I was born in Baraboo, WI, home of Circus World Museum. It is hard for me to be completely anti-circus. Circuses were a popular form of entertainment in centuries past and some good things came out of them: great music and artwork being of interest to me.

Circus World has a world renowned collection of beautiful circus wagons. They are intricately decorated and painstakingly restored. The restoration projects undertaken by the museum provide jobs for local wood workers and artists.

I also have friends who played in the circus band at the museum. Circus music is fun! We played some of it in the local campus/community band. Even when playing other non-circus pieces if the director wanted a quick tempo he would say, “Circus tempo!” and we all knew what he meant.

My friends played in the circus parade which used to come to Milwaukee every summer. They used to ride on top of the huge wagon behind the forty horse hitch and I have to say they were the best band in the parade. We would sit on the bridge by the art museum, the part that goes uphill. We could feel the bridge rumbling beneath our feet as the horses got a running start to pull those heavy old wagons up the hill.

Some people have objected to the use of horses in the parade pulling wagons, but I didn’t. Horses have been bred for years to do this type of work. So long as they have enough horses to pull the wagon, the horses are not being mistreated by being hitched up to the wagon. The only problem is idiots along the parade route not respecting the horses and doing stupid things to try to startle the horses, sometimes successfully. With the way the world is today (filled with cruel unthinking people) it is probably for the best, for the safety of horses and bystanders, that the parade is no longer held.

I do not understand why Circus World has both elephants and tigers even today, as far as I know. There is absolutely no reason for a circus to feature wild animals anymore. That practice belongs to a different time. We have moved beyond those days and there is simply no need to cause this suffering. If people want to see wild animals they can go online and watch videos of the animals in their natural habitats. There is nothing exotic or exciting about wild animals for modern audiences. Many are offended as understanding is growing of the pain these animals suffer. Especially elephants.

Modern circuses can focus on the music, the art work and the beautiful and exciting performances by humans. All the performers should perform with nets and any and all safety features that are necessary to minimize accidents. The entertainment does not need to be “death defying” to create a good show. Live shows with live musicians are actually kind of a novelty for modern audiences used to just going to the movies.

So there is a place for a circus, but not in the same form it was in the 1890’s. We can preserve the best of that time and ditch everything else. I don’t know why this has not happened already.