A Delightful Experience. Although Miss Antique lost her "rocks," I hear the losing pleased her, For when she ventured into stocks, The naughty market "squeezed" her.

NOT SO BLACK AS PAINTED.

The spirit of emulation in the Anglo-Saxon blood prompts a large number of the participants in any sport to endeavor to excel in it. Hardly had the ancient Boneshaker come into use, thirty years ago, before impromptu races took place between riders who met on the road, and these were speedily followed by regularly organized competitions. When the Ordinary came, racing increased, and with the development of the safety it became more popular and general.

Pneumatic tires and light wheels are in themselves a great incentive to active and ambitious riders to test their speed. Track racing furnished models which speedy road riders were not slow to adopt and low bars and bent backs became the sign of those who came to be designated" scorchers." At first they were limited in number and remarked only for their position and rapid riding; but others imagined that pace resulted wholly from the position, and sought to improve their speed, or the ease of running of their machines, by lowering their bars and doubling themselves up in most absurd fashion. As far as appearance goes, the ranks of the scorchers were quickly augmented by thousands who had

SMOKE,

GREASE

nor DANGER

It can't jar or blow out like an Oil Lamp.

ABSOLUTELY NON-EXPLOSIVE

Light costs of a cent an hour. Throws a clear, white light 100 feet ahead. Send for circular and learn about the GREATEST BICYCLE LAMP OF THE YEAR

From your dealer

or sent prepaid for $4.00.

BADGER BRASS MFG. CO., Kenosha, Wis.

no pretension to speed, but who thought by exaggerated methods and extremes of position to be classed as fast riders. These, rather than the true scorcher, became the personification of everything disagreeable, uncouth or bad in that portion of humanity which rides a wheel, and are those of whom it is written :

"His handle-bar is twisted like a sick convulsive snake,
His hands are near the level of his toes;
He never has a mud-guard, and scorns to use a brake,
And his neck is like the poet's red, red rose."

This sort of rider has become very prevalent of late, and the term scorcher is used to include him and many others who do not really belong to the species. The common term for a rider who uses any sort of drop bar is scorcher; if he inclines forward, even with a straight back, he is a scorcher; if he rides over ten miles an hour, he is a scorcher; if he sprints occasionally, or extends himself to improve his powers, he is a scorcher; if he jangles his bell furiously, he is a scorcher; if he rides recklessly, he is a scorcher; if he is untidy in dress or rough in manner, he is a scorcher; if he ignores the rules of the road or crowds you off the path, he is a scorcher; if he is noisy at stopping places, if he calls out to passers by, or is boisterous at the hotel table, he is a scorcher in short, whatever the offence, it is the scorcher who is the offender, the terror of the road and bete noire of all peaceable people.

When a derogatory meaning once becomes attached to a term it is almost impossible to remove

it. In the public mind, all the undesirable elements of cycling are comprehended in the term "scorcher;" but, it is only fair to distinguish between those who really do scorch at times and carry themselves as gentlemen; the uncouth and boorish scorchers, and the boors of other types who, from their ridiculous attempts to imitate the track racers are commonly known by the same name.

TAXING CYCLES IN CANADA. Montreal is the only city in Canada that taxes bicycles, and it has been found very difficult to enforce the regulation there. An attempt to repeal the law resulted in reducing the tax by one-half, but it is reported doubtful whether the city will try to enforce it. The question of a similar law was raised in London, Ont., and the city solicitor gave his opinion that it would be illegal.

"I SEE my finish," said the wheel, as it spied the enamel.

ONE is clothed in thought when he has something on his mind.

THE expense of repairing tire punctures should be added to our in-come tacks.

The Missouri Good Roads and Public Improvement Association convention will be held in St. Jose September 8.

Our L. A.W. Pillow Cover (royal purple background) is one of many different subjects beautifully illustrated in colors on fine cloth, all ready for the pillow (not to be worked). Postpaid, 56 cents. Two for One Dollar. Catalogue, sent for two-cent stamp, shows a great variety of designs Patriotic, Tasteful or Humorous. TEXTILE NOVELTY CO.

