The San Francisco call., 1906-10-07

~ URIHG q recent automobile run
near New York Colonel ]. J.
- AstOr's car. readily identified by
its number, was the object Of
considerable interest TO the
crowd along the road Colonel Astor.
driving his car. wearing a soiled auto
mobile coat and goggles, with his face
covered with dust. was leaning over the
wheel obviously hard at work. The
chauffeur sat beside him, leaning back
luxuriously on his cushioned seat and
evidently enjoying himself The crowd
drew its own conclusions.
Look how hard the driver works
and how easily the millionaire takes
it," was the universal comment.
The mistake was natural enough. It
IS nevertheless true that this curious
reversal Of caste is becoming more and
more common. Whether 1t be the
growth OF more democratic spirit or
merely the love OF outdoor life. or the
pleasure OF doing things with ones
eWn hands. il is undenisDle that this
reversal or occupations often takes
RAoN~- A0 e1uAoittbi4t mas QOuDtieSS
had much to do with it; the tendency
70 outdoor sports is another influence.
Examples are TO be found ia New York
streets as well as I'm the country
The automobile enthusiast of today
prides himself on his knowledge Of
valves and gear wheels and his skill
and daring in driving his machine. he
employs chauffeur. TO be sure. but it
is only in the city, when the owner is
being driven TO and from his Office or
The theater. that lie sits back and takes
no part in handling his machine II he
is out on an automobile run. a race
or contest OF any kind. or II it be a
touring party, the owner viii he found,
in the great majority OF cases. at the
wheel Ask any automobile enthusiast
about his car and you viii ind that his
especial pride lies in his ability to
drive his car certain distance in so
many minutes and TO take the steepest
hills without mishap at the highest
speed. The chauffeur is the one who is
taken out for a ride
Pride of the Motorist.
1t is largely the same with the care
OF the machine itself A man may buy
q piano, FOR instance, without under
standing its mechanism or caring 20
understand il, but ii IS different with
will hold forth eloquentiy on the virtue
OF his machine and he viii not own one
long before he will have some working &
idea of il. He is perhaps driven TO such
knowledge by the danger OF finding
himself becalmed in some country road.
but his practical knowledge OF his ma
chine in most cases is thorough
The sight or a stalled car and its
owner. with blackened hands and face
frrfr hr
meath the car, is too familiar for COM
ment. For the millionaire to turn ma
chinist, and that under very trying
conditions, would have been an extra
ordinary spectacle a few years ago.
Today il is so common that the sight
even on q crowded street will no
longer draw q crowd. The public mind
no longer sees any incongruity IN the
situation.
The enthusiasm for yachting, which
IS particularly great nowadays. is re
sponsible for many more illustrations
of this reversal. Your yachtsman. as
well as the automobilist, prides him
self on his seamanship- He can have
very little position as a yachtsman in
sny club il he does not know his own
boat He must be, in short, a sailor
as well and perhaps somewhat of a
mschinist. He must be able TO sail
his own boat, which is no small mat
ter And it is the same with the
smallest as well as the largest craft.
Such knowledge is only bought at the
price Of downright hard work.
The dimculties of the amateur
yschtSman are illustrated by the num-
.ber of schools IN New York where
amateur yachtsmen go to study navi-
cation. In some cases these schools
are open TO women, and there are