The morning journal-courier., 1908-11-19
AUTO DRIVERS
 BAD MANNERS Professor Henry w, Farnam Says Chautfeurs and Own CTS Disregard Rights
 of Others.
WRITES ON SMOKING, TOO
Lowering of Manners Also in Regard to That Habit-WomCn Talk Too Much at the The
 atCrs.

To the Editor of the Journal-Courier;
 Dear Sir; Now that public opinion is
 justly aroused over the fatalities re-
 c1ntly caused by automobiles. it seems
 fitting to take advantage of this inter-
 est In order to point out what l believe
 to be an underlying cause not only oi
 accidents but of many other disagree
 able and annoying incidents of auto-
 mobilng In itself the motor car
 should be the ideal vehicle. It has
 neither nerves nor eyes, It will stand
 indefinitely without being watched It takes up less length of street room in ] proportion to it's capacity than a horse ] drawn vehicle and it is subject to q | control which is little l ss than mar 1 vellous. The difficulty is plainly not ! with the machine but with the men who own and drive it. Many of the
 owners are people who have more money than manners, who have never owned Horses. and who are unfamiliar
 with the courtesies of the road Many
 Of the chauffeurs are likewise men
 who have not been previously familiar
 with driving any kind of vehicle on
 the highway The result is lad man
 neis. In other words disregard of
 the rights and couyenienccs of others,
 which not only shows itself in reckless
 driving but in churlish standing In
 the crowded parts of our business
 streets where shoppers abound. 1t has
 become a common occurrence for auto
 mohilts to block the access to the side
 walk. when drivers of carriages would
 move on and make room for the next
 comer
 Your correspondent who writes this
 morning in defense of the automobilist
 snys that people do not at once change
 their character whcn they enter a ma
 chine The trouble is that many do
 clergyman told tho writer a couple of
 years ago that, when he took his seat
 in q motor car, he divested himself of
 all moral sense. This was. of course.
 humorous exaGg ration, hut expresses
 what l believe Is q well known ex,
 perIence. namely, that many people
 finding themselves in control of pow,
 erfu machine yield to the tempt ttion
 Of taking risks which they would never
 think of taking under ordinary circum- stances and of committing acts of dis
 courtesy which they would ordinarily
 avoid In making this statement on not intend to indict all automobilsts or even majority cf them l know tha many, probably most are humane and
 considerate. but there ls a sufficiently \ large number who are quite the reverse to bring dscredit upon the class as a whole
 l am inclined to go a step further and to Cal attention 10 the fact that these exhibitions If had manners are not confined 10 automohiling. It is not, believe. a mers coincidence that there has been since the introduction of au- tomobiling distinct lowering Of man ners with respect to smoking A few years ago nobody thought of smoking in the public dining room of hotel Now I am seeking and thus far have sought in vain for a New York hotel in which such smoking is not rmitted and practised am not personally sensitive 10 smells or bsd air and can stand az much smoke as anyone, but [ consider lt an understandable invasion Of the rights of the public for pc pie m public places frcauentod by both sexes to force smoke into the eyes and lungs nf oihers a majority of whom pre- sumably find f. not only disagreeable but unhealthy. A few years ago Amer, ican men were noted in Europe for their consideration of and their cour- tesy towards the other sex A recent visit abroad has convinced me that they no longer deserve this pre- cminence.
 I ought, perhaps to add in justice, though in sorrow, that this disregard of the convenience of the public is not confined to the male sex The other day in the Hyperion theater several members of the sex rcputed 10 he fair were so unfair to the rest of the au- dlence as to talk in loud voice through the performance of Mendes, sohn's Wedding March" Another young woman, handsomely dressed, joined in the music with her voice, ap- parently unconscious of the way In which she was betraying the contrast between her clothes and her culture, | It Is not an uncommon thing for women 1 to disturb the whole audience by com | ing late Co a theatrical performance or ! q concert or leaving befor' it is over \ Such rudeness on the part of a single II person In a German audience would be II met with reprimand which the of Il fender would not soon forget In thi. N respect tooA think that there has beer H a distinct lowering of manners in oul N country.
 I conclude that reckless automobling N is simply one phase of bad manners N which show themselves in other fields N Much can be done by the law, mucf HI might be done by q coroner but man, Il things can only be done by an aroused N public opinion and by the influence anC H example Of teachers cergymen, of lf flcers of clubs, rich people to those H habits an undue prominence is oft7l III given, and other people who are in { position to exercise an influence, Mucl
 might also be done if people would in sist little more courageously on thei 1 rights, and not b, afraid of an occa II sional righteous kick
 Il Yours truly
 N HENRY w, FARNAM
 New Haven, Nov IS, 1908