The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-12

acter, In the past, but not uheH w
 entity have they perfected an orga-
 nization for their own beneft. Ine
 professional ChaufTeurs' Club of Am
 erica was organized in New York in 1904, but was limited in scope.
 The chauffeur and his profession
 have Come into prominence within
 decade. There are now many thou
 sands of the profession all over the
 globe. They are exploring the four
 corners of the earth. They are rival
 ing the lightning Itself in the rap-
 tdity Of their motion. They do some
 damage, but are responsible for so
 much more pleasure and satisfac
 ton that they are generally reeogniz-
 ed as benefactors of mankind. The
 first professional chauffeurs in the
 United States came from Europe. France was a pioneer In the field. Ita- My and Germany were among the first
 countries to take up automobiiing.
 Europe still excels in the racing aus
 tonobiies and the racing chauffeurs
 1t produces but for purpcses of pleas
 ure and business in this country the
 American machine and its native dri-
 yer are regarded as entirely satisfac-
 tory.
 Not long ago anybody who could
 start an engine or turn a corner was chased as a chauffeur, but things
 have changed during the last few
 years. The demand of the automo-
 bilist for q chauffeur who knows his
 businese and the increasing restric-
 tions of state. county and municipal
 laws. and the regulations concerning
 the operation of motor cars account
 in part for the change. Another po-
 tent reason Is the increasing pride
 of the chauffeur in his own accom- plishments.
 The outErowth of these sentiments
 was the establishment of schools and colleges thrcugout the country where
 men and women can be trained to be- come professional chauffeurs, or taught merely how to run their own autos to a limited extent--which ever they may elect. The first automobile New York There are several such institutions now in that city. At Los Angeles. there are three or four large schools and hardly any large city in the United States Is without a chaufTenrs' college. These institu- tiOns are turning out hundreds Of gra- duate chauffeurs every year, but the supply is not equal to the demand
 The Young Mems Christian Asso- ciation. always to the fore when the welfare of men is concerned, has add ed courses in sntomobile instruction to its educational branch. One of the leading chauffeur's schools in the East is maintained by the Y. M. c. A. at Boston. About 400 pupils attend the Los Angeles Y. M c. A. auto school
 Most of the automobile schools have very through systems Nof inspection. The course varies in length from six weeks upward, according to the ap- Am SaS Al A&~- aA1 expertness he wishes to attain. Many of the schools have three classes daily --in the morning, afternoon and even ing, So as to accomodate everybody. The cost of instruction is regarded as reasonable, ranging up from about twenty-five dollars. The plan of in- struction usually foIlowed is first to teach the pupil about the mechanical features Of the automobile. This Is done both in a theoretical and prac- ticaf way. An instructor lectures about the parts of an automobile. us- ing . blackboard and small engine model to illustrate. his points. Next the pupif'is turned loose In the woric< shop and told to take apart an auto and put 1t together again.
 After the pupil is we'll grounded in the mechanical principles of the ma chine he is taught how to run it. This branch of the instruction is car rfed out differently by different pupil can learn perfectly well how to run an auto without leaving the shop. In these schools the back wheels of g car are raised off the floor. the pupil and instructor climb Into the front seat. the engine Is cranked up and the Journey is begun The pupil is shown how to run the car at different speeds, how to steer. stop, and so on, the car 6 few schools this system is varied by having the pupil drive an auto around an inside track.
 Another system of instruction will not permit the graduation. of pupils until, they have had considerable ac- tual road work. holding that by ex- perienee only can chauffeur learn. A road-master sits. beside the pupil suggestions, while the pupil | drives the machine fifty or hun dred miles. Sometimes dummy men 1 are located along the road to teach l the pupils how to dodge pedestrians. Is given in the manage | ment of gasoline, electric and steam l autos. The last named require full | Hedge steam engineers to run them. |
 The auto schools gives diplomas | and maintain enrolment bureaus of | available chaufreuFs and of places to | be filled, some of them guaranteeing | positions for their graduates. Old | and young. rich and poor. male and | female, people in all walks of life, | mingle in the chaufReurs' schools. The | minister. Gen. Morteza Khan, is one of the recently enrolled pupils ! at Washington automobile college. l A secretary of the Chinese embassy l Is taking private lessons at the same | place. The diplomats are just as en- thusiastic and get themselves just as | grlmy as anybody else when working | through their course.
 Legal restrictions surround the chauffeur on all sides. He must not | be deaf. Under many Jurisdictions he | must pass an examination before an | license is issued. His is | a dangerous position. He Is responsi | ble for the safety of the occupants of ! his car and for possible damages | to outsiders Despite these | he has broken all human records for speed. He has crossed | every continent and visited the remote | isles of the sea. He defies time, space | and sometimes the poliee-and is altogether an object of admiration and envy.
 The eternal feminine appears In the | calling as everywhere else. There is one type of woman automo- bilist who insists that her car must | match her new suit in color. This type rarely accomplishes anything, from the chauffeur's standpoint. On the other hand, there are many women who are practical automobile experts who repair their own cars, partici- pate in races and endurance tests, trK wyfa faaf .fa ali gY,a,s |