-

Dept. W. 76 Elm St., New York.

The Lesser Evil.

Women are n't, we confess, in some bicycling dress,
What we'd call the most graceful Dianas.
But we'll just let them roam for it keeps them from home,
And from practicing on their pianos.

ICE-CREAM AND RELIGION.

Everybody knows that if all the women were to stay away from church services, the result would be about as sweeping as it would be to attempt to present the play of Hamlet with Hamlet's part left out. It is they who fill the seats and who serve to dress the house. This being true, we should much regret to have anything occur to keep them away from services or in any degree alienate their affections for things religious. But we half suspect the error has already been committed.

At a recent session of the General Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, held at Philadelphia, one of the prominent speakers said:

"In one respect intemperance comes before us in an especially culpable light, and that is, in the case of a young man who spends his money Saturday night in buying ice-cream for his favorite sweetheart, and lets the church suffer next day for his extravagance. Should he not put this money in the church collection? Should he not deny himself in the strict observance of temperance, and benefit suffering humanity by giving the money to the church?"

Now think of the bravery if, indeed, it is not the fool-hardiness, of one who proposes to deprive young women of ice-cream! What are beaux for if it is n't

137

The Long-Headed Man

WE

if he's a dealer, buys the bicycle that has faithfully earned a reputation and has been a growing success from the very start-it's the CLEVELAND. If he's a rider, he buys the bicycle that is all its makers claim for it "Built on the Square." Ask any Cleveland rider and he'll tell you what this means.

are just closing the most successful year in the history of our business, and are now ready to open negotiations with responsible bicycle dealers for the season of '99. The best is none too good for Cleveland Agents, and the Best Agents are plenty good enough for us. F F F F F F H. A. LOZIER & CO.

Once let

to buy ice-cream for their sweethearts? the young women of this land understand that the church stands between them and ice-cream and we tremble at the possible result.

But, hold! Maybe that speaker was wiser than we gave him credit for being. We should n't wonder if he intended his remarks as a strong bid for the friendship and co-operation of the young men who have long been yearning for some suitable excuse for failing to see a glaring "ice-cream" sign within three feet of their noses when every gin town can read it a mile away. And here is their excuse. The money must be saved for the church.

The heathen are crying for light. Every dish of cream eaten keeps them in the dark a while longer. Think of it! While a girl is enjoying a dish of sweets, a soul may be lost forever! And the eating of peanuts, pop-corn, bon-bons, gum-drops, or taffy. on-a-stick, or the drinking of lemonade, soda-water, moxie, or anything else that costs money, may result in the same direful way.

Any unneccessary expenditure of money is wrong. It should be saved that we may secure hundredthousand-dollar churches, with wholly vain and unnecessary five-thousand-dollar steeples, and thousanddollar bells, and great brass doors, and stained-glass windows, and ten-thousand-a-year preachers.

But, girls, no matter how hot the weather is, save your ice-cream pennies. By so doing you shall suffer from the heat while in this life, but you may be a whole lot cooler in the next.

No Choice.

"These dangers, ah, who had foreseen them?"
Cried Chollie, "Those cows there, I mean them;
There are more at my back!
Which look crossest? Alack!

I think it's a toss-up between them."

CHANGES IN CYCLE RACING.

In these days cycle racing is becoming an exact science and men ride faster, farther and more continuously than ever before. When thoroughly trained, the racer's speed, behind pace, is practically limited only by the endurance and speed of his pacemakers.

Thirty years ago the first racing on two-wheeled machines began. The velocipede, or "boneshaker," was at the height of its brief career of popularity, and races were held on it. It was fast riding in those days to do a mile in six minutes, but better than this was done by W. R. Pitman when he captured the velocipede championship of Maine.

Ten years later Mr. Pitman raced on the rapidly improving Ordinary, and won the first prize at Brockton, Mass., on July 4, 1878. It was a heat race and his best time was 3: 47. The cup he then won he naturally values above all his many later winnings.

Few persons in this country have been so long and so closely identified with cycling. Mr. Pitman's interest in it does not flag and he is full of interesting reminiscences of the past.

