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n»v- ftwwi* ni^imiuum iiuirvui, out | .it comes by practice. The exhilaration Utof bicycling must lie felt to be appreciated. With the wind singing in your ears, ami the mind as well as body in a higher plane, thero Is an eestacy of triumph over inertia, gravitation and the other lazy ties that bind us. You are traveling! not being traveled. You look upon horse machines with contempt, and even yonr old acquaintance the pedestrian, with pity. Tito saddle, Arm as a pillar, liears up your 170 pounds dead weight, which in walking you havo to raise up and lower with every step. Your IhhIv is at rest; the legs are in motion, and your walking stroke geared up to a wheel thirteen feet in circumference, shod with nd-ber. You sit and glide with scarce!v perceptible jar, but the towns and villages dwindle as you nass through them. The birds that cleave the air j have a like motion with yourself. l»y j moonlight on a hard road the enjoyment of vourst'lf as a centaur is intense. To see a close-knit, sun-brown-ed fellow in fitting costume, shooting j down a long hill with perfect composure, dispensing with hands or feet, or ; ioth, at a pace exceeding that of a race horse, is fearful, but it is pretty. Kxports go up lull or clown with ac-| quired case, and in single ruts for miles at the sides of country roads1 hut the better the road the better the ride, which is cc]ually true of all other vehicles. All modes of transit along the highways of travel, ox-power, horse-power. steam-power, electric or any other motor, pedestrian ism and ; i*ilalisin, have each their hour andI right of way for th*lt; time Ix ing, nccor-j ding to law, Though there are diffi-eullits to U* overcome, we claim that j any one of ordinary patience and pluck can learn to ride a bicycle satisfactorily. The feat is somewhat gyroscopic and less than it looks to be. Once learned, it is nn elegant andhealthful accomplishment, worth allthe time and money it costs, ♦•(food-bye siek list V is the hail of a good l»icyclist as he leaps into the saddle for a ten or twenty mile run. The bicycleis not Intended to be a “common carrier,” but it will carry a man with some light baggage and give him the equivalent of a pair of legs ten feet long. There is no sensation in the raddle of being balanced on a knife edge. This feeling is an element of danger in itself, and must be overcome. As to safety in general, the bicyele being a machine is safer than a horse, far the latter lias a will of his own to be consulted and controlled. Bicycling is an institution, having already developed the elements of pernin-nenoy. It takes with the “sana mens in corpore sano,” and none but those who have outlived or forgotten their youth will call it in question. The mechanical principles are good, as far as they go, and each new improvement I there is plenty of room veti gives it a firmer hold with the athletic. Every boy in the coining generation should be trained to it, commencing with the velocipede at an early age. Get a good machine by all means; and, if you can afford it, indulge in the luxury of a first-class article; one that you can ride with the loose rein of confidence, throwing your entire muscle into a level spurt or a steep ascent, with no nervous apprehension of a badly made screw, or a loose rubber, or subseqeunt repairs. The preference given to “as “hand-sewtd” shoe applies to bicycles, esjtecially while important portion require to forged. Each part should tie perfectly fitted to the other, and to no other, the grouping of the whole constituting a precious Individuality which Is not to lie found in “hooks.” Clothespins can be turned out by the thousand, but teleseojios, electric clockwork and bicycles are the produet of a high range of art. Indeed the bicyele may lie considerable as the outcrop ofthe age, the necessity for rapid transit having given birth to the invention. With full faith in the progress of tilings, we look beyond this machine of to-day, and see private carriages to and fro on our best roads, impelled by small petroleum engines of light horse-power. Thisis a favorite subject with some lt;f our advanced mechanicians, ami by them considered ho feasible as to Ik? almost a reality. \\ hen the first machine conies along, and it will come in due time, it will be another winged heel. Wo give it in advance a hearty welcome.tifshpothtohi:pi:to: nii ricsa' o!lt;M wltliW(hil noofthlaPrinthceabe;VUinthWiaishit,orbtlt;titl•iptltidaa
Newspaper Details
North Manchester Journal
North Manchester, Indiana, US
Thu, Jan 23, 1879
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
John K.
USA 23 Aug 2017
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North Manchester Journal
