The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-24
CHARMS OF AUTOM0BILING.
wHY THE MORON CARRTA0E ~
GETTING so STRONG A Mold.
II Marks q Cescticr toward Individuaiism.
Gives 4 sense Of freedom aad Abolishcs
the Limitations Of Animal Traction.

n Marks n Crsctiee coward Indivtduaiism.
Gives Q sense OF freedom aad Abolishcs
the Limitatieas Of Animal Traction.
From h, Spectator.
The motor car unquestionnbly exercises
An extraordinary charm upon those who come
within It's sphere Of influence" 1t In worth
while, then, to say a word or two In explanation
OF that charm. and to make the public realize
hat the motor-car enthusiast is not q mere ]
crank swayed merely by fashion and novelty.
but has reasons for the faith that Is In him.
The essential and controlling charm OF the
hor seless carriage is that it increases ones
freedom Of action and reduces the friction
OF life. A metaphysician might describe 10
az forming part Of a reaction toward ind. idual.
ism and simplicity Of action enRendered BY
the temporary triumph Of collectivism al ap-
piled TO transport. The railway train is neces-
ssrily collectivist. A passenger train starts
and reaches its destination owing to the COM
| bined volltion Of a large number Of people
who want to travel from. let us say, Bath TO-
London. or between places along the Great
! Western Railway. But in order to satisfy
| those v~olitions and make them executive they
have to be marshalled and organized. and 40
| in a sense shackled. A railway train. with
It's guards and drivers, and fixed places OF
| stoppaQe. In q creature Of strict rules. and those
who travel In II must temporarily surrenSee
, Il dcs Dg,y sss w viss s;h Us q ps IT, ., m ,sen G;ha eaSss
| out hs motor car and drives II along the road
b, a. II were. a fresholder, with all the fres.
s nSlSsr Of he fheefS Ts@eho iasp.9 initiation. and ID ws.i91i
ness and isolation, stil. the charm Of freedom
remains and allows him to {. start n5sr wheE he y ,,kSs;
| fellows. This charm. OF course, belongs also
in theory to any. carriage from a donkey cart
to a landau: but tn IN pT nysr se !. d .scr a@ dis StpsrSs
| The lust Of time-saving j. too powerful! ana
! gives the advantage to the train. No horse
three consecutive hours, and Mt the end Of the
three hours be ready and able to &c, on for
another three 81. eight or ten hours IL Is its
a different mode OF transport. from a horss
and gives 1t It's superiority. In the case q
9 motor car You have = msthod o. MoVlms
which for short Journeys and cross journeys
Il as quick rs the train and yet one which V
indiv'dua, site and nSsnsndent, ., n. o,.,u
Of the motor car may sound fantastic, and real.
but put n concrete case OF n person living ether
in the town or in the country and u can easily he
proved. Let US suppose A to live in the country
and be anxious to make a crors-country jour.
ney TO a place some thirty miles on, Unless no
pllsh that journey. have first TO drive to his
local station. and then to take his ticket and go Q
! journey which will very likely take him an hour
! and a halfs travelling, and half an hours Walt
Ing at functions, and then another drive from
the RAILWAY station Of arrival TO the house 10
wantsto visit In oil al, probability the whole eros
| hours. and will require to be taken NJ one tina, |
and one time only. in the day. and must; there
for cause him a E 10 do deSi 6 op tr 1ossIsly yr, SyoId
this worry by using a horse carriage, for no
horse could 70 sixty miles In a day without IN
jury. If. however, he has a motor car he can DO
| the Journey In two hours and a half, and be- able
to start when he pleasee and return when he
please~. Who can deny. that such freedom has
"a .har,,9 The vaaSnn fny thia charm mQv Iva
explained yet in another way. Though the
country Is covered by a network Of railways.
We ", do s. not; unless X. are resd y, M i Tsr eve M, Re
first wife Of man. and though some sixty years
ago he took a new wife home, he never dis.
remained nearest to him and has always held
his home Nothing can take that away from her.
