Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-11-25
An Autom obiIe Enconium.

The following article upon the auto
mobile is by j. w. Hall, and appeared
in the Worcester (Mass.) Telegram.
The automobile has come to stay. So
have death, taxes and the devil. AS
science conquers disease and good men
and women abolish war, other means
will be evolved to kill off humanity to
make room for those to come after us,
The development of the motor car
riages is something wonderful. 1t has
all come about during the PAST six years.
To my mind, they are the most evil
looking, neck breaking, murderous con-
trivances for locomotion that ever in
tested and made dangerous the high
ways. Like the old piratical crafts of
the sea, they look low, rakish, sneaking
and malicious. They are apt to go side
wise like crab and hug the earth like
a ponderous turtle. Their name should
be iuggernauts, for they crush out the
lives of the people.
To ride on one must be as pleasurable
as riding to New York on the pilot of a
mile-a minute locomotive. Luckily they
are only within reach of the rich. If
the poor had them, horsemen and pedes-
trians would have to take to the air.
They have filled no long felt want.
Some express companies and CONNER
cial houses have adopted them for de-
livery purposes, the latter mostly as adj
vertisements. But they are not fam
ing success for anything but killing
people, and they should carry black
flag. The villanous racing monster the
terror of the road, is used mostly by a
class of rich people who have become
satiated with the other forms of amuse-
ment known to their set. to whom the
anto is a new plaything.
Like all such loafers, they are danger
Gus to society; sort of scum rising to the
top of troubled sea. They do not travel
for pleasure but for mischief. They do
not seem to journey to enjoy leisurely
the beauties of nature, but rush madly
at a breakneck pace, like crazy comet
bent on smashing worlds. Their only
object seems to be to get there. And
when they get there, they wonder what
the deuce they got there for. When they
reach town they resemble tub of cat
fish toted to market over a dusty road.
The goggled head of the driver reminds
one of the hideous head of a diving bell.
The whole blamed outfit savors of dan
ger, broken heads, roasting human flesh
the hospital and graveyard. They are
the most dangerous and explosive things
avar trinidad a ont on Uhaplc
An auto fiand was asked if they were
not an allround expensive affair to own.
"Well-no-I don't think so. / have had
mine six months, and it has only cost me
about $4,000. You see, in the first
place, l ran over fellow, and, instead
of dying, at an expense to me of IS, 600,
he lived six weeks, and it cost me S13, 600
for his sufferings. Then | ran over a
woman, and her husband sued and re-
covered for suffering and loss of services,
$4,000. The expense for driver, wiper
and repairs have only. cost me $3.50 a
month" Well, no, not so very expen-
sive.
OF course, eXtravagant claims are put
forth as to the adaptability of motor
vehicles Going to replace the trolley
car as means of popular rapid transit.
Going to supercede the horse, etc Every
thinking person KNOWS TINS Is nonsense.
When the Hanged wheel was put upon
the iron rail, the problem of safe rapid
transit was solved forever. This combi-
nation will be used as long as man rides.
l very much doubt if the steam locomo-
tive, the grandest of machines, will ever
be superseded by electricity
The automobile is tremendously eXpen-
sive, first, last and forever. The mechan-
ism is complicated, delicate and uncer-
tain. The life is extremely short. Much
of the machinery is exposed to road dust
which quickly grinds out fittings and
bearings. The Improvements sure to