1 SiVJ 



(;li<:aiMN«;s in hkk (■ui/ruuK. 



MO 



Itiii so fill' iIh' 1.1'aj.nir of Amciifiiii Wlu'clincii 

 liavi' so v(>luMiitMitly (tpposiMl an.v lii'ltiiic or 

 )Ziiiiil)linK tliat MO I'iisli pri/rs have as yd Ihmmi 

 allowod -tlial is. amont: the Icafiiir. 'I'lir man 

 or hoy is expelled who is rouitd ijiiilly of het- 

 tiiig or framhlinir. or even rimniiiK for a cash 

 nrizt'. The prizes are. all of them, soiiielhiiif; 

 npsidos cash, and the \viiiiM>r is put uiidei- honds 

 not l»> sell his prizes. Sctmeofthem have al- 

 ready a dozen wiieels: and tlie qneslion is. wiial 

 they ar(Mo do with them. I ihinU our leasne 

 should he commended and encouraged in its 

 steady and persistent stand against gambling, 

 or running for money priz(^s. 



Now just a word in n i.Nird to the expense of 

 wheels. When sewing-machines (irst came 

 around, they cost from ^=7.') to •*!()() that is. a 

 good one did. In course of time, however, ma- 

 chines equally good, if not the same thing, 

 were sold for si2 and •■<1."). I think there is no 

 ((uestion but that the same thing will be true 

 in regard to wheels. At the present tinu'. how- 

 ever, there seems to lie dilhcnlty in making a 

 really substantial wheel for much loss than 

 from' ?12.") to Sl5(). Manufacturers give, as an 

 excuse for these high (irices. that they are 

 obliged to warrant wheels, no inatter how 

 much tiiey are banged and slammed about by 

 beginners. My own wln'cl has received knocks 

 already that it would seem the best of iron or 

 steel could scarcely be expected to endure. 

 There have been some trifling breaks, but in 

 every case a new piece has come promptly, 

 without charge, to replace the broken one. 

 Now, then, instead of condemning the modern 

 wheel, and calling it a piece of the Devil's 

 machinery, shall we not take it as a gift of God. 

 and strive by every means in our power to 

 have it used in a way that may glorify his 

 holy name? 



Before closing, permit m<^ to say a word to 

 those who meet wheels on the roads, and feel it 

 to be a nuisance to turn aside a little to give 

 them room. A good Christian man of my ac- 

 (piaintance seemed a littU; surprised a few days 

 ago because I expected him to givi' me a part 

 of the road liecause the hubs were so rough 

 outside of the beaten track that no wheel could 

 be expected to go over them. He said, as I 

 passed them. " Why I has a body got to turn out 

 of thi- road for them things?" I confess that it 

 may seem that it is asking too much to expet-l 

 a big heavy team to turn out of the beaten 

 track .just to let a wheel go by. Hut. dear 

 friends, please remember that, even though a 

 wheel can outstrip a horse, the rider is not ex- 

 pected to possess the brute streiujt)! of a horse. 

 It is a nmn's muscles against a horse's muscles. 

 Which is the best able to get out of the beati'U 

 track wliere it is a little rough? I think I 

 might have turned out and given my friend 

 the whole road: but it would have refpiired 

 immense strength on m\ part, and have given 

 me a pretty thorough jolting besides. Where 

 the sides are tolerably -mooth. I prefer to turn 

 out: and where I meei a team witli a great 

 load I often dismount rathcrr than put them 

 to much trouble. Ordinary Christian courtesy 

 should dictate what is jjroper. In many towns 

 wheels have been banished from the sidewalk 

 by ordinance. Crowding us out of the public 

 highway filsn would be a little unkind. 'J'he 

 law. I believe, has pronounced the wheel a v<v 

 hide: and every vehicle of whatever descri()- 

 tion is entitled by law in half of the road. Of 

 course, we meet coarse, greedy, unfeeling peo- 

 ple. r)urown State of Ohio is guilty of having 

 a man of this latter cla-s. who would not give a 

 lady rider part of the road: and when he had 

 crowded her ofT to wh<re the road was rough, 

 he drove his wagon over her wheel, after .she 

 had fallen in trying to turn out for him. After 



that he refused lo permit her u 1 1 to be plac- 

 ed on his load till she coulfl get lo the neari'st 

 town. The lea"ue took the matter up. however, 

 and I presume our stupid frii'nd has found out 

 ere thistnat wheelicfij/ir/i. at least, have rights. 