CAN one get "half-shot" with a "

pop gun?"

THE L. A. W. PIONEERS. This is an organization composed of League members who have been "in the fold" for ten or more years. It was organized at Louisville, Ky., during the

ABBOT BASSETT, President of the Pioneers for 1897-8.

L. A. W. Meet of '96, and last year we met again at Philadelphia.

The 1898 Pioneers' meeting takes place at Indiannolis in the Grand Hotel, Wednesday, August

30 P. M.

LOW PRICED

GUARANTEED

NEW BRUNSWICK TIRES

We have been filling some tremendous orders lately on our new low priced guaranteed Tire, and when we say "guaranteed" we mean "guaranteed." It's a wonderfully good Tire-the best made at its price. Let us show you samples.

OUR CATALOGUE SENT FREE.

Six handsome Photograph Cards sent for a two-cent stamp.
A fine Pocket Map of "Good Roads Around New York"
for a three-cent stamp.

NEW BRUNSWICK RUBBER CO.,

NEW BRUNSWICK, N. J.

9-15 MURRAY ST., NEW YORK. 207 CONGRESS ST., BOSTON. 235 LAKE ST., CHICAGO. 94 PEARL ST., BUFFALO.

Each meeting consists of a business session, followed by a banquet, after which speeches are in order.

THE FIRST CENTURY.

The A. W. BULLETIN is not partial to what is known as a "century," i. e., one hundred miles ridden in a day, unless the rider has sufficient vital energy to ride two hundred and only uses half of it.

... good things are abused, and we believe that bicycling is abused and its beneficial effects worse than neutralized, in many instances, through the insane idea that it is a great thing to ride a century.

Some riders can do it with the utmost ease, and one fellow we hear of rides a hundred miles every day and then takes a little ride after tea just for fun; but the average rider has no business to consider the cyclometer except as a warning.

How many miles daily should you ride? Well, the answer is easy. Ride as much as you are sure will do you good, and no more.

In the early days of what used to be known as the "g. o. o.," a hundred miles over the road seemed much longer than with the pneumatic-tired safety of to-day.

The first man to ride a bicycle between New York and Philadelphia (about 108 miles) in a day was Geo. D. Gideon of Philadelphia. The day was June 18th, 1880. He started from the Quaker City at five o'clock, A. M., and reached New York at nine o'clock, P. M. In speaking of the event Mr. Gideon

IN, so they say, is man's great foe;

By jing, I sort o' doubt it, Fer, drat my pictur', I don't know

What earth 'd be without it!

An' while too much is not so nice,
A little bit won't hurt you,
Fer, I maintain, 'ithout some vice
There could 'nt be much virtue.

By closer tendin' o' my fields
I find, fer all my labors,
I'm gettin' bigger, better yields
Than is my lazy neighbors.
But still the pleasure 'd be small
To see my crops a-growin'
If crops growed jest the same fer all,
Regardless of the hoein'.

An' so I say some shades o' wrong A-lurkin' in yer system,

But serve to make a feller strong
A-fightin to resist 'em.

Fer while the saint all sin destroys
An' walks jest to the letter,
The sinner all the while enjoys
The hope o' doin' better.

BAD ROAD PHOTOGRAPH PRIZES.

A very large number of pictures were sent in to Chairman Dorner in the competition for bad road photographs, and the prizes for them have been awarded as follows:

First prize, $50., to J. I. Phillips, Mannington, W. Va.; second prize, $25., to E. P. Richards, Clyde, O.; third prize, $15, to Miss T. Jury, Ash Grove, Mo.; fourth prize, $10., to R. L. McColm, Baltimore, Md.; fifth prize, $5., to Ross Kerr, Gallipolis, O.; sixth prize, $5., to Miss. M. Lewis, Springfield, Ill.; seventh prize, $5., to A. O. Card and A. Swindells, Providence, R. I.; eighth prize, $5., to F. L. Hess, Phoenix, N. Y. and ninth prize, $5., to F. H. Patch, Rushville, Ill.