We live on the roads and they are part OF ana
road FOR the home-comer or the newcomer.
Our gates open on the road. The road is always
with us; But the motor car belongs 70 NE ROAD
and makes ub free OF 10 and able to use II for our
way which we could not attain before. Or, TO
r be %0 Re G 10. %'h he mI'Ss S1 'r sas . Tss!o wss 's 20
immeasurably quicker and easier than road
,rsvelllns z ,y we were sas forced forces +, to e., give so W th BE- p ,nsS.
Now. however, the road has been revived. To
| given the road a crown Of price that has oncI
again made her find favor in the eyes Of her loYd
and master. The second wife has come TO look
really rejected. rsnews her charms. Especi.
ally Is this tho case In a country like England.
where the roads are veritable storehouses OF
The Enslish roads are like wood-trinped
rivers that run twisting and turning through
t acxn v nv Si Sse Of iow N En III 1n road siH wi iGsSei
coming upon a hundred beautiful and unex-
pected things and seeing those things IN the
best possible way and a. they ought 70 be seen.
| When We 6Ap scenery from the ratlWAyR, or.
at any rate, the near-at-hand scenery, We ara
as it were. looking at the brocade Of, the land
swry and upsids down. We cut across thss
roads; not wind down them. We see the old
church or the old manor house not in a picturt
railway are for the most part act on wrong.
t%'t the sn s%sn stG%s e %sy VIII anG 4 . 81 yf msros mi:
accent" The coal shed or The chimney Of
the heating apparatus e turned ioward r
itbhe' o old ly "aR gate rate no Or CO Course Sss' these n1s q thi Sss'f 20
always been seen by. the users Of the road.
not In the same profusion as they will nov
owing 10 the use OF motor cars, To put II pla +
~. the dweller in a country district, even VIII
he uses a bicycle, does not really know n |
T TTS$ S e, % TS%e. 'hS Wa : radius q mot Of f asr h. m Vii
have a knowIedeable road radius Of at least
thirty miles; The person who does not BIZ
Ten miles there and ten miles back "a g,no-elly
the driving limit.
BIT We must not be content TO deal only
with the charm Of the motor car by reason
Of the freedom Of movement which IL ~confers.
The motor carlst"--to use q hIdeous but con-
venient .wOrd-has to consider which form ~
car, both a. regards shape and method OF pro-
pulsion. confers tho charm in the greatest per
lection, and on this we would ray a word or
two. Opinions will, Of course. differ, but We
believe that the most useful Shape il that 81
the victoria. A victoria. nth a good hood.
q little seat that can BE- put up, and a regular
box seat for two gives almost all that can be
desired OF comfort and practical convenience.
Inc owner can. when he likes, sit on the box
and drive himself. When he is tired Of that,
or 100 bNsy, he can sit inside at hi euse. and
Is aole TO get in and out with the rapldity OILY
possible IN a victoria. But granted the VIC
torsa IL the best all-round shape. what IL tho
best method Of propulsion? he would he a
bold man who would venture 10 try 90 decide
| such a question oh-hand: but this much may
De said: IL the storage Of electricity could
De made easier and quicker and generally inn
proved, electricity. would. without question,
ne me IDEAL driving force. A car charged
with electricity can be driven by a child. There
u practically. nothing 70 get out Of order or
imprisoned in the accumulatorS, and for the
number Of miles which he Is condemned 10 serve
the car Is bound TO run, Nothing is easier than
% drive a properly made electric motor car.
Unfortunately, however, the accumulators
cann as a rule only be charged 10 RIM some hftv
miles, and when that period is reached The
car must rest fve or six hours while the cleo
ulctty, Is being resupplied. But this means
that the car II not t~ircless. but capable of er-
nau.uon aud requiring rest defects which
go 70 break the charm OF freedom which -