Judge — December 1935 — page 13: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Judg And Worse Than Death Autuor’s Note: [t is not my intention t that gripping, grisly ess ism, “And Sudden Death” stan ce.a warning finger in the f ts to let today's speed incurc accuse Mr. J.C, Furnas, on careless driving, of s by itself, a macabre tour y motorist. AIT hope bles know that their reckless fore- were given a similar warning at the turn of this century ness this brief, which Tf in my grandfather's trunk only last week. Times change, it seems, but Human Nature—never, SJ. f Nt {BERS from one to seven are admirably efficient for recording the ups and downs of one’s shares. But they never get to the first wicket on the task of jarring the bicyclist into valling risks of bicycling. Police tments and insurance companies do their conscientious best to publicize the total of bicycling injuries for given periods—it was almost a thousand last year Figures are impersonal, however—just checkmarks on a chart. iey leave out the pain and horror and embarrassments. What is needed is a vivid and intelligent realization that, every time you © “scorch”, death sits on the back of your saddle (just over that shiny leather tool bag), and waits for his chance. No artist working on realization of the « depa safety-poster would dare depict the sexjtiences of bad bicycling judgr \ picture of the scene of accident would have to include stere con and sound effects, too. The pointless efforts of men—and yen—to stand up with their ankles sp raked red from the clawings of pedals unprotected with toc- The hoarse gruntings they make when a whirling handle- had caught them “amidships” athless. Th nt. nined and their shins d left them momentarily dazed, slack expression on a father’s face as he sa large blue lump rise on the forehead of Junior, who insisted on riding in the wire marketi basket between the bars. These are all standard, everyday sequels to the n passion for going places in a hurry and taking a chance » by the way ss you are a heavy-footed incurable with more leg-muscle n brains, a good look at the picture the artist wouldn't dare paint ought to be worth your while. All too few have a first- hand acquaintance with the results of mixing pneumatic tires with speed and bad judgment. I can’t help it if the revolting. F are common to every mmunity, and take facing the same way. If you have nerve to “scorch” and take chances, you ought to have the nerve to take the appropriate cure. wate cts are acts often are. These facts a ie bicycle is treacherous, just as a cat is. It is tragically difficult to realize that this incarnation of sleek and comfort- able sile: can become the deadliest of all missiles without warn- i As en jastic owners (and salesmen) tell you, the modern cycle makes fifteen or twenty feel like nothing at all. But twenty an hour is 13 feet a second: a speed which puts a viciously unjustified responsibility on coaster brakes and human reflexes. A speed which can instantly turn this docile luxury into as savage and wantonly destructive a creature as a mad water-buffalo. Col- lision, skid or sideswipe, each type of accident produces either a tering dead stop or a crashing change of direction. There is simply no bracing yourself against these imperative laws of momentum. It is rather like going over Niagara Falls on an egg-beater. The best thing that can happen to you—and fortunately, one of the more common ones—is to be thrown clear as your mount collides, so you have only the ground to reckon with. This danger, of course, is becoming more serious as our more yielding dirt roads are being replaced with the more permanent macadam. True, you strike with as much force as if you had been thrown from (Page 33, please) 11 “D—mn these picnickers! I cut my hand on an olive jar!” comicbooks.com