that expenses were cleared and that everyone had “the time of their lives” on the big holiday. And the fun started early and lasted “until long after the stars were telling folk that it was long past dinner time”. Those who served on the committee of arrangements were M. F. D. Scanlon, president; Matthew Randall, secretary and Frederick H. Treat, treasurer. And then there were not a few of the prominent citizens of Wayne and St. Davids who helped to make the day such a memorable one.

Three bands led the parade that swung around the Radnor High School grounds that day, making itself heard above the merry-go-round, the animals, the clowns and the crowds, The circus was given twice, for big as the tent was, it did not begin to hold the crowd that wanted to see what was going on. B. L. VanSchiack was the “typical ringmaster in yellow tights who coiled his big whip.”

The Cassons, Joseph Jr., 11 years old and William, aged 6, led the bill. These boys, it seemed, who had “made all Philadelphia marvel at their riding in the Devon Shows, turned tricks from their mounts that made their jockey father envious.”

Next on the program was a regular tumbling and gymnastic feature put on by T. Huber Stilwell and the “Gym” team of Radnor High School. Then came the clowns and the clown police. There was Lawrence Allen, programmed as “Splinters; his salary would make a plumber green with envy”; John M. Rogan, T. G. Roberts and Dr. J. A. Standen, billed as “Rogan and Yellum; their act isn’t a scream–it’s a yell”. Cops included Daniel M. Sheaffer, Frederick H. Treat, Jr., William Keator, Frederick Radcliffe, D. K. Dickson and T. G. Roberts. Other clowns included Dr. Norman Sinclair and Theodore Grayson, “night-stick gentlemen who gave all the old and a few new antics”.

(To be Continued)

The copies of the “Public Ledger” and the “Philadelphia Press” have been lent to the writer by T. Griffiths Roberts who has saved them all these 37 years.