6 THE SPORTHSTQ LIFE. July 29.

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THE. TRADE AND THE RACER.To Buffalo must be given the honor of

being the first to formulate a protest against the extortion that its cycling agcuts and makers have been subjected to by the pro­ moters of amateur race meets. For years the demands of the racer and his abettors have gone on increasing in number and variety until it has at last reached a stage where the merchant or the maker finds he must cease to be the real backer of every road race or race meet iu his vicinity, or else turn over to the cycling cormorant the major portion of his profits.

Beginning with the offering of a simple trophy, a trifling sundry or a medal on the part of the trade, prize-giving, or rather prize-grabbing, has reached a stage where the end of each season fiiids the trade with a number of its best wheels charged oft to a race meet prize account, hundreds of dollars paid for programme "advertising" and, in many cases, an "expense" account for one or more racing men which would stagger the shrewdest manager of the most expensive star when he was confronted with its magni­ tude.

What began as a pleasure has grown into a burden such as no trade can stand and prosper, and snch as it should not iu all fair­ ness be called upon to do. The demands from prize-giving and for the "expenses" of prize-winners has passed beyond the bounds of either good business or (rood sense, and the action of Buffalo's trade in defending itself against this unjust drain upon its gen­ erosity and resourcesisbothatimelyamlawise protest which should command the support and respect ot every reasonable man who is in­ terested in cycling from either a trade or a sporting standpoint. With an almost certain decline in the price of first-class machines next season, and a consequent decreased margin of profit for those who make and for those who sell them, it behooves the wheel trade to begin now to shape its affairs so as to meet this new condition of business.

Racing and the giving of race meets is no longer a pastime, it has long since passed be­ yond this; it is a distinct profession and a recognized business from which both racer and promoter make large sums of money each and every jear. Why, then, should it not be conducted on legitimate business principles; whyshould the racer and the promoter share be­ tween them theproductsandprofitsderivative from begging and coercion? Race promoters should purchase and pay for their prizes the same as any other trader buys the goods which are his stock in trade and off of the disposal of which he expects to make a profit. Under no existing or possible future condition of the sr-nrt is a race promoter war­ ranted iu filling his ptize list with the pro­ ducts of his begging or extortion from the trade.

So long as racing and race-meet giving served a purpose, and that purpose was the introduction of the bicycle to the favorable notice of the public, it was right enough, perhaps, that the trade bore its share of the expenses, since in the end it benefited more by the races than those who raced or those who promoted, but as it is now the need for no such introduction to the public exists, and race meets other than as money-making affairs have no place in the affairs of thecycle trade, hence they should not be expected to pay for and support them by contributions more or less involuntary on the trade's part.

Again, the trade mustfiud the attacks made upon them by the very men who beg from them far from a pleasant dose to take. The man who comes to the maker with hat in hand to-day and nsks him for a wheel or two for prize purposes, is found to-morrow in the temple of amateurism holding forth against the evils and iniquity of trade influences on the purity of racing.

The trade has been and is being simply treated as a convenience for and by the rac­ ing element in cycling; they are bled first and attacked by inuendo in the second place, and so long as it tabes no decided and con­ certed action to shake off the leeches which are sapping no small share of the life blood of the trade, just so long will the leeches in­ crease and the blood he decreased.

Honor, then, to Buffalo for the stand it has taken. Racing is a business, and as such, should stand or full alone. If it is a thing the public wants, then the public will pay to support it; if it is not a thing wanted by the people, then the trade is the victim of a mis­ understanding, aitd gives away its goods and money to support a thing which does not reach or appeal to those the trade expects to profit from interesting iu-the sport.

We believe that for the best interests of both sport and trade it is best that they be entirely separated from each other; they should not depend one upou the other in any way. The triule should not be called upon to support racing, nor should racing be the product of the trade's advertising schemes. Divorce from a marriage that never should have been consummated is what the best in­ terests of the two most concerned in the mar­ riage demand, and we believe that the action of Buffalo's tradesmen is the beginning of just such a happy severance of an unhappyand unholy alliance.

- At the bottom the growing passion for physi­

cal development, of which the wheelwouian is a product, 13 a new manifestation of the old wo­ manly craving for beauty. It is not that they wish to be strong that they take to the biovcle; it is because they want to be lovely to the sight. that they adopt as their models the sculptured types of feminine symmetry.

