BICYCLING. 



243 



CAUTION TO MIDDLE-AGED BICYCLISTS. 



Any form of exercise or sport which 

 makes serious demands on the attention, 

 on quickness of eye and hand, and on en- 

 durance, ought not to be taken up by peo- 

 ple who have reached middle life, and who 

 are engaged in sedentary occupations, un- 

 less with great circumspection. The les- 

 son has been learned by Alpine climbers, 

 through many bitter experiences. It is 

 generally held, by them, that most of the 

 fatal accidents in mountain climbing occur 

 through the failure, at the critical moment, 

 of some man who has taken to mountain- 

 eering too late in life, and who is, perhaps, 

 also out of condition. An old dog cannot 

 be taught new tricks, according to the prov- 

 erb; and though it is disagreeable to have 

 to realize that we have passed the age when 

 we can excel in a new pastime, requiring 

 special skill, to avoid accidents, and youth- 

 ful adaptability and elasticity to avoid 

 overstrain, it is the part of wisdom to ac- 

 cept the inevitable. 



There is no reason why middle-aged 

 men, and even those who have passed mid- 

 dle age, should not take to cycling; but 

 it should be with a frank recognition of the 

 limitations which age imposes. Great 

 speed, long distances, and hill climbing put 

 a strain on the constitution, and will find 

 out the weak places, the parts of the sys- 

 tem which are aging faster, perhaps, than 

 the rest — the heart, it may be, or the ves- 

 sels of the brain. So, also, in regard to 

 riding a bicycle in crowded thoroughfares; 

 the strain on the attention is considerable 

 and the risk not small, if a man has lost 

 the quickness of youth. — British Medical 

 Journal. 



Tommy — Pa, I want a pony. 



Pa — Why, my son, I gave you your 

 choice between a pony and a bicycle. Why 

 is it you want a pony, now? 



Tommy — 'Cause I've got a bicycle. 



MY WHEEL AND I. 

 E. N. D. 



My wheel and I have merry times 

 As o'er smooth roads we fly 



Mile upon mile, without a care 

 Between the earth and sky. 



And should we meet a bloomer girl 



Spinning along, ah well, 

 And should we flirt a little bit 



Who is there that would tell? 



A case that will interest all wheelmen, 

 and particularly those who occasionally ride 

 on the cable slot, is that of W. F. Mc- 

 Carthy, a member of the L. A. W. against 

 the Metropolitan Street Railway Comoany. 

 McCarthy, through George E. Miner, 



counsel for the League, brought suit 

 against the company for $2,000 as damages 

 sustained while riding the slot of the 

 Broadway line, some weeks ago. McCarthy 

 rides a wheel with tires of the usual width, 

 1% inches, and therefore felt safe in riding 

 the slot in Broadway. 



On the day in question, while going at 

 a fair rate of speed, he alleges the front 

 wheel of his bicycle slipped into the slot, 

 nearly to the hub, and stopped short. Mc- 

 Carthy was thrown over the handlebars 

 with great force and sustained serious in- 

 juries about the legs and knees. 



Mr. Miner contends that the section of 

 the slot where the accident occurred must 

 have been wider than the law allows, which 

 is Y% of an inch. Wheelmen, he says, have 

 a perfect right to ride on the cable slots, 

 and under the law the traction companies 

 must keep the openings within the legal 

 limit of width. 



Governor — Jimmy, you look red hot. 

 You haven't been cycling this hot day, have 

 you? 



" No, I've been following some news- 

 paper directions for keeping cool." — Louis- 

 ville Courier-Journal. 



The Park Commissioners of this city 

 have recently promulgated some rules for 

 the regulation of cyclists which it will be 

 well for all to observe. 



Park policemen are instructed to prompt- 

 ly arrest cyclists who ride faster than 8 

 miles an hour; who fail to show white lights 

 30 minutes after sunset; who coast, or ride 

 without using the handle bars, or who dis- 

 mount in the middle of the road; who fail 

 to sound their bells when passing carriages 

 or who ride more than 3 abreast; who in- 

 dulge in trick riding or who make nuis- 

 ances of themselves by carrying great 

 gongs, instead of bells of ordinary size. 



" Earth is the only one of the 4 elements 

 that never shows unkindness to man." 



. " Say, you've never fallen off a wheel, 

 have you?" — Chicago Record. 



The Associated Cycling Clubs of New 

 York are protesting against the proposed 

 city ordinance which requires brakes on all 

 bicycles, to be ridden in this city. 



" What's new in bicycle suits? " 

 " Well, the scorcher continues to be 

 about the freshest thing." — Chicago Jour- 

 nal. 



James Quinlan, a carpenter, was recently 

 sentenced to 9 years' imprisonment in Sing 

 Sing, by Judge Aspinall, in the County 

 Court in Brooklyn, for stealing 2 bicycles. 



