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• KNOWLEDGE <> 



pnvToss nnder orator. On roachini? tho surface, I kept on witli 

 niT enJcavours.* Some " old boys," wlio watolicii my endcavoura 

 fur tho first two days, usimI to remark that they never renieniberod 

 any one learning so quickly. 



There ig, however, a caution to be given to those boys who 

 possess an unenviable amount of animal fat in their oompusitions; 

 for a feUow-schoollxiy, now living, thought ho would follow suit, and 

 threw himself boldly into the water. This is what wo saw : Two 

 legs hanging down, though not touching tho bottom ; a head like- 

 ^vise hanging down, also about two feet from solid ground ; a pair 

 of bathing drawers alone risible above water. Wo thought this 

 fine, coupled with tho energetic movemonta of tho arms anil legs, 

 Uko a decapitated frog electrified ; but one of our boys happily 

 conceived the idc» that the kid was drowning, so we linulcd liiili 

 out. Another minute would have ended his life. F. C. S. 



VARICOSE TEIXS AXD CYCLING— ARTISTIC PERCEPTION 

 OF ANIMALS— ACCIDENT FROM LIGUTNING. 



[541] — It appears to me that "Lacy Ilillier" takes a somewhat 

 erroneous view of this subject. I am not a medical man, but only 

 speak from experience and from the information I liavo derived 

 from friends ; which I may say I have found more useful than that 

 obtained from members of the medical profession. Varicose veins 

 arc veins in which the valves, whether double or single, no longer 

 act ; the n.ee of elastic stockings therefore being, as it were, to net 

 to a certain degree by expansion and contraction as valves. An 

 exercise which brings all the muscles in the leg into play is there- 

 fore obvioufly the best, provided tho exerciseisnot carried to excess. 

 Standing is the worst jwssible position, lying down ayriori tho best, 

 riding the worst of the moderate exercises, owing to tho action of 

 the saddle on the two chief veins of the thighs. Bicycling I have, 

 and so have all my friends, found the worst of all amusements, 

 except, perhaps, riding, for varicose veins, as the actions of all the 

 mnscles of tho legs are not brought evenly to bear on the veins. 

 Elastic BtCK'kings should always l>e worn after the veins have once 

 appeared. No amount of absolute rest will cure the veins, for I 

 hive tried it. Walking and running are good for tho veins; I 

 used to follow the bounds on foot, run trails, paper clinses, ic, 

 being out the whole day, and not feel pi-in in the veins, whereas a 

 day's bicycliig left its mark Ix'hind. Having ridden a bicycle for over 

 nine years, 1 wns sb'e to form a fair idea ns to its influence on my 

 veins. Seeing that there is no cure for the veins, except extermina- 

 tion, accompanied even then with the chances that fresh surface 

 ones will come to light, or others become varicosed under tho 

 mnscles, which is a more <!nnperous phase of the disease, I 

 strongly ndvifc any person with bad varicosers (as we call them) 

 to leave off riding a bicycle. 



With reference to J. G. Westwood Oliver's query at tho end of 

 his letter ('t('2), permit me to say that, from experience, I find that 

 it all depends on the cutcness of the cat looking at the mirror ; i.e., 

 some see through the fraud at once, others seem to do so and forget 

 it »ftrrwar»Is, while others, again, fail to understand the deception 

 until they have been shown the reflection over and over again. 



The following I cite from memory — it occurred some years ago 

 in the North of England, at tho rectory of a clergyman. Please, 

 therefore, excuse details :— Tho house was struck three times in 

 succession. One fla'h (and it is on account of this I write) ac- 

 tually came (hrnui^h the glass of nno of the windows, leavinsr a clean 

 hole in the glass afterwards, which was fused evenly all round. 

 Another flash entered the drawing-room, and I lielieve ran down tho 

 bell-wire and tore up some of the gas-piping in the basement. The 

 damogf- done to the house wns contiderable, as may be Bn|iposed. 



V. C. S. 



VARirdSE VEINS AND CVCLIXO. 

 I ^t'^j — It has l>een asked if cycling induces varicose veins. My 

 cxperiencf ii that it has no such effect. In many cases it seems 

 to be rather preventive than otherwise. For" men who have l)een 

 walking or standing; much during the day, and whose legs and feet, 

 in cr>n«oqnence. fe<-l hoavy, weary, nnd full, with n tendency to 

 varicosity, a little exircise on n bicycle relieves this condition; 

 whereas it would 1 e nifgmiaUd by walking, running, or jumping. 

 Even for those with varicose veins already induced, I believe 

 cycling to be one of the least injurious of all leg excrciHcs, provided 

 that tho leg has free phiy, there being no part of tho dress con- 

 •trictlng it at anj point. A. Uabtlev, M.B. 



[6 43] — The nac of bicycles and tricjxles does not cause varicose 

 rthtB, but the me of garters and kneobrecchcs buckled, or tightly 



• The mcthfjd is all very well U there are folk by to haul the 

 r.er out if nccesfarr. " Natator's " lessons arc for self-teaching. 



buttoned round tho knees, does cause them. On learning to bicycle, 

 about three years since, 1 had a narrow escape from having varicose 

 veins, caused by tho use of garters aud knee-breeches aa above. 