COMMENTARIES.We have more than our share of crack-

brained inventors in cycling. We are old friends of the man who knows it all and who iu consequence has promised us an aerial bicycle which will give to ,^he rider the "wings of a dove" so sighed-for by the poetic lover; we have an annual and ever increas- ng crop of the more common and more persis­

tent mile-a-minute maker whose invention will enable the wheelman to pot a locomotive on the limit mark in a handicap, and then beat it out at the finish "hands down;" our kind friends abroad have even arranged things on paper so nicely for our comfort and con­ venience that the perambulating pedal pusher rides his machine equally well on land as on water. All these and more too have we become familiar with by reading, we have grown so bluse regarding such mat­ ters that, really, we don't enthuse anymore over anything in the line of freaks, but forth from the West comes our old friend the inven­ tor in an entirely new guise and wins at once our admiration and our praise. The West is the land of wonders. Johnsons, queer Rac­ ing Board officials and I know not what else all seem to be iudigeuuous to its soil, so then it is but proper, perhaps, that we look to it to produce the man and machine which will revolutionize the entire world, cycling aud otherwise.

With rare modesty unusual in the West this new cycling cornet of eccentricity and inventiveness hides himself behind a cloud of mystery, projects his plans, and in obscu­ rity calmly listen? to the plaudits ot an as­ tounded public. This unknown declares that the combination ot loon, lunatics and cycle makes the solution of sub-marine naviga­ tion a "cinch" to borrow a word from his own vocabulary. He has combined the principal of a diving duck and a bicycle into a bout on wheels, the wheels not only support­ ing the boat, but propelling it as well, while the lusty wheelsnmn's legs put the horse power, or man power, rather, into the contriv­ ance. When the rider has seated himself upon the saddle inside the boat, the lid of the affair is hermetically sealed, the fins prop­ erly adjusted and then with a "spurt" and a splash, perhaps, the pedals are forced round, the propeller revolves, and the boat sinks gracefully or otterwise to the bottom of sea or lake. Once safe on aqueous terra not n'rma the wheels beneath the boat rest upou the bottom and then all the rider has to do is to keep them revolving just the same as he would were lie-on land, and the boat-bicycle moves rapidly along. This at least is what the inventor says and inventors are never mistaken in any claims they make regarding their own inventions.

On the whole I am rather impressed with the feasibility of this invention I have ten shares or stock given me by the inventor for this "write up," hence my impression as above though even the inventor, confiden­ tially, admitted to me that there are un­ doubtedly problems still to be solved in con­ nection with this new duck of a diver. There is, for instance, that old cycling bugbear of roads. Nobody,save Neptune, knows what is the condition of the sub-marine roads. I am sure, of course, that they are not dusty or afflicted with road hqcs, though, of course, even there dogs dog-fish are to be found in abundance, but I should think the path of the boating bicycler would be a rather muddy one. Then the climate must be somewhat damp, too. If the mermen "work out" their rotid tax iu the same way landmen do they will simply pour a few extra buckets of water ou the highway,and the improvement will,of course, not be more perceptible there than it is on laud. Twelve or thirteen mermen can­ not sit around on the rocks half a day and lie about how they can chop cord-wood or drive balky horses, or husk corn and improve their rottds, any more than can a like number of farmer men, similarly employed for the same length of time, help the state of their tho­ roughfares. Neither can the rider who is al­ ways and ever "out for the dust" find many dusty possibilities iu this new form of cycling.

From all appearances we are on the eve of a great revolution in uaval architecture, and cycling, very properly, is to be the revolu­ tionizing agent in the matter. With pneu­ matic tires in our warships, unless we find the track altogether too heavy, foreign nations would do well to keep their flimsy surface craft in the dry-dock, since all our bicycling sub-marine sinker will have to do is to Uive beneath waves and the war ships they float and shoot surtiice-ward with his little cannon aittingstraight up like smoke-stacks, or else liberate cork-covered torpedoes like balloons, and then the mighty battleship above would be punctured, plugged and penetrated until it sank a fatal monument on the ocean high­ way of the uuder-the-water wheelman of the future. Great times are these we live and cycle in, but greater still will be those iu which our cnildreu live in, perhaps.

* « *The whispering sands! Who has not heard

of them, and what poet, real or unreal, has not referred to them when he gushed about the old ocean's shores? Whispering sands are romantic. Some there are who say they really do exist. For my part, I have never heard a grain of sense come from a grain of santl, either by whispers or by loud spoken speech. Whispering on the sand, though, is different. I luive done some ot that in my time, and have even listened with much pleasure to someone else doing the whisper­ ing. Let me give you an example of a few solto voce remarks I overheard last Sunday in the sand at Asbury Park as an example of how dangerous it is to speak of noted per­ sons iu public places, even when in doing so you do not raise your voice above the weli- moduluted tones of drawing-room propriety. The beach was at its best, laden with beauty and freighted with the stars of the cycling arena. Two "summer girls," real, genuine, summer girls, the kind that makes you envy the fame of a Zimmennau or the fortune of a Wheeler, and whose near approach at once causes you to arrange your cap so as to more fully cover the bald spot upon your head, and to give to your moustaches a more rakish I-aui-still-in-the-ringsort of a twirl, strolled down to where I sat meditating upon the purity of amateurism and the profitableness of professionalism. They didn't notice me; real summer girls don't do so any more, I re­ gret to say. They finally arranged their finery and themselves so that each showed to the best advantage, and then began a very interesting conversation which did not attract my attention until it reached the stage where the blonde-haired one said:

"I don't believe a word of it, Marae; you're just jealous when you say that, and you know you are, too."

