Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-06

Inc main difficulty lies In the mount. 1t Ia a
comparatively easy matter to teach lady how
to make the machine move along without help,
and it usually is the case that beginner &C
composites this feat during the second lesson.
An attendant walks around by the side of the
wheel, and slightly il the rear, with his hand
on the lnackire, sometimes both hands grip the
frame tightly, according to the weight and
clun.siness OF the rider. The learner is told to
keep on plsning with her feet whether the ma
chine stands straight or not, and this fact is
kept constantly before her the trio, the
teacher. the ri.lar and the wheel make the Cir
cult of the yard ag"'n and again. Little by lit
tie cor idsncs comes tc her and she feels more
at home than ste aid when she begar The
teacher knrws just when the proper time has
come to let 90 his hold OH the vice! and he
does SO without warning. Tue machil, may
so ah9ad and 1t may not. II it should. il never
goes very far. bat cones to Sudden stand
still after series of Wild. cavorting sweeps and
spills the fair one on the ground III a much dis
ordered heap. a mass Of cloth. humanity and
anger. She does not like it. and sol, ctimes
there Is a small bruise or two on various parts
of her anatomy to bear witness to the fact that
she has not vet besn taught the art Of tumt ling
from her wheel.
HOW PRIDE HELPS HER.
This has to happen once or twice before the
beginner comes to realize how necessary it is
to have plenty of confidence while on the ma
chine. She also makes up her mind that if
that other girl-the one whose graceful per-
formance caused her to enter the lists-went
through all this and not only lived. but brought
skill out of the scrimmage with her. she can do
OF the teachers success. He knows just how
badly it hurts a woman to be beaten by any
other woman and he misses no opportunity to
whisper IN her ear that she is doing quite as
nicely as Miss Soandso over there and that
her progress is much more marked than tina. of
Miss Whatdoyoucallher. There is art in all
this and, maybe, u certain amount of base and
groundless fattery, that should be frowned
down II 1t were III any other cause But it
serves its purpose and therefore it goes
The mount is hard because a woman has
to get on her wheel from the ground. and las
not the advantage of the little run and push
that a man can give his machine from behind.
She must make quick little balance and then
pusn OF her foot and she either darts off
beautifully or else-but charity forbids. 1t
does not hurt very much. however. and these
little bruises are taken. SO the reporter has been
told in whispered bit of confidence by fair
friend, as honorable souvenirs by the fair
riders. But that is not in the line of this ac-
count.
? Hills are great bugbears in the way of female
riders, but it Ia refreshing to see the amount of
alacrity and resignation with which a woman
dismounts from her wheel at the foot of hard
slope and proceeds to push 1t up without a
grumble. 1t would do some older and more
mannish riders good, and teach them, maybe O
wholesome lesson to observe this quality in
their fair colleagues. They are. no doubt far
more persevering than men in their desire to
learn, and quite as plucky when it comes to q
matter OF a hill. But there are plenty of lady
riders who have mastered the difficulties of
Capitol Hill. and who now mount it every day
on their way to and from Office or the shops
Fourteenth street hill is a good test for a wo-
man. and 1t is no uncommon occurrence to see
parties in the afternoon trying to overcome its
difficulties. Some get half way and then get
of. and others sit down on the curbs very near
the foot, while a few manage to push all the
way up and 60 out toward the country with
shortened breath, heightened color and proud
hearts.
HEALTH AND CYCLING.
There used to be an idea prevalent among
physicians that bicycling was injurious to the
health. and there are even some now who ad-
here to this belief. But the majority of peo-
pie, it would seem, do not take much stock in
the theory that the exercise gives rise to spinal
complaint. If one may judge from the great
success Of the dealers in wheels. There was a
terrible cry raised against the introduction of
wheels for ladies on this same ground, and there
were some dire predictions made as to the
mental and physical condition of the next gen.
GRAFTON If women took to riding wheels
very generally. Notwithstanding the hue
and cry. however. there are sew
eral instances in Washington Of well-known
physicians buying wheels for their daughters
simply because they thought that the exercise
would be good for them. 1t is said that one
never sees a homely woman riding a horse. and
it will just surely be the case, according to
the enthusiastic, that one will never see girl
on bicycle who has not some claims to beauty.