The morning times., 1897-01-10

The bicycle girl has been forced to confess
that the wheel is an injury 10 her. This
has been brought about by the winter
dancing season, and the way 1t happened
is that the young woman who, during the
summer and fan, has INDUCED in daily
spin, finds that the dance 10 her is no
longer what il was, and that instead OF
having grace in every II otion, size finds
it very difficult 10 develop even the proper
motion.
1t has long been subject of discussion
as 10 whether or not the muscles ane all
that goes To make up the legs OF a bicycle
girl were really permanently affected by
the exercise ii on the wheel. Naturally, IL
is fact that every one could understand
that the tendency of wheeling is To make
the muscular ortion Of the calf al the leg
bulge ont in greater degree than is no
ticeable in the Venus lie Milo, but still
it was Eos thought this was anything that
would effect iii any unpleasant way the
walk or the movement of the bicycle girl.
The accompanying illustration shows
exactly what the wheel Goes 10 tie bicycle
girls legs 1t makes them ST. onger, no
doubt But wien it comes 10 piroGetting
tout and tracing On the ballroom floor
tie mystic figures 30 dear to the heart
of the dehutante and her Seniors then,
alas, the iI-effects OF the wheel are ap-
parent.
The Young woman who has pl!ghted
her affect oBs to the bike in the season
when il was particularly in evidence, sud
denly diso overs that while in her mind
she is thoroughly familiar with just what
she ought to do, she is absolutely incapable
ofperformins proper action. Themusciesof OF
her limbs seeIa TO have lost their cunning.
Instead OF Icing able to ''one, two, three
one two three as the dancing master
would have il, she finds it hard to even
one and her partner wonders what
on earth is the matter with the young
woman who the year before danced as II
she were sylph-
The difficulty referred TO s particularly
noticeable in the waltz. The bicycle girl
finds it abs o,Utely impossible to execute
the steady glide. Awkwardness does not
describe what she feels she can only
perform cvcment that is as eccentric
in its way as it lacks elasticity The
polka, the schOttiSche, and the CUadrle
are almost as difficult, although the latter
OF course calls for much less exercise of
skill i'll the matter OF executing the steps.
Careful inquiry 8n ong the young women
WHO ride the bicycle shows tito be an octUal
fact that exercise on the wheel seems TO
deaden and stiffen the set of muscles
that comes into play il dancing. just
why this is 50, the doctors are unable TO
explain, except in a general way, that
they bee ONE lax and useless through the
constant exercise of other muscles, and
that when tie old-tme muscles again are
put in use, they are awkward, and rot in
Clined 10 respond TO the can made upon
them.
Several Of the young women who have
danced 10 the delight OF thousands at the
theatcrs ruefuIly admit that their affec-
ton for the wheel has caused them 10 end
or trouble. why said one Young woman,
whose merry eyes have gained for her an
international reputation, Il took UP the
wheel for exercise, don't you know, AMI
liked il ever and ever so much, Tut what
was my surprise after 1 had been riding
awhile 10 find that for some reason or
other it Was very much harder for me to
dance than it had been before. l couldn't
imagine what was the matter Finally,
] went to see my doctor, and asked him
If there was anything wrong with my mus
tIes. He looked me all over carefully,
and then said the only thing that was
wrong, so far as he could Judge, was the
wheel.
Il asked him whatin the world te meant,
and he said that riding the wheel deadened