Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-01-15
1.-THE LADY sLAvEY."

The four daughters of Major Tolliver
in 1.-THE Lady Slavey," which comes to
O'Brien's Tuesday. January 10, who ap-
pear in such an alluring and novel bfcy-
Gle scene are the much envied young la
dies in this stupendous organization.
Every ambitious young chorus girl aims
to acquire one of these parts. So great
has become the theme of bicycles among
them that they have been delving into
Shakespeare for quotations on the beau
ties and attractiveness of the machine.
From one source or another they have
discovered the following lines appertain-
ing to their hobby.
Marie George says: 1T would seem
that Shakespeare must have known
something about bicycles, for throughout
his plays he makes frequent reference
to the wheel. 1t must be that Hamlet's
father had visited a bicycle academy,
where beginners on the wheel We're
plenty, for his ghost said: What fall
ing off was there"
This most excellent description is par
alelled by another in the same play, in
which reference is made to an accident,
the new woman of the early sixteenth
century being evidently the greatest suf-
ferer. The first play says: Break all
the spokes and follies from her wheel.
Then the fool in Lear" gives advice to
coasters of the merits of which the mod
ern rider may judge for himself He
wheel runs down hill lest 1t break thy
meek with following It,"
Even Cleopatra has her wheel. An
thony advises her to mount it and seek
Caesar when he says: "Of Caesar seek
your honor with your safety" Jessie
Carlisle says: There were evidently BIZ
cycle thieves in those days and owners
had to carefully guard their precious
wheels. In the Tempest" Alonzo says
to the King: 1--WE, too, my lord, will
a,,I xxrI,i 10 toll
rest, and watch your safety" In that
same play Atrial undoubtedly heard the
king and his attendants coming on their
wheels when she sang: .Hark! Now
hear them; dong, dong bell" There is no.
doubt that Achilles in 'Troilus and Gre
sida" travelled on bicycle for he says
to his myrmidons:, ATTEND me while l
wheel" 1t is safe to assume that, as to-;
day the wheel is q never-ending source
of conversation, so was 1t at the time OF
Titus Andronicus, though the listener
was more patient then. Aaron says to
Demetrius: Now talk at pleasure of
your safety" Ida Lear says: 1T ap-e
pears from quotation made by the king
in "All's Well That Ends Well" that the
law required lamps to be carried at night
and that violation of it was followed by
death He says: Let me live after my
flame lacks OIL Chains were not noise
less and bells were used in the days of
the Comedy of Errors" as shown by
conversation DelWGSIl lue DTOHllO VI oyI-
acuse and Adriana, which runs thus
"a chain, chain, do you not'hear it?"
"What, the chain?'
"No, no the bell" =
And finally Clara F'ranton says: 1.-THE
availability of wheels in dangerous SER
vice is illustrated in 'Corolanus, when
the winded messenger says to Cominius:
Spies of the Voices held me in chase,
that 1 was forced to wheel three or four
miles about else had I, sir, half an hour
since brought my report"
The tire of which Shakespeare wrote
was evidently filed with hair, instead
of air, and even its color was of impor-
lance. In Much Ado About Nothing"
Margaret says: II like the new tire
within exceHently if the hair were
thought browner." Pucks prophetic re-
mark about placing a girdle around the
World in forty minutes is fully equalled
~ that of Launce, in ''The Two Gentle
men Of Verona" when he says: Then
may l set the world on wheels" Surely
this prophecy has been fulfilled.