The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-13

With the advent of cycling women
| came an evolution in wheeling costume
| worn by men. Prior to their entering
the field little attention to dress was
| paid by the male cyclists. With them
the most important factor was to Sc
cure the particular make of wheel
| which they fancied the most, while the
! women at once paid the most attention
| to their costume. The wheelwoman is
| settling for herself what she shall wear
when she goes out on her wheel
| Throughout the country the short
skirts and the golf stockings are the
! favOrltes. Bloomers are worn under
meath. Some of the former bloomer
| fanatics, seeing that their idea would
! not be adopted have taken another
turn. Many are riding the diamond
framed wheel in short skirts and WOOL
en- tights. The divided skirt Is also
popular and properly made, it can be
used on either the drop or the diamond
frame. Bicycle costumes have become
a department in the wheel world. And
the credit for the great Improvement
| belongs to the women. If a census of
! the women riders in the United States
were taken, it would probably be found
that they are as numerous as the en-
/
! Then the women made up but two or
| three per cent of the entire bicycle
! population. This year it is likely that
| they will comprise 20 or more per cent.
! of the cycling population; 50 that II
| their number should increase as rapid
! ly in the next four years as it has
since 1885, the beginning of the twen-
| tieth century may find the female Sec
tion of cycledom numerically in the as.
cendant.
BY the adoption of an intelligent Sc
ries of progressive efforts the woman
of average physical vigor can ulti-
! mately fit herself for century run.
| or the long tour, without making any
! inordinate demands on her muscular
equipment. To these women, and their
number will be greatly increased before
year has passed, the boomer makes
a strong appeal. On long journeys the
practical drawbacks of the skirt are
many, and the counter attractions of
the bloomer great.
| There Is not one woman in fifty who
will deny the superiority of the bloomer
| to the skirt. so far as comfort and
adaptabilty are concerned, when long
distance riding is in question. We
| shall have both skirts and boomers
this year. We shall see occasional COM
binations that will make our souls
weep, but the proportion Of such to the
main body of bloomer eXploiters will
not be greater than the proportion the
woman without taste bears to the
| whole body of femininity.
Covert cloths are playing a large
part in the makeup of costumes for
lady riders, and the high-laced shoe,
which fits to a nicely, is another thing
that is Just right"
Buttons large and small will figure
conspicuously in the finishing Of the
modish cycle suits this season. Every
angle or cuff and revere will be made
the abiding place of one or more Of
these shining articles, for they must
be either metal or pearl, the cloth but
ton being no longer used.
Many new costumes this year will be
made With the Eton jacket fitting
closely to the band of the skirt, there
held in place by hooks, with the belt
of metal or leather exposed only in
front.
There are but two noticeable changes
this season-one is that the costumes
are brighter, and in many instances
vie in loudness with those worn by the
other sex: the other is that the leg
gined girl seems to be going. Leggins
are hot and uncomfortable, and even
the leather high-cut boots are not the
most delightful things in the world,
especially upon a hot day, so that
gradually the golf stocking and the
low-cut shoe seem to be coming into
style. A good proportion of the fair
sex now think nothing of appearing
in such a costume, and why should
they hesitate? 1t is certainly much
more adaptable, much more comfort
able, and as for appearances it is much
more modest and far less objection
able than the average summer resort
bathing costume.
The full-fedged Cyclist will wear
regulation bicycle shoes more general
ly than ever before. This is a pretty
severe test of her vanity. for If there
is anything which detracts from the
cOmeliness Of woman's understand
ing" it is this particular style of foot
apparel. Its low vamp and rounded
tip are trials which one hesitates to
adopt, while the almost fiat heel is
the last straw toward breaking down
the ideal ensemble of a graceful foot
Many middle-aged women often re-
mark that If they were only younger
they would try to learn to ride the
bicycle. Every now and then some
one, more VenturesOme than heI
, friends, takes a few lessons, learns tc
ride, and Immediately does missionary