CASH CYCLING.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9604, 19 December 1896, Page 10

CASH CYCLING.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir, —When there arises in our midst a modern Demosthenes, or a great philosopher, X think, for the benefit ofisthe unlearned general public, they should know the name of that philosopher. I regret, therefore, that excessive modesty (?) has prevented your correspondent " F.C." from attaching his signature to the second epistle which appears in your columns this morning. In dealing with the definition of the word professional, he still maintains that he was right in calling any competitor a professional who rides a bicycle for money. He states that he cannot see how such a man can "be called an amateur. I explained •iully the position in my last letter, and if your correspondent cannot understand, after my lucid explanation, I can only quote the famous Dr. Johnson, viz.—" That I can supply 'F.C. with plenty of logical arguments, but I cannot supply him with the intellectual capacity to think those arguments out." Touching the value of amateur trophies, I would suggest to Jrour correspondent the advisability of etting that tender subject alone, as, if he fans the flames, the greater will, be the | fire. Hundreds of instances can be quoted of amateur trophies being sold by their winners, of trophies being given that were only worth half the value set upon them by the Club Secretaries; and 1 have also heard of such a thing as amateur Secretaries "arranging" with local tradesmen in various centres, to get "a small consideration." as a reward for putting a little trade in the way of the tradesman. "F. C." expresses his sorrow that up North we Bhould have such immoral athletes in the amateurs. I may inform him that, after careful enquiry, I fiud that even in Christohurch, where the amateurs are supposed to be models of purity, such a thing as " stiff" riding is by no means an uncommon occurrence.—Yours, &c., ,E. Nordon. Christchurch Cycling Club, December 18th, 1897. \ TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir, —In my previous letter to you I Stated that I should not reply to "F. C." unless he attached his real name to his puerile effusion. A man if he carries any weight at all is not afraid to have his name appearing below the opinions he expresses, but if, as I suspect, " F. C." is a whitewashed professional, I do not wonder at his hiding behind tho cloak of ationyirfity. If I have to discuss the cycling position I want to meet men who will back their opinions by their names, who if hitting hard will not ** squeak " when I hit back hard, but will take their "gruel" in a manner as I trust I have ever taken what has been ladled out to me.—Yours, &0., F. D. Kkstev_n.