Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-09
DRIVING AS A FINE ART.
The English Whip is Imperturba III e,
the French Nervous

Walter Wellman in Chicago Times Herald
The most striking contrast between Eng
hsh and French character one may see is
afforded by the drivers in Lordon and
Paris. The London driver is the best in the
world. Nc matter whether he is on the
box of an omnibus or the high seat of a
hanson cab, he knows his business through
ard through. He is never nervous and
never makes his horse nervous. He rarely
uses the whip. He is quiet and steady and
alert. He takes chances that amaze mis-
passengers-slipping through narrow OPEN
ings, where hub grazes hub. But the hubs
never come INTO collision. One may stay
in London week without seeing u street
accident, notwithstanding the wonderful
congestion of traffic. the apparently mex
tricable maze of horses and vehicles in the
narrow thoroughfares. AT some corner
there is gathering, a pressure, a crush
Lines OF traffic crossing one another al
right angles. To the average observer il
looks well nigh hopeless. Perhaps hours
viii have to be spent in unraveling the
langle. But in a moment or two the no.
nceman waves his hand, the kiy omnibuses
are set IN notion the hansoms take their
proper places, the carts move along with
the mass, ana almost before You know .t
all Is clear. The London driver, IN hi,
calm, lmperturbable way, Is master Of the
situation.
How different in Paris! There the drivers
are nervous and excitable. They whip their
poor horses and swear at them. The ve-
hicles dash about, often with hairbreadtn
escapes from collisions, and every now and
then without escapes. When two vehicles
come together there is an explosion OF tenn
per and of language. The air is filled with
blue smoke. One expects to see a murder
Oh Two committed before his eyes, The
horses are like their masters. They, too,
are irritable and nervous, hard to control
Wide as most Of the principal bouleyaris
OF Paris are, and with not Une-foCrth the
traffic which surges through London's mar
row streets, the number of accidents there
must be dozen times greacer than in the
English metropolis. These drivers of the
two capitals are exemplars of the national
characteristics of their respective cum
tries.
In London the drivers are all licensed.
No man can go upon the streets i'm charge
of omnibus. hanson or cart without a
license IN his pocket. If he gets into trou-
be once through his own fault he is fined
and warned. The sec nd time his license
is taken away from him and he is never al
lowed TO drive again on the streets of Lon
don. Before drivers are given their licenses
they are required to pass a civil service
examination. 1t Is not in extracting ti.
square root or bounding Timbuctoo, either
1t is III actual driving. They are taken into
a yard where there are many posts set up
In the pavement, and required to drive in
and around these obstacles. They are asked
what street they would take in order to go
from one place to another at 10 o'clock i'm
the morning. at 1 in the afternoon and at 4
O'Clock. Unless they are able to tell the
best routes all over the city NJ various
times Of the dayindica:ing the thorough
fares which are least cong esIed as the traf-
nc shirts and changes-they get no license
Our English friends know how to do many
things better than We do. and this is one OF
them.