/-(Wrr. -Carrying packages and even burdens 

 on the wheel is another mattt^r that is almost 

 undeveloix'd as yet. My attention was first 

 called to i< when I saw a young man not twenty 

 years old lak'e a girl wlio wi ighs so or '.to pounds, 

 iettmg her stand witli'her feet on the coasting- 

 rests, and leaning back on th(> handle-bar. 

 He carried her around without any ajiparent 

 effort for sonu' little time. Some of yon may 

 sugg(>s1 that it is easier to carry a nice-looking 

 girl weighing so or HO pounds than it is a pack- 

 age of merchandise that weighs only :'.(» or 40. 

 This may be true; but I have been having fun 

 lately in carrying our mail to the postoTlice. 

 We are half a luile froiu the office, and it is 

 necessary to make five trips during each 24 

 hours. We used to hire a small boy. and some- 

 times it took him an hour to go to tlie postoflice 

 with his wheelbarrow, do a few ei-rands. and 

 return. Before I knew it one of our older boys 

 was carrying and bringing the mails on his 

 wheel. One day I S|)oke almost reprovingly: 



" Why. Fi'ank. you have not got your mail.'" 



" Oh I yes. I have. I got back .some time ago.'" 

 But when I looked questioningly he answered. 

 '■ Why. I go every day now on my wheel, and 

 yesterday it took me only eight minutes by the 

 watch." 



Well. I saw the point. I borrowed of Ernest 

 his package-carrier: and by strapping on a 

 half-bushel basket I now carry 30 or 40 lbs. 

 without a bit of trouble. A wheelbarrow is not 

 to he com jKi red with it ioi ease of transporta- 

 tion: and when you talk about comparing the 

 wheelbarrow to a wheel in speed — whew I 

 Now. if the burdens can be supported low 

 down, say by the coasting-rests, or still fur- 

 ther down, near the ground, the diflficulty 

 of keeping the balance would be very much 

 reduced: and I feel certain that there is 

 no way in the world whereby the strength of a 

 man can cairy 100 or even :.'tKt pounds, to be at 

 all compared with the ball bearings and the 

 |)neumatic rubber tire In the town of Oberlin 

 I saw the mail-carriers delivering and gather- 

 ing the mail on w heels. I do not know how far 

 this fashion has l)een adopted: but I do know 

 that it is going to be one of the shortest cuts in 

 business the world has ever discovered: and 

 what has been heretofore painful drudgeiy may 

 be a delightful pastime. This paragraph is dic- 

 tated after having carried a large package to 

 the postoflice: a message to a railroad depot 

 beyond: a purchase made at the drugstore: a 

 deposit made at the bank: an order delivered 

 at the meat-market: a bill for repairs paid at 

 the; wagonshop: anothei- bill for repairs, in an- 

 other part of the town. These commissions 

 took m<' in different directions all together a 

 couple of miles, and yet I was back in about 25 

 minutes, and I did not make any effort to 

 hustle around either, and came home feeling 

 reffeshi d and glad. One of the most ditiicult 

 posts to (ill in all our establishment has been 

 that of the rnessengei' boy: and I never expect- 

 ed to see the time when I could do it myself 

 projitdhhi. and at the same time have fiin 

 while doing it. 



I have all my life, as you may know, been 

 fond of •• rushing things." I do not wish to be 

 bard on the friends aroutid me., neither do I 

 like to be hard on horses when 1 am driving 

 them: but tlnre are many times in my life 

 when every thing and everybody seems too 

 slow for my mood. A great deal is to be ac- 

 complished in a certain time. I want to be in a 

 dozen places at once. Now, the wheel comes in 



