The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-08-08
LEARNING THE BICYCLE.
Junius Henri Browne Gives q Bit of His
Practical Experience.

REaGBlC8A 4pSA40ncos
CHocoRUA, n. H.. Aug. 6-As ev-
cry body at home and abroad who does
not ride on a bicycle seems determined
to learn to ride, the subject can hardly
fail to be, in the widest sense, popular.
Volumes on volumes have been written
on the theme in the last year or two.
Nearly every newspaper and periodical
has more or less of it. Nevertheless it
continues to be interesting, especially to
those who have just learned, who are
learning or who intend to learn.
My own personal experience with the
wheel has been entirely different from
what have understood others expert
ence to be. And then I have gathered
many facts from talking with cyclists
and frequenters of academies that 1
did not know before and that others
may not know.
can scarcely remember when the BIZ
cycle has not appealed to me as de-
hghtful form of exercise and recreation
I felt sure should enjoy it, but made
no attempt to acquire the necessary
practice was assured that it was easy,
but l felt that it would not be easy for
me, who never have had the least me-
chanical skill of any sort. have heard
my father and paternal grandfather say
that as boys they could not make kite
for themselves; that they could do al
most nothing useful with their hands.
And I am convinced that this peculiar
incapacity has been transmitted to me.
In word, the thing appeared to be TOO
much trouble. So years passed Cycling
became CONTAGIOUS Persons of all
grades, ages, colors, conditions. bestrode
the wheel and spun over space as they
chose.
At last even was infected. In the
immediate vicinity Of my home in New
York l never looked out of the window
or went into the street that did not see
shoals of children, lads, girls, men, wo-
men, young, middle aged, old. whirl-
ing by as if they were part Of their ma
chimes And how they seemed to revel
in it 1t must, l thought, be glorious
fun. [ still had doubts of myself, not
withstanding that l heard that anybody
could learn; that nobody who had tried
had ever given it up.
determined to make a persistent eff
fort to learn bicycling. I carefully alb
stained from saying that I could learn,
but 1 promised myself that l would
learn, if should live. I intended to de-
vote myself to it as if it were an enor-
nous task, labor of months, of years,
instead Of, as commonly happens, a labor
of a few days. 1 consulted a number of
cyclists who had become such within
year and inquired about the character of
the leading academies, - conscious that
I should need superior teaching. You
see how very seriously I considered what
the many hold to be a mere trif1e and
what really is such. The result of my
inquiries was that, by excellent advice,
I selected one of the poorest of all the
80 academies in the city of New
York. Much depends, as 1 discovered,
on ones selection. Many of the instruct
ors are rough, illiterate lads who know
how to ride themselves, but are incom-
petent to teach anybody else, and into
the hands Of one of the worst of these
CHANGED to fall They are not, l under
stand, paid by the week, but receive 10
cents for each lesson they give, for
which the pupil is charged so cents, or
81 for five lessons.
took five lessons (the average pupil
is generally said to learn to ride in five
lessons) and then knew less about the
wheel than I did before I ever mounted
one. I ascribed this to the unintelli-
gence of my instructor. though it may
have been owing to my own stupidity,
for I am aware that I am abnormally
stupid about cycling. At least did try,
however, and tried hard, and the harder
tried the less learned. That indeed
was the trouble, suspect. I put my
mind into it rather than my body. I
reasoned entirely too much about it.
lacked faith in myself and in my wheel.
I do not believe, however, that should
have got control of machine in so les
sons from such an instructor 1 certain
~ was not afraid of it or of falling, as
men are often accused Of being, for
fell frequently, and sometimes quite
hard, during my initiate-so hard as to
arouse solicitude in my not very sensi :
tive teacher. But I was not hurt in the
least.
After the five proftless lessons de-
cided to seek another academy, and I
looked into half a dozen critically,
choosing one that seemed satisfactory
and was warmly recommended. 1t de-
served to be. 1t has made cyclists out of
some very obstinate cases and may have
done so even out of me. On the seventh
lesson was actually able to go round
the hall number of times alone. was
amazed at my proficiency. had not ex-
pected to do that for weeks. I was al
most as surprised as if I had suddenly
learned to fly. The sensation was raw
ishing. further improved in two more
lessons, though still occasionally shot
off at a tangent and did not feel at
home on wheel 1 was assured that
with little more practice could go on
the road. and [ am bound to credit the
assertion. l have since come to the
White mountains, bringing wheel with
me, and have begun practice on the IN
even, sandy roads with animating pros
pects expect to be seen dashing over
the Boulevard on my return to town in
October without reminding any one of
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