The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-14
BICYCLE COSTUMES,


AS the paper for which I have been
asked to write an article Is wholly and
entirely prepared by women, want to
air a few of my ideas and convictions
about bicycle riding for women alone
There Is no need of giving any advice to
men riders, because they know it all,
ana VIII continued to hump themselves
to the end of time. One seldom or never
sees woman humping herself in that
manner, but she Is apt to do other
things equally ridiculous. l wish every
woman In Scranton who rides a wheel
could stand with me on the curb on
any OF the avenues leading to the park
some pleasant afternoon and see the
pageant go by. l think after such an
experience, there would be no need for
me to say-don't wear bloomers or
knickerbockers or very short skirts or
sway yourself from side to side in the
mistaken idea that you are getting up
speed In an extremely graceful manner
1t has been said by those supposed to
be good judges that only one in ten
women rides well. When we say rides
well. we mean rides gracefully and looks
well In the saddle. AS I ride through
Central park these lovely April morn
ingS, am impressed that this is q large
percentage and would cut it down to
one In twenty and out of that number
about one in three l recognize as men,
bers of the MichauX club, emphasizing
to me the fact that none but thoroughly
good teachers can make good riders.
Most teachers think when they have
taught one TO boost herself into and
out of the saddle and to keep the wheel
going, by hook or by crook. that they
have done their duty by a pupil and she
must learn the rest by herself. Some
times she does learn it-more times she
does not.
20 wad some power the giftie gle u.s."
a friend quoted to me the other day,
Don't ask me to ride q wheel, leave
me in my studies to slave. saw u
woman about my age today on a wheel
and, no, thank you"
l said nothing. but few days after
inveighed her into a visit to ono Of
the private meetings Of the MichauX
club. 1t was one of the afternoons
when the members went through the
intricacies of the grand march on their
wheels, danced quadrille and the Vir-
ginia reel all In the most graceful and
charming manner. The dresses? Well,
you don't think much about the dresses
there. They are all SO inconspicuous
and thoroughly well adapted for the
wheel that one scarcely notices them.
by the way-this seems to me the
very acme Of the art of dressing for all
occasions. I don't believe l need add
that my artist friend is assiduously
devoting every spare minute to the task
of learning to ride.
/ hear my women riders exclaiming:
Oh, 1t is easy enough to say don't wear
boomers, nor short skirts. Long skirts
are dangerous, boomers are hideous.
What shall we wear? To all these I
say, wear a narrow skirt, gored to fit
the figure, coming just above the an
kle. In such a skirt every woman will
find herself thoroughly comfortable,
especially If 1t Is silk lined and silk
bloomers are worn underneath 1t.
have studied all the patent skirts-di-
vided and otherwise-tried several of
them to my sorrow, and the narrow
skirt is the result Of my study. A
divided skirt cannot be made graceful
without being full. They must then be
made short enough to escape the
sprocket or they are dangerous. Any
skirt with fullness enough to fill with
wind is bound to be ungraceful. II
the narrow skirt recommend is not
made Of material heavy enough to hold
itself in position, put couple Of
weights at the bottom directly in the
front and back. This makes adjust
Is no danger Of a skirt so weighted
filling with wind. Above all things
don't be taken in with the five thou
sand-dollar prize skirt. It's u delusion
and q snare. II you must have one of
them, take any skirt and put tape
on the under side lengthwise up the
front and back, run black cord
through this, fastening it at the bottom
and bringing 1t out through an eyelet
hole about three inches below the belt.
When you mount your wheel Just haul
up these cords, gathering your skirt
into the semblance Of an i'll fitting pair
five-thousand- d-dollar prize skirt. 1 met
Mrs. James McCreery on the Boule-
ward the other dav with onei of these
skirts on and II Mrs. James McCreery
could have seen herself-well!
A Norfolk Jacket, a shirt waist, a
sweater or even q plainly made silk
waist are all suitable for the wheel, and
a cut-a-way Jacket is always pretty.
Everything depending on the cut and
fit.
There is another thing notice about
the few women who ride really well.
They nearly all ride with the saddle
pretty we'll forward and sIanted little.
This gives them the appearaiice of be-
ing simply poised and suggests nothing
OF the rocking chair effect to which
women are more or less addicted. No
one rides well who puts her weight on
the saddle. Put your weight on your
pedals and unless you want to scorch
(Which Heaven forbid) your strength in
the forward stroke. This does away
with the clawing appearance so many
women have. Do not consider yourself
mistress Of your wheel until you can
ride fearessly with your hands off the
handle bar, guiding entirely with the
pedals. When this has been accom-
plished, one is safe to ride anywhere
or course If q woman desires to ride
diamond frame wheel all have said
about boomers and knickerbockers
goes to the fore. She must adopt one
or the other. To my mind there is no
more ungraceful sight than u woman
mounting a diamond frame wheel. On
the other hand what sight Is prettier
than the woman properly dressed, slow
ly. gracefully mounting her wheel and
without apparent haste or effort, skim
ming like swallow out of sight?
l am afraid l have more than taken
UP the space allotted me and haven't
said half 1 would like. There are about
q dozen more don'ts want to write.
MAY HARRIOTr.