 Since then 1 have always worn knickerbockers just largo enough at 

 the knee to allow the foot and leg to pass through (no olaatio), and 

 have a loop nt the top of tho stocking so as to pass n tnpo through 

 it. Tho tope is fastened at tho end of a piece of clastic, the top 

 end of which is sewn on to tho waistband of tlio knickerbockers. 

 Uraces must bo worn to counteract tho pull of tho elastic. 



E. F. B. Uakston. 



UERNIA AND TRICYCLING. 

 [5J-t] — I am glad to see a letter in a recent issue of your vnhi- 

 oblo paper, a letter headed "Hoinia nnd Tricycling." This is n 

 subject I nm interested in, as 1 suffer frnn that complaint, and am 

 very fond of tricycling. Some of your readers mny be glad to 

 know my experience after having ridden some thousands of miles. 

 1 started by riding ton miles u day, and since then have increased 

 it to seventy, nnd do not feel the slightest ill effects; on the contrary, 

 my health is very much im])roved. I hojie Dr. Richardson will still 

 further investigate the mutter, as I feel sure many people, suffering 

 like myself, are denying themselves n most delightful nnd healthy 

 jileasuro through want of proper advice, which advice I consider 

 can only bo given by those who rido tricycles. Of course, there 

 are some complicated cases of hernia where it wouhl bo most 

 dangerous, but in tho ordinary cases there can bo no harm, pro- 

 \ iding persons nro fitted with suitable trusBcs. 



R. Ski'T. Ai.iiKit. 



TRICYCLES. 



[5t5] — Having been an enthusiastic tricyclist for the last four 

 years, and being tho captain of a tricycle club, perliajis you will 

 kindly allow me to say a few words u|»n tho subject. 



Mr. Browning overlooks two very important advantages gained 

 by the front-steering machines. 



1. In machines of tho "Salvo" type, iniirly tho whole of the- 

 rider's weight is thrown ujidn il,. Jin mm' wlicrU, suUk-ient weight 

 only being thrown upon till' M. .. i nuble it to "bite." 

 For this reason wo havoacl'iii ■■ ■ i ^ n i ..nof tho wheels only, 

 while in tho case of a rcai '.' m - n ii .iinc, wo always have a 

 dead weight on throe whcols, bo in lliis n spcct tho "Salvo" type 

 of machine has an advantage almost equal to that of the " Otto," 

 and, of course, when descending a hill with the feet on tho rest, 

 there is sufficient weight on tho front steering-wheol to insure its , 

 answering its purpose without tho fear of an accident. 



2. Machines of the " Salvo " type can bo so easily mounted from 

 behind while in motion. 



I drew attention to this important fact by a letter which ap- 

 peared in tho Cyclist some time ago. No time is lust in mounting 

 or starting; tho machine is mounted (as in the case of a bicycle) 

 while you are running with it at full speed. Tho advantages of 

 this are obvious ; but they are not offered to us when riding u rear 

 steering machine. 



A great deal of tho pleasure of tricyclo riding is lost when 

 Bailing down hill on a machine of the " Meteor" typo by tho want 

 of a comfortable foot-rest, as in the " Salvo," " Fleet," " Premier," 

 Ac, which enables one to stretch their legs lor a while. 



I think in the tricycle of the future it will not bo so much a 

 questitn of form as of a means for ]iropelling machines by other 

 than our logs as tho motive power. Can tho day bo far distant 

 when compressed air will bo tho chief mode of propulsion ?' 



C. Cabus-Wilson. 



A WARNING. 

 [5tC] — Being desirous of obtaining tho first three numbers of 

 Knowlkdoe, I advertised for tho some in your "Sixpenny Sale 

 Column." Among several answers I selected one and forwardiil 

 the amount by Post-office Order, but I have not received tho papers 

 nor heard anything further from the writ it. I fortunately sent an 

 Order payable ten days after date, wlii' h I liavc Hlo|ii>ed. On tho 

 day I wrote to stop my previous ..i.l.r I imiviil n post-card 

 dating froma Post-office near ManchcMi t 1 ' nl i - llin writer was 

 probably a clerk in tho Post-oflice, Ifoj . nl. i i ii i.ni.iiiit, with tho 



result that I havn not received any jui|iii "i 1 I imylliing further 



about them. Thinking my experience of piinliaHing Knowlkdoe 

 may be of use to your readers, I venture to scud this for insertion. 



EXE. 



ARE TOADS POISONOUS ? 



[547]— In reply to this query, I find tho following in " Ualf- 



Ilours in the Green Lanes." — 'AH that is hnniifiil about (liis i)Oor 



Iwast (i.e. the toad) is the secretion of tho skin, which is ncid, and 



evidently protective. Mony a young and playful \>i'i>i>y, that has 



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