The record-union., 1898-04-03
IN THE GREAT METROPOLIS.
NEW YORK CITY IN THE
MONTH OF MARCH.

The Naval Militia at Last Have a
| Chance to Loom Up in
the Front.
| Especial Correspondence Record-Unio
NEW YORK, March 2S.-The un-
March-like weather of the past few
weeks has brought out in full force
New Yorks devotees of the wheel. The
Boulevard, Fifth Avenue and the vari-
Gus highways always attractive to the
| bicycle swarm with enthusiasts repre-
senting all the types known to the
wheel world-the woman with white
locks, severe mien and precise pedal
movement: the bold-viSaged young
woman who vainly attempts to move
in time with her busy jaws; the curved
and familiar scorcher in his red sweat
err and even children, almost toddlers
who fill out the family groups. OF a
Sunday they whirl by, hundreds to the
hour until the spectator begins to feel
| a kind of awe for the individual skill
which averts accidents and makes
them so few, and to conclude that those
minority in New York
Everyone agrees that the number OF
riders this spring is far in excess of
any preceding year; in fact it has
come to pass that the man or woman
who is able to ride and yet does not is
looked upon in light of an uncommon
monstrosity.
AS far as innovations are concerned,
there are practically none worthy of
notice. The mems costumes are
changed in no essential particular,
though there seems to be a tendency
toward the Logging in preference to the
golf stocking This Logging is generally
of light -colored kid and similar other
wise to that used by infantry. Among
the fair sex l have noticed that con-
siderable conservatism in the matter of
skirts has been discarded, so that now
| generally the edge of the skirt scarcely
reaches below the calf.
1t must be admitted, however, that
among the upper set and among those
who wish to be considered under that
category, the bicycle has very evidently
faced to the rear. 1t has become SO
common that no matter how expensive
the wheel or costume worn, it no longer
gives one an opportunity to be dis
tinguished in the crowd but, instead,
the wheel now brings one among asso-
Citations that far from suit the nice
tastes of the upper set aforesaid.
Therefore the recall of the saddle
horse. A visitor to the parks and boul-
evards cannot but be impressed with
the fact so evident that equestrianism
has come back in all it's old-time ia
vor. To the observer it would seem
as though the saddle horse was more
popular than it has been at any time
in the past five or six years.
1t was the day of the vernal equinox
and Central Park, like the rest of the
metropolis, was decidedly under the
weather The snow came down in
sheets all morning long, to melt as
quickly as it touched the ground, but
it was the first snowfall of any impor-
tance that March had produced and
that accounted for it's falling on thou
sands of young buds and tender shoots
in Central Park
Everything was dripping and desert
ed when the writer entered the "peo-
fple's pleasure ground upon the storm s
cessation. - He entered from the lower
extremity where on fair days there is
always large and interesting con-
course of bicyclists, equestrians, nurse
girls and their charges and troops of
unattended Juvenile citizens
Passing up the Mall it was found to
be entirely deserted excepting a lonely
copper whose only companions were
| hn ;c%x e.+o
ing but drip, drip in unison with the
surrounding trees and bushes On the
driveways bridges and in the tunnels
where the children generally love to
congregate and test the echoes, now
nothing but drops and puddles. The
music pavilion and the nearby soups
only added to the general sense of DESC
lation, and caused the visitor, ac-
customed to it's fair day times, to feel
that he stood alone in a deserted col
ony. The dreariness was too oppressive
so he escaped to the sociological garden
further on. The various buildings and
outdoor exhibits are always crowded
and surrounded with interested spec
tators, but to-day the only callers are
a scant handful of wandering knights
of dilapidation seeking refuge from the
storm. These the animals evidently
regarded with contempt as substitutes
for the usual callers, as most of them
were asleep.
The two grizzly bears were coiled ur
| asleep in a corner of their massive
cage, while their next door neighbor
the polar bear, was shambling awk-
wardly UP and down as though made
restless by the sight Of his native snow
The two little representatives of the
cinnamon species were rushing around
their cage at a rate so furious that
were it not for the contrary evidence
shown by the lack of hair where it had
been rubbed off against the bars
would lead one to believe that they
were recent captures.
In the building devoted to the feline
| family most of the occupants were
asleep, though big lioness was gnaw
ing away at massive bone, while hel
two cubs lay near by watching. witt
their heads on their forepaws. While
in front of this cage I witnessed ar
incident which would seem to indicate
that the lion is possessed of consider
able intelligence as well as fellow-feel
ing. at least while in the juvenile state
The old lioness, chewing Industrious
ly on the bone, suddenly thrust out hel
paw and struck, with what appeared t
be vicious blow, the nearest cub upor
the ear. I expected to witness a case
of infanticide on the spot, but the
mother gave the cub no further atten
ton. Observing this, apparently, the
other cub arose, and, approaching hi:
injured brother affectionately licked
| the ear that had heen struck This duty