The Wheel and cycling trade review . n the month. The first riders in New York provoked avaried stream of comment from the news-papers and magazines. The World of Octo-ber 20, 1868, said: Two or three infatuatedpersons, probably driven mad by protractedtortures on the street railway cars, or by thespurns which patient pedestrians of the omni-bus take, have made up their minds to intro-duce into New York the modern French ve-locipede. This is simply a contrivance to en-able able-bodied persons of a malicious turnof mind to make catapults of persons, leaping on a velocipede andpu
The Wheel and cycling trade review . n the month. The first riders in New York provoked avaried stream of comment from the news-papers and magazines. The World of Octo-ber 20, 1868, said: Two or three infatuatedpersons, probably driven mad by protractedtortures on the street railway cars, or by thespurns which patient pedestrians of the omni-bus take, have made up their minds to intro-duce into New York the modern French ve-locipede. This is simply a contrivance to en-able able-bodied persons of a malicious turnof mind to make catapults of persons, leaping on a velocipede andputting it to full speed by rapid pulsations ofeither leg, can launch themselves with terrificforce and fury against the legs of their fel-low-creatures. No matter what damage theymay inflict upon their victims, they can alwaysget out of the reach of an indignant populace,long before the nearest policeman can reachthe spot. The bloomer girl was foreseen by the vener-able Horace Greeley, who, unwittingly, per- THE JOYS OP MUD Ringing Wet. haps, foreshadowed her coming when he wrotein his Tribune of November 21, 1868, two col-umns or more on the strange vehicle whichhad created such a furor in the civilizedworld. It is a matter of doubt, wrote thegreat editor, whether the ladies will take tovelocipedes or not. The use of the bicycle is,of course, out of the question unless each fairrider follows Jessicas example and obscuresherself in the lovely garments of the boy. The revived velocipede has fast run off withthe wits of the male and the modicum of mod-esty pertaining to the past among ladies—bothsexes joining in fast travelling on the straddle-bug arrangement, another writer facetiouslydeclared about the same time. We shallsoon see the strong-minded women of the dayastride of their hobbies on wheels—blue-spec-tacled, spindle-shanked and pantalooned—their skeleton skirt having been comet with its downy tail flaunting overa third of the celestial plai
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectcyclist, bookyear1888
