Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1896-10-27
THE CYCLE IN r7ArUE
~ the "Bike" Is RevoIutionIxing
~ Things IN All Directions.


Brittany roads would be the best
in France for cycling were it not for
the granite particles that lie thick
on them. Tires are perforated just
as If they ran over broken glass. 1t
is amazing what shoals of cyclists
the Southampton steamers shoot on
to the Brittany coast. The lady
cyclists are seen at a great advan-
tage beside the men. They sit erect
on the saddle--I have not yet seen
one with her nose on the handle
bar. Though they still wear skirts,
the motions of their limbs does -not
strike one as fearfully ungraceful.
Skirts, see, are shortened But
why do bands of British cyclists
sneese in chorus as they shoot by
French2 Since they will behave
like donkeys, why not bray at once2
The ''bike" revolutionizes in all
directions. 1t wakes upI am
sorry to say often in a boisterous
and cad-like way-lonely places. But
it scatters money in wayside places,
Towns used to be spoken of as con-
gestions. The bike is decongest-
izing as fast as it can. A casino
hairdresser tells me that lady cyc-
lists French) are losing their taste
for capillary art and articles. For
one forehead fuzzy fringe he sold
this season he sold fifteen last year.
Now, such fringe is thought cheap
at 12f. Judge of the loss. The
muscular fatigue of cycling tells also
on casino profits. After doing 80 or
40 miles, how can cyclists be at
tentive to three-act play, or care
to dance? They want to go to bed.
The cycle keeps the young of
both exes--from going on fine Sun
days to the English churches here.
Dressmakers say it kills the time
out-of-mind taste for fiimsy finery,
The coquette now when before the
mirror thinks chiefly of her necktie
and the fancy Shirt" front that her
open jacket shows.
Englishmen not in the movement
complain that cycling and other
kinds of sport now fill the papers. A
qui la faute? Pater familias has long
gone in for the muscular Christian
ity OF Kingsley. There has been
nearly half a century of it. Young
sters were brought up like carnivor-
Gus animals. To have muscles they
had to take up football, cricket,
rowing, running and the rest. To
keep up and improve the muscles
they had to devour meat---the worst
brain food that there Is. Eating
often, and in large quantities, the
brain and stomach were in conflict
when studies had to be gone
through. The victory was, of
course, to the ignoble organ, the
noble getting depleted. Thus i'll
used it got sluggish, and to use
ones brain became not cause of
pleasure but of pain. Those sneez-
ing cyclists already mentioned can
think of nothing but sport, 1t is
appalling to think what will happen
when fair cyclists bring their brains
to the same state. I am not afraid
of the sport hobby being ridden to
death in France. The French have
bright, active minds, and take more
pleasure in using them than any
sport excitement short Of betting
could make up for. The cycle will
be their servant, but not their
master. Directly French fathers
and mothers found that Rugby foot
ball, cricket and other athletic
sports prevented their boys from
passing good exams, they fell
into disfavor. The college Monge,
where they were most favored,
found itself suddenly without pupils.
Doctors then had their say, and as
sured us that meat and muscularity
were cause of premature old age
Paris Correspondence London