The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-09-28
THEY ALL TAKE A WHIRL.
OUR SMOOTH STREETS TEMPT STRAIN
GERS TO "BIKE."
Theatrical People Especially Are Greatly
Given to the Pleasing Pastime While in
Town-Some Points About Learning.

adapted for bicycling as Washington, and no
other city contains as many bicycle riders. The
magnificent distances" Of the city are not ap-
preciated by the weary pedestrian plodding
along the asphalt or brick pavements half 80
much as by him who lightly skins over them on
his shining steed. Dozens upon dozens Of
wheelmen fit along our principal thoroughfares
every hour OF the day, bent on business or on
pleasure. Clerks use them in going to and from
their work in the Departments business men
use them going to their offices, children on their
way to school, sports on their way to the races,
physicians to their patients, and so general is
their use that one almost looks with feeling of
apprehension to the end of funeral cortege,
fearing to see it terminate in a string of up
rights, safeties, and tricycles.
There one question which the census
enumerators forgot to include in their list of
condensed inqui sitiveness, and that was "Have
you bicycle?'' Failing the advantage of hav-
ing anything even so definite as census statistics
to go on, we are forced to make our own esti-
mates. Mr.. George s. Atwater, who keeps
bicycle house and school on Pennsylvania ave-
nue., helped the reporter out in this little calcu-
lation. He thought there were at least seven
thousand wheelmen in this city. Probably one
thousand of these are of the fair sex, and large
proportion are children. q
Bicycles have only been ridden in this country
something over dozen years, and Washington
was one of the first places to have them. Since
the beginning of that period the number in use
has rapidly Increased, until now there is one
wheel to every thirty-four of our population,
figuring on the estimate given Ladies' wheels
have only been in use about three years, and were
first used in this city. Mr. William E. Smith
was at that time agent for some of the popular
makes, and himself invented lady's machine
on which his wife learned to ride, thus gaining
the distinction of being the first female bicyc-
list IN the country. Mrs Mills, lady well
known in Washington musical circles, was one
OF the first to take up the idea, and strongly
advocated the general use of the wheel among
her sex. She is at present one of the best
known among local lady bicyclists, and has
made some runs of more than ordinary length.
"Ladies, however," said Mr.. Atwater, ''have
an objection to bicycle riding, founded upon
the faults of others who in adjusting the ma
chine are not careful to obtain the best results
as to position or posture. When the seat is
placed at the wrong height 1t is extremely diff
fcult to get graceful position on the wheel.
The elbows and knees are thrown out, the back
bent over, and the whole appearance OF the
lady rider is anything but easy and graceful
In our schools we find great difficulty with the
ladies, because they find 1t rather hard to think
that the eyes of every one in sight are not fixed
upon them. AS soon as we divest her of this
idea we find she makes a very apt pupil, and
generally learns to ride after two or three half
hour lessons"
Another popularity of the bicycle rage in
Washington is that as soon as stranger sets
foot here, he or she, as the case may be, is at
once seized with the desire to learn to ride the
wheel. The temptation is too great for them,
and great many people leave the city with the
knowledge and experience which before COM
ing they never thought to possess. OF course,
the actors and actresses come In for a share of
the fever, and very few of them can come to
the city without taking spin on one kind of
wheel or another Mr.. Atwater says that most
of this class ride tricycles. There are very few
cities in which they, would find an opportunity
to use their knowledge of bicycle riding, so
consequently seldom care to learn. The
children form large proportion of the number
of riders, and are fully as enthusiastic as their
bicycle rider in the world is Cecil B. Atwater
He is bright-faced, healthy little fellow, with
curly hair, and learned to ride the bicycle six
months ago, when he was only three years and
half old. He makes rather odd appearance
on his diminutive safety, and attracts considera-
BILE attention as he speeds along the avenues.