How well the dear creatures know the failings of their own sex, 1 thought.

"It's the truth, Alice. I was close to him last night as I am to you" (the young lady had her arm around he'r companion, be it known) "and I tell you it's bleached. Why it's just the color of your Imir." This was an undeserved shot because the blonde's hair was the gold of nature, not the brass of man.

"I don't care; I know he never would dye his hair for any one, and I have been as close to him as you were and luever saw anything of the kind, and I think I am as good a judge of such things as you are. Why don't you remember when you tried it once how funny you looked and how everybody got onto it at once?"

That was a Roland for an Oliver, and a silence came, then the brunette, continuing the conversation, said:

"Well, I tell you I know Zim's hair is bleached, and I don't care whether you say it isn't or not, it's true just the same. I " Then the blonde pinched her companion and the subject of all the conversation strolled by and threw himself upon the sand in front of them. While I was not as close to him as each of the young ladies claimed to have been, yet I was close enough to see that the claim was a true one, for an sure as you are alive the champion'slocks hart received more than a passing touch from the bleaching bottle and were, in consequence, of that dull, brassy, greenish tinge that ever marks man's efforts to rival nature's gifts.

Then I pondered again and wondered muchly at (lie peculiarities of our great ones. My reveries carried me far afield, and I saw a blonde-haired man winning a race in France from a field of cracks who wondered who this unknown giant was who beat the bestof them as though they were novices

but the day dream passed and back to earth I came with these words ringing in my ears.

"Alice, he's just too handsome for any­ thing. Now I suppose you'll say his hair and that handsome moustache of his is dyed, too, you mean thing." "Dyed! Well, I should say not! And Mame, do you think his teeth are false, as that Higtrins girl says they are?" "Now you know they are not, and so do I; that spiteful old thing only says that because he did not take her to the races the other day." "And hasn't he a splendid voice; just like a silver bell for all the world?" "Do you know I think he's some sort of a nobleman by his name and his ap­pearance.' "Come to think of it I believeyou are right. Montague Marion wan aris­ tocratic name. I'll just bet you're right there."

Then I fell into a trance, naturally. The rolling of cycling's two Adonises into one was too much for my nerves.

"Did you ever meet that Mr. Canister, Mame?"

"No. Is he a racer like Arthur, or is he another announcer, like Montague Marion?"

"No; you know Mr. Canister, the trick rider?"

"Oh, you mean Mr. Canary, don't yon?""Yes, that's who I mean. I was thinking

of that tea clerk who has been bothering around us over at the Ocean. Don't you think Mr. Canary is interesting to talk to?"

"Yes, indeed, I do. Why, do you know, Alice, that scarf-pin was given him by the Shah of Persia when Mr. Canary rode before bis four hundred wives in the Imrem?"

"Do you believe that, Mame?""Believe it? Why, of course, I do! He

lold me so last night when we were on the piazza together."

"What does Mr. Canary do now?""I don't know exactly, but I think from

what he says that be owns a nice track and a bicycle factory in Springfield."

"Does he really!""And, I forgot to tell yon. do you know

how Mr. Canary says they make his track the fastest one in the world?"

"By rolling it I suppose, like they do this one down here."

"No, indeed. Why you ought to know that is an old-fashioned way. Mr. Canary hires fifty women by the week, and they just go over that track with flat irons and iron it just like you would a collar or a cutt,so that when it is finished it is just like it came out of a Chinese laundry."

"Dear me, that must cost an awful lot ot money!"

Of course it does, but a rich man like Mr. Canary don't care, don't you know."

I couldn't stand listening to any more se­ crets, they were getting a bit beyond my depth of belief, so I silently sneaked away and left the whispering maidens alone upou the sands of Asbury Park.

* * They were coming nurd. There was no

earthly use in trying to deny that; his clothes, his face and his wheel showed all that in the hardness of the coming he had suffered in his going. He leaned his wheel against the fence, carefully scanned the outlook for dogs, and, seeming satisfied, softly whistling to himself "Though Poor, I'm a Gentleman Still," he strolled up to the Queen Somebody or other villa. The queen of the villa an­ swered his timid knock, and his eyes at once showed 'him that the queen had red hair; was no spring chicken, either. Before he had a chance to remove his battered cap, and remark about the wannness of the weather and the poorness of the highways for vehicular traffic of the cycling stamp, she said peremp­ torily:

"VVe want no tramps here.""I beg your pardon, madam," he re­

sponded so very politely that it startled her."Aren't you one of those wheel tramps?"

she asked quickly."I am, madam, I am glad to say, not a

tramp.""Are you a peddler?""I am, madam, I am glad to say, not a ped­

dler, though it is true I am a peduller.""Are you a book agent?""I am. madam,I am glad to say,not a book

agent, though sweet nature is to my tires and myself an open and dusty tome whose leaves are of the hedge-row and the tree."

