558 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Extensive dealers have expressed 

 themselves to similar effect. The Bi- 

 cycle Union of Great Britain, in its rec- 

 ommendations regarding road - riding, 

 said, " It is desirable that a rider should 

 at all times keep to the left-hand side 

 of the road, even if no vehicle be in 

 sight, and riding on the footway should 

 never be resorted to." (Pope's "Man- 

 ual," p. 128.) 



The circumstances in which it is ad- 

 missible for bicycles to deviate into 

 the foot-path are thus stated in " The 

 American Bicycle," p. 122: "As to 

 riding on foot-paths and sidewalks, it 

 may be said that bicyclers, like travel- 

 ers generally, have not only a right to 

 travel in the highway, but they have 

 a right to a passage along the high- 

 way, notwithstanding obstructions; and, 

 if the middle of the road be impass- 

 able for their . carriage, the side may 

 be taken ; and, if the whole roadway 

 including foot-paths be impassable, 

 they even have a right to turn out upon 

 the abutting close, and pass over pri- 

 vate land around the obstruction, pro- 

 vided they can do so without commit- 

 ting irreparable or very incommensurate 

 damage. So that if, in suburban streets 

 or country roads, the carriage-track is 

 in so bad a condition as to be difficult 

 or impossible of passage by a bicycle, 

 and the foot-path can be taken without 

 imminent risk to foot-passers at the 

 time, it is justifiable for the bicycler to 

 take it." The bicycle authorities are 

 thus in full agreement with common 

 sense. 



And now about the impeachment 

 of " the good name of Stockbridge." 

 That lovely village, through its consti- 

 tuted authorities, and after due deliber- 

 ation, decreed that such a nuisance as 

 bicycles upon the sidewalks shall be tol- 

 erated. Is it not fair to take this fact 

 as a measure of its moral status, and its 

 grade in the scale of social progress ? 

 We were taught many years ago, in 

 " Woodbridge's Geography," that com- 

 munities of men are ranked as savage, 



barbarous, half-civilized, civilized, and 

 enlightened. Any such classification is 

 misleading which implies a stratifica- 

 tion or a definite gradation of socie- 

 ties, so that one shall belong altogether 

 at the bottom, and another at the top. 

 The thing is much more mixed. There 

 are savage streaks running through civ- 

 ilization, and enlightenment often co- 

 exists with barbarism. Society does 

 not improve in all things alike. Every 

 advanced community retains vestiges 

 of its primitive lower condition. We 

 gave Stockbridge credit for a large 

 complement of virtues and excellences, 

 but Stockbridge has proved herself to 

 be no exception to the common law 

 which gives rise to social anomalies. 

 It has plenty of culture, intelligence, 

 refinement, and religion ; but, in com- 

 mon with many other highly cultivated 

 communities, it betrays elements which 

 are characteristic of the inferior grades 

 of society. The ideal virtue of any com- 

 munity, its highest attainment, is justice. 

 There is knowledge enough. People 

 know well enough what is right, but in 

 the undeveloped character conscience 

 does not rule the actions. That is to 

 he a matter of future evolution ; and, 

 meantime, we are concerned with the 

 relative attainments of different socie- 

 ties in this respect. The sense of jus- 

 tice is so dull in Stockbridge that it is 

 measured by the selfishness of a small 

 group of boys. What those boys want 

 for their personal gratification must be 

 conceded, no matter what inconvenience 

 to others stands in the way. What the 

 standard of justice is among boys is pret- 

 ty generally understood. The moral 

 sentiments are the last to ripen in the 

 growth of character, and the immature 

 man has about him a good deal of the 

 barbarian. Boys are thoughtless, self- 

 ish, uncompassionate, and often cruel. 

 They delight to worry the cats, to 

 stone the dogs, to plague their sisters, 

 and fight each other. College practices 

 and outbreaks often indicate the imma- 

 turity of youthful moral sense. The boys 



