The morning call., 1893-01-08

~ 4
out OF a carriage The -ESSM gsMa
stranger was given cor ElSSEy@N E#AsNfI
dial welcome and was tTsSHESSAn HzgI1Fsl
invited to stay tAssSsN.1 s2911-i
To-day there are over .c.-,..
1000 lady bicyclers in the MISS agnes Our''''
city Of San Francisco, fully 800 across the
bay in Oakland aud Alameda. while nearly
every other city in California has Its quota.
The public has been completely won over.
and none bat the oYer-prudlsh and incur
ably dyspeptic are left to rail against It,
Bicycling is now the most fascinating
kind of exercise. Until its introduction
women could not run, jump, play baseball;
walking was m0notonous and weary; row.
ing more so. Tennis was good enough In
its way, but it was far from being Inc eX-
hilaTatiug pastme bicycling is. Hereto
fore the outdoor recreatOns of the ladies'
have been limited in confines. They did
not see the beauties of the country and the
gl0Iies of nature. horseback riding or
carriage driving, il is true, brought these
advantages, but both are Injuries IN thelr
way, while the latter is no more to be COM
pared to healthy exercise than ride In
cable-car for that matter.
And so it went all through the list.
Now all is changed. Now with her bicy-
Gle she can go where she will, when she
will and the way she Will. The exercise
may be as gentle or as hard as she wishes.
Size can 90 as fast or as slow as suits her
has banished care to the winds, mounts her
steed and takes snap shot at the unvitiated
air. Everything has taken on new charm.
She wanders in odd out-0f-the- way places
aud the most prOsaic Of landscapes have
become invested with new interest
Everything has changed since she has
learned to ride.
Lady riders say that bicycling is an effect
ual banisher of many OF the little aches aud
pains that their sex is heir to. 1t does away
with that Tired feeling"
The motion is rhythmical, and consequently
very different indeed from walking. 1t has
q peculiar fascination, hard to define with
its freedom from tension or strain. 1t is
this fascination sometimes, however. that
leads enthusiasts 10 strain and overtax
themselves. but any exercise carried to the
point of exhaustion becomes an evil instead
Of a benefit.
Moreover, the bicycle is a very economical
sort Of a servant. He needs no food or
grooming like the horse. Once you become
acquainted with 1t, it Is always Obedient
and ready to do your will It's speed is equal
to the best Of steeds and it never tires.
Ride all day uphill and downhill, raply or
slowly, let the weather be what it WILL ii IS
always the same-tireless. doeie and will
ing.
1t doesn't shy at shadows or prick up its
ears and make an attempt 10 uDseat you at
tie sight Of unfamiliar things. II is such a
the reach Of every one His only EXPENSE
practically is his purchase. There is no
stable TO provide for him. no hay or feed 20
buy for his keeping when OF in use.
When you are not using him you can
leave him III any convenient and safe spot
and you Will surely fnd him there when
you want him.
There was never more faithful servant.
Golden Gate Park is the great resort Of the
lady bicycliStS Of San Francisco. The good
and level drives Of that pleasure land afford
an excellent track for practice. A'mostany
day you may see several Of these two
wheeled vehicles, with their pretty drivers,
neiseessly speeding along the many beauti-
full driyeways. There is a healthful glow
in their cheeks, the intoxication of pleasure
10 their eyes. and the riders are Of all ages
and sizes.
Some are mere tots, not over or years
old. others are demure misses of Is. then
follows a splendidly developed woman OF
20 or y, and so on goes the scale 1t is no
uncommon sight to see matronly looking
woman OF IS years poised erectly on the
machine and pedaling away with as much
vivacity ana sprigh illness as a sch00lb0y.
And the majority Of these lady wheelers
are good riders. Not few OF them can
/, keep up with the smartest trap and four,
and with the greatest ease.
or course all the ladies do not own their
own bicycles. There are bicycle livery
Just the same as you can hire horse or
team from real livery stable,
These are called cycleries or wheeIerie5.
A cyclery Is generally a riding-school and q
wheel-renting establishment in one
The beginner is taught how 10 manage
the machine and then for so much an hour
you can have the use OF it 10 go wherever
you please.
Many of the lady riders find it more suit
able to hire the machine whenever il pleases
their fancy to ride.
In the past year we have taught about
300 ladies how TO ride a bicycle" said
Thomas j. Cullen, an instructor at the
cyclery at the Hagh'-street entrance to the
park. How long does il take a beginner to
acquire the art? Oh, not long. Generally
after the first lesson they are able to toddle
for themselves. Ladies are apt pupils, and
have frequently seen one sprint away like
an old-tiner after titteen-minute lesson.
At fret they are generally pretty nervous
IL Is hard 10 convince them when they are
In The saddle that they are not twenty feet
from the ground. The pupil is given her
first lesson OH safety tandem. or two
saddied machine. The instructor sits in
the bind seat. while all the beginner
has to do is 10 place her feet on the
pedals and allow them to remain there
This Is what is known as learning
pedaling, and Is the most difficult part IF
the task the ladies meet with. A man picks
~ w AZ ObNcs Dbb IL htiHdu fIWuJo
she Will TALL. and, OF course, this timdity
retards her progress. After you convince
her that she can balance herself by the use
OF the handles your great work is done and
but plain sailing remains
~ gu know when woman has con fdence
IN herself she will undertake anything, and
the moment she has confidence In the
bicycle she has learned To ride it,
More women are taking to ii every day.
They find out il is very healthful exercise
aid perfectly exempt from danger. The
only trouble Is that tyro in the business is
apt to strain herself too much | should
advise all ladies 10 take their time while
going up hill. There is a certain strain or
tension in pedaliDg up an incline, which
should be taken slowly and deliberately.
A number Of schoolgirls are now riding the
wheel after school hours, and think they
study Tie harder for it,
a prominent female physician was asked !:
DO you regard the use Of the bicycle for
women as good or bad?"
Bad" she replied. because / am forced
to confess the result Is the defrauding OF
doctors out Of good many patients. From
an unselfsh standpoint, / think il Is the
best doctor woman could possibly have. Ii
is health-giyer In the true sense OF the
word. 1t deyelopes the muscles Of the legs
ana back as no other exercise know OF
IL would be a godsend TO shopgrls and
saleswomen II they could mount bicycle
and ride TO their homes after their long
confinement during working hours.
think II would be the greatest bit of pract-
cal philanthropy on record IL merchants