Evening star., 1897-05-01

ordinary gear that the wheels make two
and one-Quarter reyoa10dns to one revo-
Suspended IN the air.iyam foot would move
sas ssad' aHa a inward tss ssfsse gassee tRst aes
It moved downward h 4escrlbilg q ssr{es
ground or any fixed point neither one Of
your feet moves backward from the time
you start your bicycle ussii you stop.
There is food foto9 thShght.' in the an
nouncement that in thei, new high school
building in Detroit q room has been set
apart that VIII accostmodate not less than
sOo BICYCLES. The idea @ = not new one.
that distinct arrangements for the accom-.
mediation Of cyclists have been made In
the plans for school building. Public
schools generally do not need to provide
bicycle rooms. as the !. pupils live near
them, but such rooms are a necessity In
the case Of high schools that draw pupils
from q large area.
Every rider of a bicycle should cultivate
the art of proper pedaling. The use of the
pedal Is an art: there is no part of the
thing. The art of pedaling is to push the
pedal not more than half the circle. taking
care to lift the foot Immediately after It
has done its effective work, SO as not to
the dropping Of the heel at the top of the
stroke, which helps the crank over the
dead center. pushing right down to the
bottom of the stroke and bringing the
foot with ciawing motion to get over the
dead center at the bottom. A little prac-
tice in this line will quicken a cyciers pace
wonderfully.
Athletic feats on bicycles are becoming
common. Nearly every circus has its riders
who traverse a tight rope mounted upon
wheeis. The feat is not as difficult as 1t
seems, as the wheels are generally fitted
with grooped tire fitting the rope snugly
Nerve and fair degree of skill are almost
all the requirements for such exploits.
Several years ago a bicyclist crossed Nj
agara river, just below the falls, on a tight
rope. The show was commonplace how
ever. and attracted little attention. ''Shoot-
ing the chutes' on wheel has been a per-
formance that attracted considerable no.
tice here last year. Starting from a level
platform, the rider strikes the incline
which Is made slippery with a constant
flow of water, and glides downward a dis
lance of 300 feet to an artificial pond on
the ground level. Here the wheel balks and
the rider takes "a header into the water
and emerges unharmed. There Is q very
Simple trick in this performance which any
one may learn In half dozen trials. Haz-
ardous though 1t may appear to. the unin-
ittated. 1t is really attended with little risk
of injury to an active man or woman 1t
Is catchy performance.
Physiology and Pathology of Cycling"
was the subject of discussion of the meet
ing of the medical session of the Buffalo
Academy of Medicine recently. The con-
sensus of opinion of the physicians assem-
hled seemed to be that the wheel is an aid
to mankind, not detriment, if used in mod
Grafton. Cycling was pronounced bene-
fetal to the nervous system and an aid to
the lungs and digestive organs. The prac-
titioners who spoke did not make rash
statements to this effect, but gave striking
examples of the evils of over-indulgence in
cy cling, principally by weak subjects. Rid
ing just before and Immediately after meals
was condemned. DR.. Woods Hutchinson
save a little talk on his observations He
" as closely connected with gymnasium in
the west at the opening of the bicycling
wheeling at the start, especially in the case
OF the growing boy. The chief objections
to his mind, were the 'monkey-on-a-stick''
position, the fast pace maintained without
preparation by training. and rivalry that
led up to extra exertiOn to outdo others
Constant study since that early period had
demonstrated that gradual change has
come over the relations Of wheel and rider
The question Of the wheel was not so much
ton and abilities Of the rider. The old
bumped position had. in the majority of
cases. given place to the easier. more
healthful position on the saddle and the
effect Of cycling pursued under existing re-
forms was to elevate the grade of physical
form. All the doctors cautioned expressly
against scorching. sprinting and iong-dis-
tance rides by those not prepared by train
Ing for such work. One and all agreed that
cycle racing probably taxed the system to a
greater extent than any other branch of
sport. boxing. wrestling and others IN
cluded There was no reason why any one
should not ride. -.