"You must be one of those bicycling tour­ ists; a rich man's son, a man of wealth," she returned, sarcastically.

"I am, madam, I am sorry to say,not nman of wealth, save in health and charity for my fellowmen."

"Then what are you?""I am, mad:un, a gentleman of inelegant

leisure; something a grade higher than the other gentleman you mentioned, for I am compelled to leisure and cross-country cycling by circumstances over which it is needless to say I had no control. I have called to see if you couldn't give me a chef d'ccuvre in pie, or a glass of milk, or a bit of cold roast ou the half bone."

He got all he wanted.As he strolled back down that walk to­

wards the weeel he had left at the gate he gaily whistled, "There Are no Flies on Me," while she, standing in the doorway beside the well cleaned dishW he had dined off of, said:

"1 believe he 7* a tramp after all."Aud he was.

» *Never shone moon brighter upon lovers

more devote I or fair to see. The soft hush of early eve had stolen upon them ere they uoticed it, and their wheels seemed guided by the feet of Cupid as they slowly glided over the road, above which arching trees made a canopy.throujjh which the envious nioou,in its efforts to shine upon the loving pair, worked into a curious fret-work of light and shade upon the road beneath, Theirs was a love so fervid and so overwhelming that it steeped their senses in a languor that bereft them of even speech, and they could but gaze upon each other and send forth sweet sighs like unto the soft soughing of a punc­ tured tire. Ttiey had it bad.

Slower nnd slower the pedals revolved, louder and longer grew the quivering sighs from maiden bosom and manly breast; even the katydids had hushed their rasping even­ ing song, and sat, greeu in envy, looking at the pair beneath.

Never yet ran true love smoothly. There came a tinkling like unto a silver bell, a rattle of metal against metal, a grinding as of steel against steel, a hurried exclamation of feminine surprise, a sudden halt and then a dismount and in a voice quivering with emo­ tion and fear she said: "Oh, George, some­ thing has broken my chain!"

In an instant George was upon his knees in the dust examining the break supposed to have happened. Still the moon played hide and seek with the leaves above, anJ the light from its silvered face helped not the loving swain in his efforts to disentangle the foreign substance which had wrapped itself around the chain and dress-guard so as to make the propulsion of the wheel fin impossibility.

"Wait," said he, "until I take this wheel to yonder opening and there see what has happened it."

She waited and he went.The moon still smiled, the katies did and

denied, and she leaned pensively against a moss-covered tree trunk. Presently George returned, and the wheel he brought ran smooth and true, but George seemed con­ fused.

"What was it, George?" she said.George answered not."Answer me, George. What was it?"Still Georgie to the plaintiff' no answer

made."George Wabbles, I demand you answer

me. What was it stopped "Then George, hurt and frightened too, by

the change from her cooing to her cutting tones, fumbled in his pocket with grease and dust begrimed fingers, and from the re cesses of his coat brought forth a torn and blackened circlet of silken elastic, clasped at its ends by bits of dainty silver, and placed it in her outstretched hand. The reason of George's silence was explained, likewise the cause of all the accident. Like a statue of rosy marble she stood and gazed upon the dainty trifle. George leant upon the fence with his face turned from her, the moon went modestly behind a cloud, the katydids sang shrilly, and she stood alone iu the road so white and silent. Slowly they mounted, silently and swiftly sped home­ ward. They never spoke; grief sat enthroned in their r.enris and embarrassment silenced their tongues. A-itiduuJs will happen. Tita

jilver question and the silken web it binds are no less a factor in cycling than they are '.n finance. Poor George, poor girl!

* . * «He was getting fleshy, his friends said he

vas already fat enough to kill; he wasn't >roud of his weight or the shape it gave him,

so he looked around for some way to lose fat and gain form. He tried starving, he tried >atent medicine, he even experimented with he Inferno of the Turkish bath, but it was

no use; his waist got larger, his breath came shorter, and he began to look forward with 10 great pleasure to the day when he would >e sought after by the proprietors of dime museums as a curio.

It could hardly have been otherwise; he was a blood; all his days he had lolled in his club fed heartily and took no exercise to speak of. It had come to a stage at last 'lowever, where something must be done and lie began his anxious search for that some­ thing. Now it happened that about five miles from where he lived there was a doctor who effected faith cures, and in desperation o this doctor he at lust applied for relief. Having sung a few hymns, examined and anointed the patient with a few drops of oil, he doctor said that he could and would effect

the desired cure in a few weeks, provided the sufferer would comply strictly with his direc- ions, which the said sufferer was naturally

not slow to obligate himself to do.The terms prescribed by the doctor were

simple enough. His patient was to make the ourney from his home to the doctor's and >ack again each day, and he was to make the ourney on a bicycle, because, said the doc- ;or, the influence of steam and horse was averse to the psychological conditions lecessary to effect the cure. All this the

patient did. The treatment itself consisted simply in sitting on a hard chair in the doc­ tor's presence, cogitating upon the certainty of the promised cure and the payment of a cer­ tain $10 fee each time for the pleasure of said cogitation. Six weeksof thissortof thinghad shrunken the patient's frame almost as much as it had his bank account, and then the doc­ tor told him that, inasmuch as he was prac­ tically cured, the best thing he could do , was to dispense with his brougham in favor | of a bicycle.

