Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-04-20
OLYMPIA WASHINGTON TERRITORY: FRIDAY EVENING APRIL
VOLUME XXVIII-NUMBER g. OLYMPL
Riding Straddle.
Washington Letter in Globe Democrat. !

Washington Letter in Globe Democrat
saw Il sight one evening last week,
| saw Il woman go by on n bicycle
On a bicycle, repeat; vehicle with
two wheels only, one OF which was di-
rectly behind the other. Her feet
not to use II stronger term-were on
both sides of the connecting bar, bal
ancing exactly as a man would, and
her lower extremities were Tapping
and kicking in lively manner. There
WAS IL flutter of lace and flash of
skirts whenever the respective ends OF
| the walking beam went up, and
( thought l had struck a crazy ballet
dancer running away with some mans
machine.
l blushed and turned my face to the
wall, resolved to gaze on the sight nc
more; but Immediately turned back
and resumed my investigations.
When l bashfully withdrew my
glance, there was only one of these cf-
iigies when resumed my vigilance,
there were two of them, for another had
gallOped up and joined the first. Both
were dressed in all respects i'll the or
binary street costume of Il lady, one
wearing . jaunty hat and the other a
bonnet. But they wore a pair OF spec
tacles!
1t ought to be added, perhaps, that
the bicycles were safety machines
that the connecting bar between the
wheels was lower than usual, and that
the contrivance was propelled by ped
ais attached to the hind wheel.
"This phenomenon must be further
investigated" | remarked to myself,
and down l went next day and inter
viewed our great bicycle manufacturer
call him Smith.
"Mr. Smith, how about those female
bicycles?" asked.
"There is one" he remarked, point
ing out one that leaned languidly
against the partition. "Just lift it,"
did. 1t was very light.
What's the use of lady's riding Il
tricycle., the lightcst of which weighs
sixty pounds, when she can ride Il BIZ
cycle that only weighs thirty-five
pounds, and go great deal faster with
smaller expenditure of force?" That
is what Smith said.
did not answer the question, but
inquired if bicycles were used by wo-
i men anywhere else.
Nowhere else in the world" said
Smith triumphantly. al make these
myself and put them on the market" "
"Whoar the gay girls | saw out on
them to-day?" l inquired.
"They are not gay" he answered /;
"they are not lightsome maidens like
Mary Walker; they are staid and con-
ventional dames-wives and mothers. y
"Will women ride bicycles any
where else?" l inquired of Smith.
"Of course they will. Washington
will set the example, and New York,
Boston and Chicago will follow. Oi
course, no other city is quite so Vi y
adapted to their use as Washington,
because no other in the world has suc!.
smooth streets; but others will uss
them. There are 1900 cyclers in this
city, and these new low bicycles will
gradually superscde tricycles. 1t must
be so. The survival of the fittest re-
quires it,"
So woman is completing her con-
quest Of the planet. She rows. She
smokes. She breaches. She hazGs.
She shoots She rides. And now she
has lassoed the iron grasshopper, and
fearlessly mounted it. For myself /
can only cxclaim: "More power to
the elbow of her lower extremitiesw