The story of rapid transit . exercise; although even in that character thebenefit it confers upon mankind is enormous; it iseverywhere, in nearly all civilized countries, animportant convenience, offering facilities fortransit far superior to the horse, and hardly in-ferior to the road motor, besides doing withoutthe latters cost, complexity and disadvantages. The modern cycle is the lineal descendant ofthe dandy or hobby-horse of the early yearsof the nineteenth century, which is to be foundcaricatured in countless prints of that epoch. Itwas a bicycle with wheels attached to a bar ofwood rud
The story of rapid transit . exercise; although even in that character thebenefit it confers upon mankind is enormous; it iseverywhere, in nearly all civilized countries, animportant convenience, offering facilities fortransit far superior to the horse, and hardly in-ferior to the road motor, besides doing withoutthe latters cost, complexity and disadvantages. The modern cycle is the lineal descendant ofthe dandy or hobby-horse of the early yearsof the nineteenth century, which is to be foundcaricatured in countless prints of that epoch. Itwas a bicycle with wheels attached to a bar ofwood rudely shaped like the body of a horse, the THE BICYCLE 149 rider sitting astride it and propelling it with hisfeet upon the ground. In 1819 the Baron Draisde Saverbrunn constructed an improved hobby-horse, and this was introduced into Englandunder the name of the cclerifcre It consistedof two stout equal-sized wooden wheels held iniron forks, the rear fork being securely bolted toa bar of wood, the perch; the front fork passed. The Dandy-horse. through the perch, and was so arranged that itcould be turned by a handle, thereby steering themachine after the manner of a modern the middle of the perch was placed a cushionon which the rider sat; in front of this wasanother and smaller cushion elevated on a bracket, 150 THE STORY OF RAPID TRANSIT upon which he leaned his chest. When the riderwas seated astride the celerifere his feet justtouched the ground; the machine was propelledby running with long strides, which furnishedthe momentum during which the rider rested fromhis efforts. Down hill he could, of course, anddid, proceed at a breakneck pace. None of theseearly dandy-horses were fitted with any sortof brake, they were heavily built, and must haverushed down an incline at a startling and danger-ous speed. Yet, dangerous and ungraceful asthe pastime was, it attained great popularity; noyoung beaus equipment was considered completewithout a hobby-horse; and although th
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