Since then Mr. Heavysides has been a firm believer in the efficacy of the faith treatment for corpulency, and there is no telling how much good and how many bi­ cycles he has caused to be bought by urging his fat friends to try prayer and pedaling for the removal of unwanted flesh.

* * *It seems to me that I have before remarked

in this column that amateurs are a queer lot. The more I study them thequeerer they seem to me and the more difficult they become of understanding. Without conceit, I think no one has been brought into a more intimate relationship with the amateur of commerce th.m I have. I believe I am competent to issue at this moment a sort of bicycling Brad- street, which would contain the asking, pur­ chasing, selling ami buying price of the or­ dinary amateur, whether crack or hack. I once thought something of issuing such a work, believing it would find a ready sale among the trade, but gave up the idea, be­ cause some of niy friends, who nre amateurs, thought it would bear the market so that they could no longer earn enough in a short racing season to keep them in luxury the re- maiiuler of the year. Only the other day a letter reached me, which is but one of the many which drift my way, regarding tbecost of turning a pure amateur into a pure pro., and perhaps if I print the letter here it will best illustrate what 1 am trying to get at. The letter was as follows:

"Afy 2)ear Sir: I am 15 years old and the 'Champion Boy Rider of the Northwest,' and wish to apply for a license in the N. C. A. N'./w if you will have a lot of races put in for boys under 16, with good cash prizes, I will join the oirouit at once. All the riders inform me that as 3or>n as it becomes known that I have ap­ plied for membership in the N. C. A. my L. A. W. membership will be forfeited. Now if you will offer me some inducement to join I won't oare for that. Please let me hear from you as goon a* possible."

I wrote the budding "pro." that I thor­ oughly appreciated what a drawing card he would be to the N. C. A., but admitted that 1 WHS a bit green us to the actual market value of "boy" champions, though I had a fnir idea of the value of more mature ones. To this I got the following reply, which shows that modesty is not always the greatest virtue of "champions," as I hud been, taught to believe:

"M// Dear Sir. Yours of the 19th inst. has been received. Yes, I think it would be a big ad for the Association for mo to join. Soon after joining I would go with pane-makers ami make a world's record for boys under 16 that I do not believe will ever be approached. I am confident of my ability to win a good share of the cash in any cUss. I am now riding a Rambler ra<:er, but have been riding a special built Union racer. I will join the N. C. A. if you will put up at least one race for boys under 16 for each meeting, piy my railway expenses to the next meeting of the circuit and pay my expenses for the first two weeks. Please let me hear from you as soon as possible. Hoping to hear favorably from you as soon as possible I remain."

I am now in the market for a few more "buy champions," and when I discover them I am going to spring upon the unsuspecting racing public a surprise that will make me both famous and fortunate. Until I gut the rest of the juvenile stars, however, I will be forced to sit helplessly by and see this moilest youth of the boundless West uncorrupted by the power of the money 1 am credited with deal­ ing out with so liberal a hand to pay for ama­ teurs to win the cash of the N. C. A.

THE COMMENTATOB.

there are good grounds for the manner in which the point is referred to in the annual report of the Wolrerbaiupton Chamber of Commerce is­ sued this wtek.

"The years 1890 and 1891 were very pros­ perous In the English cycle trade, and especially favorable to Wolverhampton. The past year will, however, be memorable in the English oycle trade, ohiefly because the supply of cycles during the season fairly exceeded the demand. In other words, competition began to be felt seriously. Coventry, however, suffered f.ir worse than Wolrerhampton, partly owing to large Block* of old pattern cycles, and chiefly by reason of reckless methods of finance.

"On the it hole, Wolverhamton considerably improved her condition daring the past year and (to quote from the report) 'is now third, if not seeond, in importance as a cycle centre.' In view of the fact that \Volverhauiton is tbe original home of the cycle industry, it must be gratifying to that community to find that they have to some extent regained a share in a man­ ufacture which, in the opinion of many, ought never to have left them." Cycle Record.

ZIM'S TIPS.

SHE DAILY LEARNED HALF.

