Just twenty-two years ago, says the St. James' Gazette, Mortimer Collins remarked in a column of newspaper gossip: "The bicycles are coming to the front. The champion is to race a four-in-hand from London to Brighton, or vice versa. All very fine, gentlemen; but you will discover your mistake in time. You have to use muscles unnaturally. I know two men who have had to give up the bicycle simply because it was knocking them into iotas of imbecility. And what pleasure is there in racing through the country on high roads at ten miles an hour?" And a few months later, in the year of grace, 1876, a writer in the World denounced that

66

ne plus ultra of snobbishness -- bicyclism." The Society journalist of those days had no previsioning eye for the parades in Battersea Park, for the universal acceptance of the all-conquering wheel by society in these latter days. The name "bicycle dates from about 1867. At first the spelling was a little uncertain. The Daily News of that prehistoric date (from a wheelman's point of view) wrote of "bysicles" and "trysicles"; while an American journal wrote of the "bicycular velocipede." Bicycular velocipede! What a portentous mouthful! Scottish Cyclist.

SCENES AT THE FRONT.

Drawn, from cabled descriptions, by the BULLETIN artists. (With apologies to the daily papers.)

Interest in the war has not overshadowed the road-improvement issue. At a State convention in Pennsylvania the platform declared in favor of good roads and recommended such legislation and appropriation as would be required.

But oh! I'm filled with horror when I'm called upon to fight A terrible Welch rabbit in the middle of the night.

You say your prayers and go to bed, your heart serene and glad,

You're, very likely, thinking of the splendid feast you've had;

But when you find you 're all alone and everyone's asleep Then something awful steals from out the shadows dark and deep.

The marrow freezes in your bones, your blood runs hot and cold,

You wake to find yourself within the rabbit's awful hold; It pounces on you unawares and binds you to the rack, For rabbits never fight unless they have the inside track.

You wrestle with the monster till you're wholly out of breath,

You have a strong conviction you are in the jaws of death, But by and by he lets you live, but only so that when

Ore

he finds you napping he can torture you again.

And in the morning when you greet the coming of the light
And think of all the terrors that beset you in the night,
You say come weal, come want, come woe, come sorrow,
grief and pain,

Come any old thing but don't let that rabbit come again.

THEIR BRAKES REDUCED THE FINE.

A couple of Scotch cyclists were arrested for scorching, but were let off with a light fine because they assured the court that though they were riding rather fast their machines were equipped with brakes that could have brought them to a standstill instantly at any moment. One machine was brought into court and the operation of the brake shown, while the cyclers expatiated on its virtues, and the court acknowledged its merit.

Five miles of Pittsburg's Beechwood Boulevard have been opened to the public, and the remaining nine miles are to be finished by fall.

Thick coach varnish makes a good cement for wood rims. Shellac, also, is often used; it dries more quickly, but is not as lasting.

The State organizer for the Good Roads and Public Improvement Association of Missouri, Miss R. C. Harber, has visited twenty-two counties and secured over 1,400 names to the active membership of the branch associations she has formed since January.

95,000

exercise and recreation has a beneficial effect in the early stages of some forms of mental disorder, and I have seen several cases where it has hastened convalescence and established a sound recovery. Cycling seems to distract the mind from the morbid trains of thought and intense selfabsorption in such cases more effectually, perhaps, than any other kind of recreation available."

In commenting on the foregoing statement the New York Tribune editorially calls attention to the fact that "these are not mere theories or conjectures. They are stated as the result of observation and experience, and as such are entitled to great weight. The suggestions thereby conveyed may, perhaps, be utilized to advantage on this side of the Atlantic. Physicians here have become alarmed at the steady growth of insanity, caused, presumably, by highpressure mental absorption. If cycling will reduce the danger arising from the strain on nervous systems or strengthen those actually suffering, we may soon look for a substantial decrease in the number of insane patients."

There are plenty of doctors who can set a broken limb. What the world needs most is gentle ministries to bind up shattered minds. It is care that kills, but care and a good bicycle cannot occupy the same highway. Trouble, with its worn and wrinkled visage, cannot keep up with the joy-bringing steed of steel.

