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Title
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en
The Outdoor Woman
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Description
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The article offers advice on maintaining active outdoor pursuits like bicycling and fencing during colder months. Despite a temporary halt in cycling due to cold weather, the author reassures cyclists that many favorable days remain for riding, especially for those who ride year-round. She emphasizes dressing warmly without excessive bulk, recommending woolen clothing, lined bloomers, and high boots to ensure comfort. Wind is highlighted as a greater challenge than cold itself, with strategic route planning suggested to counteract it. The text also addresses bicycle etiquette, noting that men should take the more dangerous side when riding with women, and should lead when the path narrows.
The author additionally discusses indoor winter sports, particularly the appeal of fencing, which she praises for its ability to develop grace and poise. Fencing is noted to be physically demanding but highly beneficial, requiring consistent practice to master its complexities. The increasing popularity of fencing classes for women, particularly those taught by female instructors, is highlighted, with recognition of the value of women teaching this art to better address the needs of female students.
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Creator
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Adelia K. Brainerd (Author)
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Date
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December 19, 1896
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volume
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29
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number
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51
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page start
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1066
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page end
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1067
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Rights
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Public Domain
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content
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en
The Outdoor Woman
Although bicycling was recently interrupted for a few days by a sudden snap of cold weather, that need not be regarded as a signal of the close of the season. There are almost certain to be many days yet before the close of the year on which riding will be nearly, if not quite, as pleasant as in warmer weather. There are hundreds of people in New York City and its suburbs who refuse to recognize any but an all-the-year-round season for wheeling. They keep their machines cleaned and in perfect condition for use all through the winter and make the most of the many favorable riding days which occur.
In the opinion of the majority of cyclists, extremely cold weather, even if the ground is smooth and free from snow, cannot be considered favorable to riding for pleasure. It is next to impossible for most persons to keep comfortably warm on the wheel if the thermometer stands below or even at the freezing point. But when the mercury runs up into the forties, or thereabouts, as it has frequently done for days at a time in the past two or three winters, it is quite easy to ride many miles without taking cold or even experiencing any chilly sensations. Naturally, one must be warmly dressed, and just here has come the problem of how to accomplish this without getting into that awkward and uncomfortable condition which is aptly described as "bundled up." The one thing to be remembered is that you must manage to secure necessary warmth with as little weight and bulkiness as possible.
There should be, first of all, a close-fitting suit of woolen underclothing from head to foot. If you are among those who object to long-sleeved flannels for ordinary wear, you should invariably lay aside your prejudice against them when it comes to bicycle riding. In the position which the arms are obliged to maintain—outstretched in front of you, the hands grasping the bars—the wind has an admirable opportunity for whistling up the sleeves of your waist or coat, and a flannel which clings close to the skin is the only thing that will prevent a very disagreeable chill. Over this woolen suit, the fewer muslin garments you wear the better; they add to the bulk only, not to the warmth. The bloomers underneath the skirt should be of much heavier cloth than those used at any other season, and they are better still if lined. Leggings are still worn by many women, though the preference is for the high laced boots. Personally, I think the latter are not only more comfortable, but are also much trimmer in effect. The bicycle suit itself should be of warm woolen goods, and if the waist is heavily interlined, with an extra chamois jacket worn under it, there will be no need of a coat. It is a great advantage to be able to do away with the outside coat, though a short tight-fitting one may be worn if the rider finds the material of her suit too light to afford adequate protection. The warmest gloves you can find will not be too heavy, for in the experience of most people the hands are more likely to suffer from cold than any other part of the body.
The wind always forms the greatest drawback to the pleasure of winter riding, a still cold being infinitely more bearable. The most sensible thing to do is to choose a road which runs so that you will have the wind with you—it is almost always possible to find one—ride as many miles as you intend to go that day, and come home by train. I know that in many parts of the country this plan would not be feasible, but it is very generally and successfully practiced by large numbers of riders in the neighborhood of the cities.
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From time to time, questions relating to the etiquette of bicycle riding have been raised in the newspapers and elsewhere. Among them are queries as to which side of the path a man should take when he is riding with a woman, whether he should ride in front of or behind her, etc. There is certainly no hard-and-fast rule which will apply to all cases, but regarding the side which it is better for the man to take, the same principle which governs him when walking with a woman may be followed—that is, he must always take the side, if there be any difference in that respect, which is likely to be the more dangerous or disagreeable. On an ordinary road, where vehicles are going and coming in both directions, he would ride at his companion’s left hand, thereby keeping on the inside, between her and the traffic coming toward them. When it becomes necessary to pass a wagon or wheel going in the same direction, he would probably ride ahead, picking out a safe way for her to follow. As a general rule, in any place where the path is narrow or difficult, making single-file riding imperative, the man should go ahead, where he may get the first glimpse of any obstacle or danger. When the two are riding abreast, it is a good idea for the man to allow the woman to keep just a trifle ahead, so that she may set the pace, as it were, and that he may be sure he is not urging her beyond her strength.
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Every indoor winter sport which relieves the monotony of gymnasium work is gladly welcomed by those who keep up regular physical exercise all the year round. Among such sports, fencing is one of the most attractive, partly, perhaps, from its historic and romantic associations, but largely from its own good qualities, which are quite apparent even to the uninitiated looker-on. More quickly, probably, than any other exercise, fencing develops that much-desired attribute of grace in carriage and motion. Ease, lightness, and a lithe activity in which there is nothing awkward or jerky characterize the movements of the accomplished fencer. So well recognized has this fact become that most actors and actresses, and a large proportion of public singers, take fencing lessons solely for the purpose of acquiring the grace which is so necessary to their professions. For several seasons there have been many private fencing classes conducted in New York in the winter, where women and children have learned the art with much pleasure and profit. Some of the women who are most expert with the foils practice regularly at the Fencers’ Club, under the direction of the teachers there. Instruction in fencing is also given at the Berkeley and other gymnasiums, including those connected with the large colleges and schools.
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A new departure this season consists of fencing classes for women taught by a young French woman, who has herself been a pupil of the best maîtres d’escrime. These classes are held in Brooklyn and have met with immediate success. There is certainly no reason why a woman, if she is a thorough mistress of the principles and technique of the art, should not make as good a teacher as a man. In many ways, she might be better as an instructor for women, because she would be more likely to appreciate the difficulties they encounter, and to be correspondingly careful not to overwork them.
For fencing is a far more vigorous exercise than an observer would be likely to suppose, unless she watched closely and noticed the glow and healthy fatigue which follow a spirited bout. Every muscle is called upon at one time or another, and often all the muscles together, to preserve the proper balance and poise. Strength and endurance come with steady practice, and in no other way. Of course, as in every exercise, some pupils learn more readily than others; but no one, no matter how quick or athletic she may be, is exempt from patient rehearsing of the fundamental postures and thrusts. Physical benefit one receives from the very beginning, even while she is still a confessed member of the “awkward squad,” but real skill and grace, such as would call forth genuine praise from an exacting fencing master, are gained only by many months of work. So old an art has naturally developed a multitude of details, a complete knowledge of which is necessary for anything approaching perfection.
ADELIA K. BRAINERD
