Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-21
a Grandmother at That, but Wildly
Te7oted to Her Wheel.
SORRY SEE DID NOT LEARN EARLIER
When You Put on Your Short
Skirt Be Sure You Go a Riding.
CYCLING A GLORIFIED WALK

matron, as she dfsmounted from her wheel
| in response to the amazed expression OF
countenance of her friend, the scribbling
, woman. who was gazing at her spinning &C.
quaintance from the sidewalk
Yes. 1 have gone over to the cycling
| majority" she went on, land what is more
I glory in i'll, beside whom fair. fat and
forty even is as a calIow f1edgling since 1
am not only palpably plain, Eat and fifty
five, but white-haired into the bargain.
No. now do not begin an inslrcere demur,
for l know quite as well as the next one
my age and appearance, but since you
seem so astonished, I'll walk with you
while 1 get my breath and elucidate the
phenomenon of an old woman on a wheel
Il had felt for some time" she began.
giving her loved mount a solicitous glance
as she led 1T tenderly along the curbstone.
that old as 1 was, the cycling fever was
coming upon me-childish maladies, you
know. not infrequently violently seiziag
persons OF mature years; one of the worst
cases of measles 1 ever witnessed, getting
an aged great aunt of mine in Its tolls
We'll, 1 withstood my fa.e long
could but fate in the long run, as every
one knows, is not to be withstood. Cycling.
moreover, is precisely like death and light
ming, for it is likely to strike any person
at any time. Therefore. before 1 knew 1t.
one day 1 was one of a motley crowd Of
old and young rich and poor. taking les
sons in a cycle school, shortly following
which, presto! change! 1 was gliding along
the streets.
Dignity Awheel.
cit was at this juncture that I tried to
justify the seeming frivolity, inanity and
childishness of a grandmother on a wheel.
have always been a person of dignity,
you well know, and unless 1 could recon-
Gle cycling with my personal view of the
l1$-v
must give it up, and treat the whole affair
as 1 would disease I had recovered from
"a matter of regret that 1 had succumbed
to it, but congratulation that 1 had con-
quered 1t.
Il thought I was not going too far to
treat myself to some solitary runs while
I thought the subject out-which. by the
by is one Of the pastime's advantages 1t
gives time for reflection. which busy
woman never gets else The bicycle is by
no means purely the toy that it seems to
be upon first glance: on the contrary. 1t is
all things to all men and women. To chill
dren, indeed, it is only another toy. To
young people generally 1t furnishes a fas-
cinating sport, while to persons of my age
the bicycle is a pleasant and smooth Gid
ing vehicle which transports us pleasingly
down the declivity of age.
IT am sure we are the most respectable
class of riders: our costumes are uniform
ly conventional: we do not coast: we do not
scorch: we do not bend over the handle
pdrS, our actlOnS generally, indeed, are
exemplary. /. for one. at any rate, thor
oughfy approve of the wheel for old women,
my sole regret in the matter being that i
did not learn to ride years and years ago,
when the blessing was first invented and
my only hope. that all my elderly con-
temporaries now learning, If they
haven't already done so: for age gen.
eral thing is a diminishing of pleasures
one by one they slip from us. but now that
the bicycle has come, here. at least. is one
Joy gained for the many lost. You ride, of
course?'
NO" confessed the scribbling woman,
the while the elderly matron surveyed her
pityingly. No. am waiting for that de-
velopment of the horseless carriage, which
even now is said to be rolling toward us
down the highways of time. which one can
purchase for the price now paid for
Wheel
Unconventional Pastime.
What a negative creature you are. to be
sure" exclaimed the elderly matron, with
ill-concealed scorn: "if it is really q fact
that the horseless carriage is going to
satisfy your ambition in the way of mo-
ton! / really did not think it of you. Why,
the horseless carriage will no more take
the place of the wheel than does victoria
of good saddle horse-no vehicle, indeed,
wherein one is merely waited along, sup
plying the place of that where the riders
will. besides, Is called into requisition- A
carriage ride is passive: bicycling is active
If your theory holds good, indeed. owners
of broughams and landaus would never
have possessed wheels. while, as a matter
of history, We all know their name is
legion. Then, again, humanity loves TO
overcome, and bicycling is an incessant
overcoming. since one is always striving to
maintain the supremacy he has gained over
his wheel. Bicycling. moreover, isn't
ride in the strict sense of the word, Ii is
rather a glorified walk, and thus beneficial
or harmful, exactly is walking: benefi-
cial. if done in moderation, and harmful, If
taken in too great quantities 1t is pleas
anter than walking though, just as hot
lemonade is a more agreeable medicament
. for a cold than crude quinine, whence
comes the temptation to frequently take
too much And though not less proper, II
is less conventional than a walk. both as
to dress and manner, for If a woman In an
ankle-length skirt were to take g O'Clock
in the morning ramble Ian act which alone
would certainly elect her as peculiar by
her neighbours, il nothing worse) and then.
after going three or four miles. sit down
on some ones horse block to rest, or to
gaze at the landscape, the residents OF that
street would think her quite ready for st.
Elizabeth's. Bun with cycling it is all very
different for early as / go, and often as
I rest, and old as | am. and rat as l am no
one pays the slightest attention to me-
am allowed to enjoy my peculiarities In
peace.
The Thin WheelwOman.
ssYou have touched the point now" said
the scribbling woman; Cycling, while very
well for stout women. is very Ill for thin
my dear" replied the elderly matron.
oracularly, ride slowly a few miles every
day, climbing no hills, and you will take
on flesh; take long runs at more rapid
pace, and you will reduce that flesh. Such
is the beautiful adaptability of the wheel.
the friend of all, and like whisky. which.
you know, some drink to keep warm and
some to keep cool. Why. woman is very
foolish who does not gauge her riding to
her health and strength.
Certainly you ought to ride, she went
on perceiving that she had scored one with
the scribbling woman, and proceeding to
follow up her advantage. There is really |
nothing like the wheel 1t makes thin peo- |
pie stont and stout people thin: 1t gives a |
horizon to those who otherwise would have |
none; it is both a walk and a ride-two very |
delightful things most charmingly COM
bined; it makes people broader minded+it |
exercises one all over, as you will readily |
admit, after your very first lesson-and |
while that point do let me give you a |
bit of advice.
when you take your initial instruction \
do not be afraid-yes. L know that is like |
telling a drowning person not to be alarm !,
ed-but relax the tension upon the mus |
cles- Don't seize the handle-bars in that |