When She Tried to Reverse the Test Came and the Crash Followed, and Then She Stopped Riding for a- While."Once upon a time a girl was seized with

the bicycle mania. That was three years ago, when mammas were not quite so liberal- minded as they are now. A rich aunt threat­ ened to disown her and the rest of the rela­ tives raised a cborus of disapproval whenever she mentioned the subject. For the sake of peace and quiet the dear, self-sacrificing girl gave up tbe bicycle idea, although every season she suffered terribly whenever she saw a girl on awheel. About a week ago sbe asserted her rights, and took her savings for three years and invested them in a bicycle. Every morning she disappeared for several hours, and returned home with bandaged fingers, torn skirts, a banved-in hat, a sour temper and a painful limp.

"Yesterday she invited the family to assemble at a certain riding school to see her perform. Sbe nimbly mounted, spun around the hall twice, jumped off and on with the agility of a young kitten, and excited tbe admiration of the wbole crowd.

"Then some officious person said: 'Go around the other way.'

"Sbe had always practised in the one direc­ tion, but such a trifle did not worry her, so she wheeled around and rode off like a runaway cable car. When sbe arrived at the first turn there was a terrible crash, a shriek, a resound­ ing crack made by her head coming in contact with the floor, and then all was still.

"The family had her taken borne in an ambu­ lance, aad she has already made arrangements to have the machine patched up and sold at half price.

"It only cost her about $125 to have her dream realized." Chicago Record.

American Demand For English Cycles"The enormous growth of late in the

American demand for Knglish cycles is one of the chief factors which has led to the present productiveness in the English cycle trade. This being so, a few words as to the condition of the cycle centres on this side may be interesting. Coventry is at present at the head of the cycle trade here in the matter of production. The second place must be given to Birmingham or Wolverhamptoii. Most people would award the palm without much hesitation to the former city, but so enormous has been the growth of the cycle trade ia the Blank Country U»w» (' UU thai

A Few Pointers From Arthur on How to Get Fit and How to Stay So After You Get There.Most men should commence training on

the road at least a mouth before their first race, but I take a much longer time to get fit. My only consolation is that I keep in form longer than usual, generally right through the season, except when, as last year, I rode for anil won the fifty miles English championship, without any preparation for such a lon.£ distance, and in coutvquence went stale. Tuis preliminary road riding, like every­ thing connected with training, must be done in a regular and systematic manner.

Regularity in work is a most important ele­ ment of successful training. Tbe morning exercise should be taken from one and a half to two hours after breakfast. I do not believe in taking any exercise before breakfast, as some well-intentioned writers on this subject advise. I have tried it, but it was not a success. It seemed to me like trying to run an engine with­ out fuel. There was no question in my own case but that balf an hour's wi-rk before break­ fast took more out of rue than an hour's work after a good meal had bad time to digest. I found it did not agree with me, and therefore discontinued it. Well, then, one and a half or two hours after breakfast, ride from eight to ten miles on the road.

I advise wearing a sweater to work off the adipose tissue. The last three or four mites should be ridden 'it n smart pace, but refrain from spurting. Go straight, without loitering about, to your dressing room, which should be wnrin. Here the perspiration will increase. You should immediately be rubbed with soft towels until thoroughly dry, when a further rubbing with some alcoholic preparation will prevent you becoming stiff. I would advise lots of hand rubbing. This is an important thini{, as it benefits the muscles and works off flesu. After each ride I am rubbed thoroughly dry with towels, then my wbole body undergoes a sort, of massage treatment from tbe bare bunds of nn attendant, and then a liniment is plentifully applied and rubbed in.

I consider rubbing with the bare hands by a strong, healthy person one of the most valuable adjuncts to good training. By it the muscles are made free and pliable, and the skin is kept in a smooth, healthy condition. Also after a hard race there is nothing so refreshing as to be worked with the bare hnnds. No amount of rubbing with any kind of towels seems to have tbe same effect. It revives one nvire than any­ thing I have ever seen tried. The effect is felt at once, and there is no reaction as in the case with stimulants.

A man in traininz should nover be over­ heated unless he is prepared to be properly rubbed down. This point is most important, as a cold is easily contracted. It is an immense advantage to a raoin; man when he starts training if he can obtain the assistance of a modern adviser, preferably one who is bimself a cyclist, who works upon reasonable and rational lines and who will rub him thoroughly as above described. It is undoubtedly a fact that where feelings of friendship or affoction exist between the two men, the beneficial efleot upon the rider is greater.

The trainer should study your peculiarities and point out your errors. On the other hand, nothing could be worse than being under the guidance of a bad trainer or one with an im­ perfect knowledge of tbe requirements of oycle training and faddist ideas of his own. To ride immediately or soon after a hearty meal, whether it be breakfast, dinner or supper, is worse than useless when training. A feeling of dullness is sure to come over one, and the best efforts cannot be put forth under such conditions.

LJXNKMAN LAUGHS.

At the Yarn That Ho Did Not Ride Full Distance in His Hundred-Mile Record-Breaking Ride.Record-breaker Jacob W. Linnemau, of

Buffalo, is naturally and justly indignant at the insinuation of a New York paper that he cut off' five miles when he made his famous record for 100 miles at Orange, N. J., a week ago Saturday.

