Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-03
THE MODEST MANS MOTOR.
The Automobile No Longer the Elk
elusive Luxury Of the Rich.

rom the Sketch.
The idea is steadily gaining ground that
the modest man of modest income may
possess a motor car of his own. and not
be limited to the motor bicycle. il he
wishes to make use of some form of
mechanical conveyance. When motor cars
were first introduced they were exclu-
sively the luxury of the wealthy, and only
those who had plenty of money, and
moreover. plenty of time to spend at the
roadside in the event of a breakdown
could afford the new conveyance. But of
late years the manufacturers have been
reducing the prices of cars and have been
building machines which are within the
means of the small income man; and the
spectacle of a motor car drawn up to the
roadside with the owner and chauffeur
groveling on their backs in the mud be-
meath it has quite ceased to provide
amusement and delight for the rural
population.
AS 1t is no longer necessary to waste an
inf1nity of time and money over the pos
session of a motor car. the modest man
is now. with the circumspection which
distinguishes him, making up his mind to
adopt the new form of locomotion. But
not for him are the wo-thousand-
guinea cars which make such a splendid
show in the price lists and on the road
He will have to be content with something
far less gorgeous and far less expensive
The wealthy may still purchase their
magnificent cars and get as much speed
out of them as the police traps will al
low. but the Mere Man has no desire to
cut records. All he wants to do is to get
about comfortably and easily within a
fair radius of his country cottage.
In dealing with this subject the Mere
Man naturally does not approach 1t from
the point of view of the expert. He
knows absolutely nothing of the mech,
anism of car. and though he is aware
that there are wheels and levers and
pump handles which have to be twisted
or pulled, he is absolutely ignorant how
to manipulate them, and would probably
set to work to climb up the side of a
house were he to take his seat on the box
of car. But the modest man who de-
sires car is quite willing to learn, and
his great ambition is 10 know enough to
drive himself. without the aid of a chauf-
will hold four or perhaps five at a,
squeeZe-one that will go. at good.
steady pace all day and not break down
once or twice month. The car for the
modest man should be a sort of superior
pony chaise, such as has hitherto been
his CHIEF means of conveyance in the
country and able to stand the ordinary
wear and tear of country work.
The motor car manufacturers are at
last beginning to turn their attention to
the making of cars of this class Hither-
to they have despised the little man. and
as good as told him that If he did not
care to pay long price he could go on
with the stolid old pony he has been used
to driving TO the station and the. county
town. But the wiser makers Row see
that most of the rich men are provided
with motor cars. and that there Is vast
mass of smaller men ready to buy a car
if only they can find one to suit their
means The number of men who can buy
car costing from eight hundred to fif-
teen hundred guineas is naturally limited,
and even those who can pay for and run
a car costing three or four hundred
pounds are not ineXhaustible. And in
these hard times the number of those who
can buy big car is becoming every day
more limited. and those who can afford
two or three are necessarily even fewer
In number.