The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-12
INCIDENTS OF wHEELDoM.
EBARNED DISQUIsITION ON WHIsK-
ERS BIZ 4 NACK ENSAOK MN.

now Ouo NNAu hhonHea OolIinIonn-GoaaAn.
Over In Jersey. the land Of handsome hlrsute.
there lives a man who brings a beard Of his own
whenever he comes to attend n meeting of the
Associated Cycling Clubs. He Rrippod q Sun 70.
porter by tho arm recently to pour forth tho fol.
lowing flashes OF binding thought on tho sub,
scot of whisker sand wheelmon: Say, Two been
thinking this matter Of hair and bicycles over,
and i have been making some observations. 1t
IL true enough that whiskers on a wheelman do
not look right. They always attract attention,
and n long beard is a bid for glbes. 1 think I
have struck II; the reason why. | mean. In the
fret place. whiskors arc not heroic. They are
only venerable. Look at our statuary. I
do not moan any of the Venuses, hut
those OF our heroes from Washington TO
Lincoln and from him down. Go through
the Central Park and tho public SQUARES and
look over tho mon immortalized In marble. afoot
and horseback, and see how many have boards.
There are, of course. exceptions like Gen. Grant.
but the great majority show the shape Of the
mouth and Of the chin, and they look classic and
heroic. Whom hair conceAls those features they
don't look that way. Then take the Indians,
who are heroic types for artists. / have heard
! that they have no boards because their fore.
fathers instituted a m of pulling the
hair out by its roots: but imagine q stoioal,
majestic looking Indian with q beard IL you can.
Look at our sailors and soldiers. Now. don't go
a"eys a Al" OhiJ u InEOuRu, anu L nave nOJ
come to my point yet. 1 am not going to explain
my genealogical tree and 1 won't keep you
Wong. but l think l have hit 1t. 1t is all
IN the uniform. 1t Is not bicycles and boards
that are homogeneous. but uniforms and whis.
&ors. Bicyclists wear uniforms. l do not mean
club riders, but all who wear knickerbookers
And golf hose. In comparison with the formal
titles OF dress, Indians are uniformed. l mon
,,Gioned soldiers and sailors, and you Immediately
. RNcallad Ghnkaapaara'N nyin1 thrnp1rh n,nlan-
choly Jaques: The soldier. bearded like tho
IpArd.' That is all right. Soldiers wear boards
because they have no razors and no time to
hhave. They have to let the hair grow. Sailors
don't. In tho same class como the cowboy
land the Indian, and YOU will note that in com.
pariSon with the conventional dress OF civ
Citation they also are uniformed. Their
peculiar stereotyped costume has the same
affect as a uniform, you understand. All
Sour typical sailors and soldiers and cow
boys In their particular dress are pictured as
bald-faced. Igot this idea from looking at car
toons of American sailors and soldiers, and then
Hooking at photographs of wheelmen. The board
rs in the way of a rough and ready activity. A
uniform suggests such activity. The protection
b beard gives from the wind does not compen-
pate for the dirt and dew and frost it catches on
the plains, in the camp. and over the road. The
plainsman and tho sailor, like the Indian. find it
better not to wear a board. 50 we have become
smooth face or nothing more than a mustache.
A uniform Is a suggestion of the chivalrous,
man, while a flowing
beard is suggestive Of calm citizenship and lux.
ury. They don't hitch. Yes, our old sea-dogs'
and a lot of our army men wear boards. 1t Is
because they could not shave, but you do not
see any pictures of the typical sailor or soldier
things l happened to look over n group picture
OF 800 wheelmen Of a certain club, and / noticed
the real thing. while those who wore boards had
an odd appearance. All were dressed in the reg
met is the uniform. That's what It is, and 1
do not It, care aoe,I how you TTRRpIIy it; Take letter car,
all others, suggest activity. alertness. spryness.
A postman with a beard looks as queer as a be.
ton of the active qualities implied by q uniform.
One is heroic and the other is not. OF, course. l
glad you listened. it has relieved my mind"
but say; when you come to Hackensaok you can
Did you ever hear me accused Of being a
League afraStrs and in a a couple %TI = Of f' clubs bs0T Then m
he continued: Il do not consider myself q
i fsaH fsu fn ai / s@ sv e4' i ftys" thing to eF 5Sat Hsp pr n1% ID
annoy myself IN particular. It is time. though.
snsin sSme 81 f si1iSs B BEStsS. T I.sso %sd dn r sEe gtls sais
The asphalted streets uptown are full o.. 1t every
riGs4 a nad dr # ts R 6St q Il L q also nsi dsnssro to sT snS
collisions more or less dangerous are common.
eboa. o Wiz The so nGx,G ma. sTi wo %Peiaiiv who Or T trisns
%trotting az their side. Asevery one knows, there
Is p mo POSSIBILITY IS sainR TO Of p Ga1SHlat! Wfh & En- T yoa S aEs IdSTn a
Ing Ing S every d rider w%h 91 IPPr4 ToS n,r from no % mat.
and q It OtD to one IS side the n iOSRs WI i heels
oyer like a yacht in a flaw of wind and plunges
for a trick rider to dodge these tyros Of tho
streets, As a rule they do net have lamps on
seen, and they seek the darkest portions Of the
block for their eccentric curves and tumbles. 1t
ct them. A man who has not forgotten his own
days Of wild wrlggling at the handlebars actu-
toothache sufferer. l have seen this sort
q q funny thing to witness, but it makes the
matter worse. not better. Twice In, as many
Once tore my clothing. and the second time
man ma pI natu G%f tFiss to- to s p,Se' thu HHs VI women my 1S e. his
own expense. and WHOM they smile swoetly after
fEslIl1s. to mt limp you around snS 't i6o ' 1oFnss before %S, You
dare to swear. There should be a city ordi-
IEs IS ,on sso %strs sRz G %S d S51 2 t ssii1s
would be, permitted to use the Boulevard
i Bake ot SicyeRss so SsaoS; Of fP the h ii hS W. fT' sss me to
who run bicycle academies certainly would sup
khCro their patronage has gone can tell them.
can go out any night and find enough noviti.
business to all the academies; The instruction
ball is the place to learn, and any one who can
country road to. learn or up on the root, or
Somewhero out of tho way OF regular public
fravel. will lend a hearty hand to the Consul.
to stop street teaching. That's my little piece
knd / am glad to speak It,"
Most cyclists dread the small boy. He runs
btartllngly close to the front wheel; he backs
koross the road without seeing you when he is
playing "cat;" he yells hey. mister!" so shriliy
that tho rider has TO look around and DO in,
formed that his wheel is going around but,
after all, the good will OF the small boy is worth
having. 1t is much better than his III will. es.
pecialIy In SNOWFALL time. The small boy has
more good than mean feelings for cyclists. be-
pause he hopes to be ono himself. and many a
valuable piece of information have wheelmen
gained from him in places where they were
strange. At present there is a small boy cycling
street. whore there has been a dangerous de-
preston IN tho roadway ever since a contractor
Wheelmen who ride along there are hailed by
the small boy with, hi there, mister, you want
20 look out, thero's a big hole ahead"
A great many of those who rode high wheels