"I'll give a $150 bicycle to anyone that can prove the charge," said he to-day.

Linneman says that the telegraphic dis­ patches sent to Orange by the lookouts will prove his statement that he rode tbe wbole distance and a mile or two more. At the 20- mile observatory he was in the lead by more than 15 minutes. At the last observatory four men were in front of him.

"That doesn't look like I cut off five miles, does it?" asks Linneman.

"The fact of the matter is I took tbe wrong road, and before I ascertained that fact I had ridden throe or four miles. I had some diffi­ culty in getting hack into the proper course, and did carry my wheel over a sandy stretch of a quarter of a mile. Ileyond that I rode every inch, and no one finished a fairer, squarer hun­ dred miles. The dory was probably started by someone envious of y\y record.

"If I were asked to name the guilty man I think I could do it, but what's trie use. My offer oueht to make him assert his identity."

HERE IT IS.

The Evils Which Have Crept Into This Branch of Trade Are Fast Driving From It Those Who Desire to Conduct It Upon a Business-Like Basis.We have upon various occasions pointed

ut the many troubles that the bona-fide ycle agent h;is hud to coi.tend with, viz.,

competition with small agenus and makers, cutting in prices, retailing of mongrel ma­ chines and many other items of opposition ihich, when put together, have made the lot f the genuine agent anything but happy.

Well, perhaps the agents themselves have >een more or less to blame for this state of iffairs, as they have never been united, but on the contrary have been in many instances underselling each olher. A short time ago we had rumors that a cycle agent's associa- ion was being formed so that these sort of hings could be dealt with, but up to the >resent time we have heard nothing concern- ng it. And now what is the latest slate of

Ul'airs? We have only to walk around the city to observe cropping up mushroom-like, small cycle depots. Ifanian can put a spoka n a macbine he terms himself a bicycle maker, le finds some unsuspecting maker anxious to

secure an nigent and he gets fixed up. Thus the estimate agent suffers an injustice.

liut there is a still greater ev.I to contend with, ind th it is the over-crj'.vding of the market with machines which are; to sity tho le'ist uf it, simply rotten, got up for sales by auction, retailed by ronmongers, pawnbrokers, barbers, umbrella repairers and such like. They aro manufic- ured frum tubing which is scarcely good

cnout'h to C"ine under the designation of the oinmon gacpipe; yet the market is, as we have

said, crowded with them. Novices in their ig­ norance purchase them, and perchance the first ride is the last. The machine bursts up, iomething K»es radically wrong, and the novice gets disjjuMuJ both with the machine and cy­ cling. His first impressions of our sport are not at all favorable, and consequently not only does the legitimate agent suffer, but the sport suffers. Alt this miirht be removed were the agents amalgamated or formed into a sort of associa- .ion for protection of their own interests.

Even at the present time the agents are threatened with formidable opposition by one or two people outside the trade who are soing to supply machines at prices which would scarcely pay for tires and accessories. These machines are being advertised broadcast with tho object of catching inexperienced riders and buyers, nnd there is little doubt that to a certain ex­ tent the vendors are successful in catching un­ suspecting buyers. \Ve have recently been told that pneumatic tired machines are being offered >y one of these firms at something like $50, and if this is correct how we ask is a legitimate

nt to earn his livelihood? In the first place, he cannot Cope with tbe opposition at tbese prices, which in itself is one of the best proofs ^bat the goods are not reliable. As a rule, they never bear the name of a maker; they are scraped up at starvation priced and retailed at a very small profit, thus fairly crippling the genuine a b'ent, who can do nothing except push hard tho machine for which he is agent. Tbese cm be relied on bv purchnsers if they deal with an agent who represents a respectable firm, but once tbe young rider or novice starts purchasing these common gasplpe and soft solder machines he ru;,y rely upon it that he will ever have satisfaction.

The Song of a Cycle Which Has Set All England Crazy.

There Is a Dower wituiu my heart,Dnisv, I)«i«y,

Planted ou« Jay bj a glancing dart.Wauled hy Daisy Bull.

Whether t,he loves me or lores me not,i4oQietim*i8 it's hard to tell;

Vet I am K>nK>n« to sliarD ttie lotOf beautiful Daisy Dull.

CHORUS.Daisy. Daisy,

Give me un answer, do. I'm tialf cruiy,

All for th« love of you. It won't bo a stylish marriage, I cau't afford a carriage,

But you'll look sweet Ou the Heat

Of a bicycle built for two.We will go tandem as man and wife,

Daisy, Daisy Pedaling tway down the road of life,

I and my Daisy Bell. When the road's dark we can both deflpiM

P'liceman nod lamps as well. There are brlglit light* iu the dazzling eyes

Of beautiful Daisy Bell. Chorus. I will sland by you in whe«l or woe,

Daisy, Daisy. V.'u'll be tho bell which I'll ring, you know;

Swoot little Daiay Ue.ll. Ton'11 take tbe lead iu each trip we take,

Then if I duu't do well, I will permit you to use the brake.