From Bad to Worse.

A dirty street, through a dusty mart,
Can ne'er be cured by the sprinkling-cart;
For all it does, with its awful flood,
Is simply to change the dust to mud.

rather than medicine. The bicycle is good medicine, but it is a better nurse. It's the only doctor that mixes sunshine, dew-drops, the perfume of roses, and the sparkle of wayside springs with every prescription. Every dose entitles the patient to a glimpse of meadow and mountain, a view of sea and shore, a song of the lark or the thrush, a whispered chant from the oak or the willow, or a breath borne from amid the glint and glory of green fields and running brooks. All of this being true, it is n't strange that those who know whereof they speak are beginning to say the bicycle is destined to prove of much value as an aid in the cure of mental diseases. One of Scotland's insanity experts, Dr. Havelock, of the Montrose Royal Lunatic Asylum, in speaking of the patients under his care, says:

"A few of the gentlemen, in suitable cases, had been allowed to cycle, and had materially improved mentally and physically in consequence. It is believed that this form of

WANTED. A CLAIRVOYANT.

The L.A. W BULLETIN will add to its staff at a liberal

as our special seer and give advice in the numerous cases of people who write for information "to be published in the next issue of the BULLETIN" and then forget to give us either name or address.

It seems appropriate that the editor should decide which questions may be properly answered in print, and this theory, reduced to practice, often leaves

"POVERTY

snatches the reins out of the hands of piety," sometimes; but more often prudent, patient publicity snatches mediocrity from obscurity and puts popu

larity, power and position in the place of poverty.

5

TIMES AS MUCH OXYGEN

supplied to the flame of the "BRAGGER LAMP" as in ordinary lamps, because of its double forced draft. No bracket required; its clamping jaws may be attached to any part of the machine.

WE GUARANTEE IT TO NOT JAR OUT. Prepaid $3.00. Cat. free to anybody. HITCHCOCK LAMP CO., Watertown, N. Y.

RIDE A TIGER

Mailed upon receipt of price......$1.00

GIVEN AWAY

Ask your dealer for them.

Sharp & Smith, Chicago.

with black composition tips, we will mail one of our L. A. W. Valves FREE. This offer is to introduce L. A. W. Valves to users. (For description of valve, see ad. on opposite page.)

BONSILATE BOX CO., Hartford, Conn. By mail, 25 cts. per pa r.

A Booming Business.

Of seekers after real estate
There ne'er can be a dearth,
Because so many, small and great,
Forever "want the earth."

A RAILROAD BICYCLE ATTACHMENT. We have a very enthusiastic letter from a western member who has traveled extensively in that region, using as a means what he calls a "railroad attachment." It is a rig which keeps an ordinary (safety) bicycle on the rails of an ordinary railroad.

We fully appreciate the gladsome joy which such a device might bring, and, if no objection were to come from the railroad officials, many thousand such fixtures would shortly be in daily use.

The easy grades, the smooth surface, and the comparative directness of the route would all help to charm the rider; and it is also true that on many long lines of road, the actual danger to a cyclist who has good hearing and a level head would be very slight.

We regret to say, however, that such use of a railroad, except by consent of its officers, would be a plain case of trespass, and might subject the of fender to annoyances that would be more unpleas ant than even the bad wagon road which would then be his only avenue of escape."

66

Fancy-costume cycle parades are popular in Egland and Scotland.

Simple, Accurate, Beautiful.
We Guarantee it. Registers 10,000 miles.
Send for Booklet, No. 59.

"MILLER" ALWAYS MAKES THE BEST.

NEW YORK STORE 28 V. BROADWAY.
BOSTON STORE 63 PEARL STREET.

L. A. W. VALVE

No Spring to Pump Against.

Plunger acts positively, independent of cap, thus making a double seal. Every valve guaranteed.

