The morning times., 1895-09-01
new WOHAN ON WHEELS
Thrilling Experiences in Learning
to Ride a Bicycle.
WHEN SHE HAD THE WOBBLES
Gloriana Gadabout Tells of Her First
Attempts to Go Alone-Pestered by
the Advice of Friends-She Had to
Keep n-NIovin' On"-Caution a bout
Letting Go the Handle Bars.

Did you ever ride the bicycle? Did you
ever try to do so? Between riding and try
ing to do so there is a whole world of diff
ference, Between the two there lies con-
tinent of experiences, au ocean Of mishaps,
Rocky Mountain chain of falls and tum-
bIes, seas and floods of inward trepidation
and silent, unshed tears.
If you have ever ridden the bicycle
you know all about 1t. II you are only just
trying you think you know all about it.
whereas in reality you know nothing
whateyer-haye not, in fact, even the faint
est conception. Therein lies the difference.
When you really start in earnest TO learn
to ride you have revelations; you start,
you move, you seem to feel the thrill Of
life, etc, and in an instant, regardless
Of the solemn mystery with which the Sc
crets OF nature are usually shrouded, the
entire planetary system suddenly spreads
out before your astonished gaze, You
take a header, and, 10, in an instant crea-
ton is revealed.
There are other things besides the mys-
teries OF nature that are revealed in light
ming flashes to you when you really start
in 10 learn to ride the bicycle You learn
for one thing that you are an arrant cow
ard. II is mortifying, but true nevertheless
ANOTHER KIND OFNERYE.
You may have the nerve to walk up to
the cannon's mouth or TO take part in allthe
exigencies of war. 1t matters not. When
1t comes TO making those first efforts to ride
the bicycle you stand revealed TO yourself
the most ignomiuious coward in exist
ence The fact that you carefully try to
conceal this fact does not in any degree de
tract from its truth.
The fact that you can nerve yourself up
TO walking around a spooky house in the
dead OF night when the rest OF the household
are securely shut up in their respective
rooms VIII not avail to remove the stigma
OF cowardice
Perhaps it is a very different species
of bravery required in learning to overcome
the ups and downs Of the wheel. I should
be glad TO really think so. II is not pleas
ant, even to ones self, to be dubbed a cow
and especially when you happen to be a
woman and have fine scorn Of those Of
your sisters who scream and go into amateur
Mysteries whenever poor little hungry
mouse chances to frisk its tail in sight over
the ChairbOard Of a room.
When YOU have schooled yourself to regard
the antics Of that mouse without even so
much as making a wild, furtve grab at
your skirts, you have every right to set
yourself up in your own mind as person
Of pronounced bravery. 1t is all the more
unpleasant, therefore, TO be called down
from your lofty estate through tue medium
OF the wheel.
Every body is riding the bicycle. Nearly
every body owns one. Not to own, or at
least not to ride the wheel, is to be counted
a back number-quiJe out Of the swim
Now if there is one thing more than an
other which the new woman desires to
carefully eliminate from the volume of
her daily life, it is that possible stigma of
a back number. 1t therefore follows that
every up-to-date woman must have the list
of her accomplishments swelled by the
ability to ride the wheel.
ADVICE TO BEGINNERS.
II the question Of temperature is to be
taken into consideration, 1 should advise
beginners to start out on their initial lessons
on the very hottest day of the sedson. The
reason for this is that the cold chilIs that
inevitable result from the experiment VIII
be more than sufficient as they chase each
other up and down the spine to cool off the
most feyered brow.
The love Of bicycling is an acquired taste
ike that for Caviarre aud saurkraut
It S rarely, if otherwise, save, perhaps,
with children in whose range Of thought
| the considerations Of the danger they run
! does not have place. Happy Childrenl
Unhappy grown people, to whom the
thirst for knowledge comes in regard to
learning to ride the biCyclel 1t seems to
be fever that comes to all, Irrespective ot
age, color, or prvious condition of servi-
tude. To each and all it comes in time,
and to each and all in turn there must be
the experience of a personal trial before
that false appetite OF the present day is
whetted.
The experiences of others go for naught.
1t is the old story of Eve and the apples.
We each not only want taste Of the fruit
| but we want TO pluck that fruit for our
| selves
Ifyou start out to learn at one of the many
establishments in the city for that pur-
pose, you viii be told that actresses a nd
children learn most readily. Actresses be-
children because of their lack of self-con.
sciousuess
LOQUACIOUS RIDING TEACHERS.
You will be told this and many things
| II you will but listen. Bicycle teachers
are strangely like BARRIERS. Their stock
| OF small talk, general knowledge and fund
| of advice never seems to run out 1t is
| always there on tap, with the differnece
! from most things on tap, that it does not
wait for any effort on your part to start
| 1t going.
The trouble I have found in learning,
OF attempting to learn to ride a bicycle
| is not so much the mechanical part of the
| process, as it's to stave off the volume Of
advice that meets you at every turn from
| your friends Each and every one has
something to say on the subject, and as a
! general thing, this advice is of the most
conflicting kind To attempt to follow ii
would result in a far speedier annihuation
than is likely to be your fate if you stick
to the wheel aud go on trying IN your own
way.
The less a person really knows about the
wheel the greater will be the amount of ad-
vice offered. When there is no personal
| experience whatever from which they
can draw, it is perfectly astonishing with
what nlcety they can detail everything
that should be done by beginner.
This is naturally a trifle eXasperating
at times, but as the rules of good society
will not admit of woman swearing a
good, round swear in such emergencies
she must just smile the best she can and
| appear to take it all in as Law and gospel
| 1t is difficult to accomplish, but it car
be done, 1 know whereof speak, hay