CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



' Rackets ' is played in a court 96 or 97 feet long, 

 by 33 or 34 feet wide, and surrounded by walls 

 sufficiently high to prevent the balls from being 

 lost. The players are either two in number, or 

 four divided into two parties. The player or 

 party ' in ' serves the ball against the head-wall of 

 the court, so as to rebound over a line drawn at a 

 certain distance ; it is returned by means of the 

 racket by the player or party ' out,' who must 

 make it rebound from the wall to the other side 

 of the line ; and the game is thus carried on till 

 one player fails to strike the ball or cause it to 

 rebound properly. If the player 'in' fails, he 

 changes places with the player ' out ; ' if the latter 

 fails, the former scores a point. The part of the 

 court on which the player or party in is placed is 

 called the ' service ' side ; the other, the ' hazard ' 

 side. A similar game played without the racket 

 is called fives, hand-tennis, or hand-ball. 



Lawn Tennis, a modified form of the old game 

 of tennis, has recently become a popular pastime 

 alike for ladies and gentlemen. The ground on 

 which it is played is a strip of turf (sometimes 

 asphalt), 78 feet in length by 30 in width at the 

 extremities. Across the centre extends a net five 

 feet high, stretched from poles 24 feet asunder. 

 Lines are drawn marking the boundaries, and 

 dividing each of the portions of ground separated 

 by the net lengthwise into a ri^ht court and a left 

 court. Any number of players may join ; but the 

 best game is played by two or four persons. The 

 player who begins, stands just on the back 

 boundary of the right court on his side, and must 

 strike the ball with his racket so that it shall fall 

 over the net into the nearer part of the right court 

 diagonally opposite him. His opponent there is 

 bound to strike back the ball after the first 

 rebound. It is then returned again by the first 

 player, either before it touches the ground 

 (' volleyed ') or after the first rebound ; and the 

 first player continues to play till he fails to return 

 the ball, sends it without the boundaries, or 

 commits some of the other ' faults ' recognised by 

 the rules ; when his opponent takes his turn. 



CYCLING. 



Cycling is a popular and healthful recreation, 

 which has largely gained ground in this country in 

 recent years. This exhilarating exercise has the 

 recommendation of being entirely taken in the 

 open air; and all the muscles of the body are 

 exercised in a more thorough way than can even 

 be said of riding or walking. In moderation, it 

 has secured the recommendation of the medical 

 faculty ; and besides its recreative uses, the 

 tricycle especially is sometimes used for such 

 utilitarian purposes as parcel or letter delivery, 

 and by many country doctors or clergymen. 



Both bicycle and tricycle are gradual growths 

 from earlier and much less effective machines. 

 Improvements have been made from time to time, 

 yet the balance of evidence as to priority of inven- 

 tion, according to Mr Charles Spencer, author of 

 Bicycles and Tricycles, Past and Present, goes to 

 show that Scotland may claim the bicycle ; others 

 say Germany is the birthplace of the two-wheel 

 machine. The important crank action was first of 

 all English and Scotch, but afterwards brought into 

 practical use. by the French, and still further 

 perfected by the English. The first bicycle ever 

 made in Scotland is said to have been that of 



672 



Gavin Dalzell, of Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, in 

 1836, who had also in use a kind of wooden tricycle. 



The immediate predecessor of the bicycle in 

 this country was the Dandy, or Hobby-horse, in 

 use about the beginning of the century, on which 

 the rider used to sit and paddle himself along, 

 with feet on the ground. Through the ridicule 

 of the caricaturists, and for other reasons, it 

 speedily fell into disuse. We have to come to 

 comparatively recent times for its practical 

 development. In 1862, M. Michaux of Paris in- 

 troduced the crank action into machines made 

 of iron, and during the 1867 Exhibition, the riding 

 of these machines had become fairly popular. 

 To Mr Charles Spencer, gymnast, belongs the 

 honour of introducing the bicycle to London in 

 1868, where it attracted considerable attention, 

 and a velocipede school was afterwards started 

 for the training of young velocipedists. A journey 

 made to Brighton served to draw attention to the 

 new machine, and the bicycle was in a fair way of 

 becoming popular. 



The success of the bicycle led to the invention 

 and improvement of a machine which should have 

 the advantages, without the danger, of the bicycle. 

 After many failures had been recorded, the 

 'Coventry Tricycle' appeared in 1877; Starley 

 Brothers appeared with the ' Salvo,' and now the 

 manufacture of machines for cycling has grown to 

 meet a steadily increasing demand. The tricycle 

 has enabled ladies to take part in this recreation. 



There is a cyclists' union, to which any rider, 

 amateur or professional, is eligible on payment of 

 one shilling. The Cyclists' Touring Club, founded 

 in 1878, had increased from 7000 to 12,000 mem- 

 bers in 1883. In 1881, no fewer than 225 race 

 meetings had been held throughout the country. 

 An extensive literature has grown up in connec- 

 tion with cycling. 



The law as to cycling forbids riding upon any 

 footway, pavement, or causeway set apart for foot 

 passengers ; insists upon the carrying of a lamp 

 while riding between sunset and sunrise ; the 

 sounding of a bell or whistle in passing carts, 

 carriages, or horses, or in passing through the 

 streets of a town ; and the dismounting where 

 any horse is restive and frightened. Two or 

 more bicyclists shall not ride abreast when pass- 

 ing or meeting any vehicle or horseman. 



An amateur bicyclist has been known to ride 

 over 20 miles in an hour, while a professional can 

 beat this record ; a tricyclist has been known to 

 do one mile in three minutes five seconds. The 

 speed is conditioned a good deal by the state of 

 the roads, the style of machine, the absence of a 

 head wind, and the practice of the rider. To the 

 cyclist who travels for recreation, mere swiftness 

 is not the main object, however. ' There is a real 

 pleasure,' says Dr Richardson, 'when the roads 

 are good, in skimming along on a bright day. 

 Time passes quickly, and the eye collects all that 

 is interesting without dwelling upon objects too 

 long, as in walking ; and without losing sight of 

 them too rapidly as in a railway carriage. This 

 keeps the brain active without wearying it on the one 

 hand, or confusing it on the other ; and when the 

 mind goes well, all is well.' It is interesting also 

 to have this writer's testimony to the fact, that, 

 'Tricycling for girls or young women is one of 

 the most harmless of useful recreations, and is 

 equally good for men and boys of all ages.' 





