Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-03-10
BICYCLES FOR WOMEN.
A NOVEL SIGHT AT THE Ma
TIONAL CAPITAL.
Washington Ladies Discard Tri.
cycles and Manipulate Bicycles
in the Natural Way.


Democrat by its Washington correspondent,
says:
If my letter should show streaks of in
sanity in it, or signs of mental paralysis
on the part Of the writer, / beg you will
make allowances. / saw sight one even
ing last week calculated to scar the eye
balls of one whose optical orbs are usually
in a condition of GOODNESS bordering on
congelation. | saw a woman 90 by on
bicycle! On bicycle, | repeat; vehicle
with two wheels only, one of which was
directly behind the other. Her feet-not
to use 4 stronger term-were on both sides
of the connecting bar; balancing precisely
as man would, and her lower extremities
were Topping and kicking in lively man
ner. There was a hutter of lace and
flash Of skirts whenever the respective
ends of the walking-beam went up. and |
thought / had struck a crazy ballet-daucer
running away with some mans machine.
| blushed and turned my face to the
wall, resolved to gaze upon the dread sight
no more; but | Immediately turned back
and resumed my Investigations. / hope
know my duty, and shall never hesitate
20 sacrifice my personal feelings whenever
they stand in the way of properly serving
my newspapers.
When | bashfully withdrew my glance
there was only one of these effigies
when | resumed my vigilance there were
two OF them, for another had galloped up
and joined the first Both were dressed
In all respects in the ordinary street cos
tune OF lady, one wearing iaunty hat
and the other a bonnet. But they were
pair of spectacles | stepped aside out of
the maddening crowd, and pinched myself
to see If | was awake. 1t seemed as if |
was. 1t was broad daylight, too, the garish
sun not yet having set behind the hills of
Arlington, and as the griffins turned the
corner and struck $40 pace down B
street, l breathed the fervent prayer which
Napoleon uttered on a similar occasion.
"Grouchy or nightp Hoping that they
would meet with no casualty, but DESTROYS
to report it in full in case there should be
one, l got my opera glasses and watched
the audacious yoyagers down past Ingalls,
house and out Of sight, to see if they would
take header. They did not | was dis
appointed
1t ought to be added, perhaps, that the
bicycles were safety machines, that the
eonnecting-bar between the wheels was
lower than usual, and that the con-
trivance was propelled by pedals at
tached to the hind wheels. The ex-
posture of the rider is not so great as would
at first be thought, especially in warm
weather.
This phenomenon must be further in
vestigated," | remarked to myself, and
down | went next day and interviewed our
great bicycle manufacturer = call him
Smith.
"Mr. Smith, how about those female BIZ
cycles ?" / asked.
There is one" he remarked, pointing
out one that leaned languidly against the
partition. Just lift it"
] did. 1t was very light.
whats the use of a lady riding a tri-
cycle, the lightest of which weighs sixty
pounds, when she can ride bicycle that
weighs only thirty-fve pounds, and go a
great deal faster with similar expenditure
of force" That's what Smith said.
| did not answer the question, but in
quired if bicycles were used by women
anywhere else.
Nowhere else in the world" said Smith
trinmphantly. 81 make these myself, and
put tnem on the market.
''Who are the gay girls / saw out on
them to-day?" inquired.
"They are not gay" he answered; "they
are not lithesome maidens like Mary
Walker; they are staid and conventional
dames-wives and Mothers
"Will women wear bicycles anywhere
else ?" | inquired OF Smith.
"Of course they will. Washington will
set the example, and New York, Boston
and Chicago will follow. Of course. no
other city is quite so well adapted to their
use as Washington is, because no other in the
world has such smooth streets; but others
will use them. There are 1900 cyclers
in this city, and these new low bicycles
will gradually supersede the tricvcles. 1t
must be so. The survival of the fttest re-
qu:res it."
| consulted professional lady of As,
who is familiar figure in tri ~ shall
get bi if it will better answer my pur-
pose" she said. at involves no more ex-
posture than my machine does The talk
of modesty is all an affectation. Look at
the way those bashful creatures dress for
ball! Modesty is largely question of
fashion and temperature anyhow"
So woman is completing her conquest of
the planet. She rows. She smokes. She
breaches. She hazes. She shoots. She
rides. And now she has lassoed the iron
grasshopper that man has hitherto ex-
clusively bestridden, and has fearlessly
mounted it. For myself, [ can only sym
pathetically exclaim More power to the
elbows of her lower extremitiesw
u=za.z-zz----a.,z---------z.-