Читать книгу The Modern Bicycle and Its Accessories - Julius Wilcox - Страница 7

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It is to be expected that shows will come again, with some lessons learned and surer warrant of having the net balances more on the right side all around. Meanwhile, and as an immediately timely matter, observe that cyclists have from the first gradually taken as theirs all seasonable outdoor holidays, and a sensible custom has grown up in Boston and other New England towns of making Washington’s Birthday, Feb. 22, an “opening day” among the retail cycle dealers, who hold open house, utilize flowers, decorations and other pleasant things; array their new models for view and invite the public to call. Needless to say, the invitation on this cycle “New Year calls” day is largely accepted and cyclists, real and expectant, with their sisters and their cousins and their aunts, go the rounds at pleasure, comparing models, anticipating the full riding season and enjoying good cheer.

THE DRAISINE “IN ACTION”—1818.

The retail cycle dealers in New York, lesser and greater, propose to adopt this good Yankee custom hereafter and will keep latchstrings out on Feb. 22, so that instead of one great central show there will be a thousand miniature ones scattered throughout the metropolis; it is estimated—of course there can never be an accurate census—that there are 250,000 cyclists in New York City alone. The 17th of March, St. Patrick’s Day, has generally been considered the opening of the riding season, the round of day and night being then equally divided: the “opening day” adopted for Feb. 22 will naturally and easily fall in with this customary notion as to March 17.