INSIST on getting it | To get one of these valves in the Tires you buy,

It is disagreeable enough to have a chain stretch, and the running and efficiency of the machine are both affected by it, but the trouble now is 1.ot to be compared with what it was only a few years ago. It was then considered a matter of course to take out a link, or perhaps two links, in the course of a season, and the removal of three links was not an unknown event. Sprockets, also, often wore very poorly, the teeth occasionally becoming more than one-half worn down and, in extreme cases, almost entirely disappearing from the rear sprocket.

At that time chains were about double the width now commonly used; machines were heavy and clumsy compared with the present; gears were low, tires were heavier and less resilient, and running qualities generally were so inferior that a badlyfitting, stretched chain did not count for so much as it does to-day on a light, high-geared machine.

Since 1895 much more attention has been paid to matters of detail than was possible up to that time. Changes have been largely in the small, but vitally important, parts. Indeed, it is not too much to say that since that time, when the present type practically took definite form, the improvements in

"The Rubber Spool Spins."

31

The ten who complied with the requirements advertised in issue of June 26, are
Mrs. Ada Folger... Grand Rapids, Mich. Frank Pierce, Jr....Union Springs, N. Y.
Jas. 0. Spear, Jr... Baltimore, Md. Charles A. Williams.......Pittsburg, Pa.
Dr. Robert Neil.. -Montreal, Canada Charles B. Day.......Worcester, Mass.
Charles L. Tracy..
Norwich, Conn. Miss M. C. Schleiter. Washington, D.C.
A. T. Slater, Jackson...L. A. W. 185,487
Will Mr. Slater kindly send his address,
as it was not distinct enough to decipher?

F. W. McClarren.....San Antonio, Texas

These were chosen from a vast assortment, and some of the points they missed in their descriptions will be explained in future advertisements. FAULTLESS ROLLER BRAKE CO., Baltimore, Md., U.S.A.

the

A GRINDING, SNAPPING CHAIN pleasure of an

otherwise delightful trip awheel. You may think it impossible for a bicycle chain to always run smoothly. If so, you have not used ALLERTON MICA CHAIN LUBRICANT. All dealers. Sample by mail for 2c. stamp. ALLERTON LUBRICANT COMPANY, Warren, Pa.

DETACHABLE SPROCKET RIM.

For increasing size of front Sprocket Wheels, thereby giving a higher gear with little trouble and expense. Made in all sizes for any make of bicycle. They slip on over the old Sprocket Wheel and wedge. NEW PRICES. Write for circular and quotations. Extra chain-links and screw-driver furnished. THE MCELWAINE-RICHARDS CO., Indianapolis, Ind.

We will give, $5, $3 and $2 to the first three L. A.W.

BULLETIN readers who

discover an important error in the 1898 Catalogue of

ANDRAE

CYCLES.

Contest will not commence until July 1st, to give you time to write for Catalogue-s sent free.

JULIUS ANDRAE & SONS CO., Milwaukee, Wis.

cycle construction have almost doubled the value and efficiency of the wheel.

Greatly improved as are the best chains, they are still liable to a certain amount of wear or "stretch" while the cheaper grades will lengthen to a marked degree. There are some splendid chains now manufactured, but they are often considerably more expensive than other chains which are claimed to be first-class, but which sell for considerably less money. The chain question is not yet sufficiently well appreciated by American riders; they do not generally post themselves on the merits of the subject, and they fail to demand the very best, even on the most expensive wheels.

The so-called "stretching" of chains is lengthening caused by wear, occurring mainly on the rivets, which, in the cheaper grades, are too soft to ensure satisfactory results. Sometimes the wear is comparatively uniform throughout the chain, but it may happen to be greatest in some one portion, or perceptibly more in two places, for instance, than in the balance of the chain; and, in such cases, the chain will run alternately tight and loose over the sprocket.

A simple way to test the wear of a chain is to grasp top and bottom of it, midway between the sprockets, with the left hand, and draw the tw sides together till all slack is removed; ther the right hand, test the portion of the chain on the front sprocket, seeing how far it will it, and how much play there is in the differe