My beautiful Daisy Bell. Chorus.

Heat Helps Speed.If a racing man has any doubt about it beinj

easier to make fast time ou a warm day than on a cool one be should hie himself out some o these sweltering summer afternoons to the road, race course or track and time himself fo five miles; then try the same distance some da] under adverse conditions. We never bcfon thought there was so much advantage to bo ob tained in speed on a warm day as when recently we attempted the run of five miles and return over a smooth road, accomplishing it in fully a

minute less time than when made on a cool day with no wind. Of course, most racing men :now there is some difference, but we think to erive all tbe advantage and surprise them- elves tbey should select a five or ten mile road

ride on a suffocatingly hot day, when the exer­ tion will cause the sweat to run in torrents over he face and body.

THE CYCLE AGENT'S FUTURE.

WHAT AII^ED HIM.

He Had Hypnosis Bicyclistarum, Not a Plain, Every-day Drunk, as the Officer Charged Him AVitli."Hero, judge, is a fellow who says he was

not guilty of being drunk, and that th« oflicers have made a grievous mistake," said tbe officer to a Fall Eiver magistrate, accord­ ing to the Globe.

The Judge "How is that. George? Tha arresting officers say they found him all doubled up and suffering from the effects of a summer still."

Officer "Well, he says to me that he didn't drink anything at all, and that.the reason he was all twisted up in the back was that he is a bicycle rider and has (rot the 'Kyphosis Bicy- elistnrum.'"

The Judge "The what!"Officer "Tho Kyphosis Bicyclistarum."Tho Judge "Is that contagious, and has he

ever been vaccinated?"Officer. "Oh, that isn't catching. That'i

the scientific name for that camel's hump you see on the bicycle riders when they're rushing through Main street doubled up like a jack- knife, wearing theirshirts outsidelike"chinks," and thoir legs in sooner pants. Them's pretty good words, judge Kyphosis Bicyclistarum, ain't they?"

The Judge. "Yes, they are, George. Thos« words must have come from Chicago. So that's what ailed you, Ned, instead of drunkenness, is it?"

Prisoner "I think that's what it is, your Honor. I have a funny feeling all the time, and it must be that that's bothering me."

The Judge "You foel thirsty a great deal, don't you, with that disease?"

Prisoner "Everv five minutes, your Honor."The Judge "Mr. Officer, did you make a

mistake in arresting tbis man when he had this this, this bicyclijtarum?"

Policeman "It wasn't no bicyclistarnin he had aboard when I found him. It was a low- down brand of Santa Cruz rum, mixed ale, pork pies and flannel cigars that he had taken to sleep with him when I found him laid out be­ hind the City Hall. It's a iajj he bad, instead of sickness, but I'll bet he's sick enough this morning, just the same."

The Judge "You think he is no bicycle rider then?"

Policeman "I know he ain't. He is a walker, and he's been walking one free lunch beat for six months. That fellow couldu't climb onto a bicycle any more than George could, and I'd give half my vacation to see George trying one round with a bicycle. The machine would beat him rastlin", but George minht make a good fight if it was rough and tumble rules."

The Judge "Joe, I'm afraid you are a bit of a liar You may go to jail for one mouth."

THE GIFTS OP THE WHEELi.

What It Offers to Those Who But Take Advantage of the Health and Pleasure It Offers.As a means of exercise, the bicycle is a

notable contribution to the healthful agencies of the day. It is somewhat degraded when speed is the object sought, at the expense of an erect spinal column and a well expanded uhest, but it is unquestionably beneficial when one avails himself of it leisurely and philo­ sophically. Those who are willing to acquire rounded shoulders in tb e attempt to beat local records for rapidity of locomotion do not know how to ride intelligently, or to get out of wheel­ ing all tbe good there is in it.

Constant speeding of tlie wheel, where speed is not necessary, is about as sensible a perform­ ance as ordinary running without a motive, be­ sides beins exceedingly reprehensible and dan­ gerous when practiced on the citv streets. la the summer time the greatest delight obtainable from bicycling is in the facility it affords for trips along a country road, among the manifold beiuues and blessings of nature. If a good riding posture is studied, the rural atmosphere thus inhaled, not to speak of the sentimental diversions of tbe mind, is a liberal reward for the comparatively slight physical exertion.

A Reverie.The spldor works with wit and will,

She frames her wheel and slie )a sped;But 'Us tlie dew'e gift, Dot her ski!!.

That liaugg with diamonds every thread.With paini aud patience we uo less

Shape oni our ride*, but yet allowThat a!l onr brightest httppiueas

It gout from c)cHng, we kuow not how*