The herald., 1897-02-14

the pioneer wheelwoman, have since
| made amends for boyhood hootlumism
| and lived to see their mothers follow In
the train.
women took heart of grace, and gradu
ally braved public sentiment as cyclists.
In 1883 Mrs. Elliott Mason and Mrs.
Bolton were admitted to membership
in the League of American Wheelmen,
the first women in the organization.
The league is now eight thousand
strong, with a list of eight hundred lady
| members Mrs. Bolton was presented
with a high grade Cleveland wheel her
own selection, as reward for adding
the largest number of members to the
league last year, something over two
hundred.
She is now president of the Lady Tour
ist club, and organized the Pioneer Cycle
club of Brooklyn. NJ Y, which has be-
come one of the leading cycle clubs for
| women, in this country
When asked If she approved of the
bloomer costume for lady cyclists. she
replied most emphatically: IT certainly
do not approve of those hideous gar
ments. I belive In a woman preserving
her individuality. When she appears in
garments In which she cannot be dis
| tinguished from a man, she loses the
dignity and grace of womanhood.
II, as one of the first riders, at my
home, have always worn a medium short
skirt, equestrian trousers and high
boots I have never yet found any cos
tune quite perfect. the numerous fash
ionable skirts now on the market all
having the same fault that of blowing
up If not fastened with a strap or elas-
tic.
1.-The advent Of the bicycle has already
done more to effect dress reform for
women than all the lectures on the sub
ject ever delivered. They now appreci-
ate the freedom, cleanliness and COM
fort of a moderately short skirt have
no sympathy whatever with the woman
who apes the ways and manners of the
opposite sex.
At the wheelwoman's carnival held
in New York last summer, a prize was
awarded Mrs. Bolton for costume of
her own designing. This consists of
bloomers, oyer which is worn medium
length skirt. made with turned under
box plat in the back and one at each
knee. IT closes at the side with large
buttons, fits snugly over the hips and
allows the fullness of the drapery to fall
around the saddle.
With this is worn a shirt waist, a jacket
fastened according to the taste of the
wearer, and a small walking hat or
Tam O'Shanter cap with Quills on the
side.
hC OeotS QSSl6uC0 Ny 4hl IoOltOH uetN Z
long tops lacing almost to the knee. The
| natty little prize suit is made of brown
CLOTH but the enthusiastic wheelwoman
| can be seen almost any day in one of the
| same pattern made of dark blue serge.
| spinning along the streets of the city
| or the country roads.
| A pretty feature of the same carnival
at which the prize was awarded was a
May pole ride by young women cyclists,
under Mrs. Bottoms direction, in which
the riders held ribbons of the national
| colors, and circling around on their
wheels wound round and unwound them
as in the May-pole dance.
! Mrs. Bolton has been an almost con-
| stant traveller in the past eight years.
both In Europe and her own country.
| Wherever she goes her wheel is her
constant companion, as she prefers to
| see the country in this way wherever
she chooses to stop. Last winter was
| spent wheeling through Florida, and
| most of this season has been viewing
| Southern California in the same way
Los Angeles has proved so alluring
| that Mrs. Bolton has fully decided to
! buy home and reside here at least part
| of the year.
| Mrs. Bolton is correspondent Of Long
| Island Cyclist a paper published in the
| interest of wheelmen and wheelwomen.
| She is also member of the New York
| Womans Press club, Daughters of the