Gospel for Bloomer Girls
Gospel for Bloomer Girls
St. Louis man would build a church especially for cyclists.
From Springfield Mo. Republican April 23, 1897, page 6.
A novel idea in church matters has been evolved by Daviess W. Pittman of the Drummond Tobacco company. Mr. Pittman is an earnest church worker and an enthusiastic wheelman, and he conceived the idea several days ago of a church exclusively for cyclists. Since then he has been endeavoring to interest church people and wheelmen in the scheme and have the church built. Mr. Pittman says there are thousands of cyclists in St. Louis who are church people, but whose love for the wheel keeps them away from church. Many of them are persons who are employed through the week and on Sundays spend the major portion of the day on their wheels. They do not care to make themselves conspicuous by appearing at church in their cycling costume and as a result do not get to church at all. Forest park being the Mecca of most cyclists, Mr. Pittman’s idea is to have a church built in the locality and on Sundays have hourly services. He has figured that a building suitable for the purpose could be erected at a cost of $1,500. The Church being for wheelmen exclusively would be used only in pleasant weather and no night service would be held, thus doing away with two large items of expense – heating and [illumination?].
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