Take things as easy as possible. The greatest difficulty with beginners is to restrain the unnecessary expenditure of muscular power. They ordinarily perform ten times the amount of labor requisite. They use all the force they can, in pressing upon the pedals, and clasp the handle in front, as if hanging on for dear life. Do not strain the muscles of the arms. There is no necessity for it, or for any violent muscular effort. A good rider can obtain the greatest speed upon the road with half the exertion used by the novice in learning the first movements. If the day after your first attempt you feel a little lame and sore, remember that it is nothing more than you would feel after riding horseback for the first time, or after taking gentle but unaccustomed exercise in a gymnasium. If you finish your first trial covered with dust and perspiration, with a bumped head, jammed feet, tired arms, and sore muscles, let your faith remain triumphant, and your determination and expectation to master the vehicle increased. But with proper caution there is no danger either of falls or hurt in using the velocipede in the way we have advised. The pedal is constructed so that the foot of the rider can at once leave it; and should the machine incline to one side, it is only necessary to remove the foot from the same side, and place it on the ground. One must not let the handles go; they seem to restore and maintain the balance of the machine after the rider is off it. In alighting, both feet should be raised from the pedal at the same instant, which slackens the speed of the machine, and placed upon the ground simultaneously. If you learn in a school or rink, you will find a rough pine floor much the best for practice. Floors that are sprinkled with sawdust, or sanded, are apt to cause the machine to slip in turning.