Life, 1896-06-25 · page 10 of 17
Life — June 25, 1896 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Seven Stages" This is a satirical poem illustrated with vignettes showing different types of bicycle riders, playing on Shakespeare's "Seven Ages of Man." Each circular vignette depicts a character type during the bicycle craze—likely from the 1890s when cycling was enormously popular. The stages shown include: a nervous novice wobbling uncertainly; a groaning "Layman" struggling with pain; an enthusiastic "Scorcher" racing recklessly; a pompous "Justice" in formal attire; a "Pantaloon" elderly rider with spectacles; and others, ending with childish enthusiasm. The satire mocks how cycling affected different social classes and personality types—from anxious beginners to reckless speeders to ridiculous elderly riders. It's commentary on the bicycle's cultural impact and how various people adopted this new technology with varying degrees of grace and competence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ALL the world’s a rink, And all the men and women merely bikers. They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his course breaks many parts. At first the Novice, Wobbling and trembling in the instructor's arms; And then the groaning Layman, with his sling And bruised mourning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to bed; And then the Enthusiast, Panting like Cerebus, with a bicycle expression, But bound to get there. Then a Scorcher, Full of strange oaths and clothed with many checks, Jealous of others, sudden and quick in falling, Seeking the biking reputation even in the ambulance. And then the Justice, his fair round body in good tweed clothes arrayed, With eyes severe and nose and brow much cut, Full.of wise rules and wheeling instances, And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts Into the lean and gaitered Pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and sprain on side; His youthful hose well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank, and his big. manly voice, Turning again to childish treble, pipes and whistles in its sound. Last scene oi all that ends this strange eventful history, To second childishness in pure enthusiasm, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans legs, sans every- thing. Ccomicbooks.com