New-York tribune., 1921-10-02


a bicycle last Sunday night made
his idea pop into the writer's head. That
ray-haired wheelman conjured up picture
# other times, twenty-five years ago, when
he bike craze was at It's height
Then, gazing on down Broadway from my
oeneh IN Columbus Circle and listening to
he hot discussions going on all around ME
II the adjacent benches about anusements
nd personal liberty" and the like, it struck
&c with equal suddenness and force that it
only within the last twenty-five years that
americans have learned to take much CON
sern in such matters
Now doubtless some Flatbush or Bronx H.
e. wells already IS dashing off his New Out
he OF American History If he is, let him
aoarlor 20 tAs timely suggestion--tkat one
tao latter chapters Of that entertaining
volume certainly should deal with "IIow
Americans Learned to Play" Not only is
)ur philosophy of amusement omDaratively
4ew; oqaally oew is the popularity of nearly
IL of our leading present-day forms of
amusement
s-ou don't believe this?
Then cast you eye down the mouth of the
arlght oaayon Of the Great White Way and
for yourself. What hits your eye first
nd HARDEST in the electric signs and the
srect traffic? And what amusenents and
vhat topics clo-ely related to amusements do
he people on The benches around you talk
bout the nest?
Here's little list that ] compiled that
.ening On lie back Of an envelope and later
.heclcd Up by careful research in the files of
he Public Library
~ Wotor cars.
(sl .Novlss
(5) Baseball
IL Golf
- Donciac.
10 "Persouol hbertv"
= IS on. these bits OF evidence that CON
eDd that a cnapter on modem a.nlusementg
seed 20 further back for most Of its
materials than quarter Of a century, Men
7ho are neither bald nor gray can recall the
eglan'nes of The new era. 80 longer, for
ample do you hear The typical American
business man boastiag, as did Slas Lapnano
e his young friend the newspaper reporter:
Wei. soy. I'm sixty-ivo years old; and I've
wed e., tco, not an hour Of waste time
bout ne, answhercs"
We have learned in the brief space Of
twenty-five years to waste" coed deal of
e'sne. and good deal of il t. advautasc-oat
of deors. Tbs, you night say. is the age of
naocence, a. least tne tendency in play is
itcadiiy in thai direction.
But III 10 you doubt?
Turn back, then, to 1896. the day Of the
lirs5 front porch campaign and refresh your
memory" with an Old file Of news papers or
snsgazines. You viii find then that people
were discussing sna Identical tcpics Of our
envelopes i.e, and discussing them with a
1000 deal Of zest But not, as now, because
# the nod these things have upon americans
ives ir those days, when fappers wore
boomers and balloon sleeves the talk turned
10 motor cars, movies, golf and personal
liberty" because they ais sounded new notes
they then had the lure Of novelty.
Roof gardens, the forerunncrs Of the caba-
ret, were then only coming into being; and
dancing had nothing like the vogue that it
enjoys to-day Il now IS almost "craze,"
out = quarter Of century ago there was no
CRAZE" bat the bicycle.
Even baseball which was by no means new
u America, then only in the beginning
Of the boom that since has carried it to tire
mendous popularity and won il the undis-
puted title o. the national game" In 1896
professional baseball was fighting for its very
cxistence. It's life WIS mpcrileG by the
Tnachinc"-the same machine that first ljber-
atec the city man to the green felcs-the in
senton That did more than any OTTER agency
. lure the average American forth to learn
% play. mean, Of course, our old friend
tac safety bicycle" In those days you could
ce as rnany rs 100000 wheelmcn parade up
Htversidc Drive IN single afternoon
You my not believe all this, but il YOU
0>u5t any os these citations you can easily
eAccs theni by the Public Librarys files
oe wheei once scared baseball into an ague
G1e4t "ag tie rejoicing among baseball
@riters. in consequence, wAen on the .Afonday
-fter Memorial Day in 1896 they we're able
70 repoy- a holiday attendance in tie six big
eagpe parza totaiing lo8,449
ihesc A%ores' sporting editor declared.
'1~cVc tn steadily growing popularity Of
aaeeba.i It ~ TIC largest memorial Dag
,ttendarle If any year sine TIE tuojve.club
iycslt Was formed ~larver than lar ,,e,,r 49,,