The Washington herald., 1910-11-20
MOTOR GIRL OF TO-DAY
KNOWS CAR THOROUGHLY
Is Not Content with Turning Wheel" but Is Up 10
the Minute on Every Technically.

The intelligent and successful automo-
bile dealer OF the present day does not
content himself with telling woman
customer that his car is pretty and styi-
Ish and fast. On the contrary. he tries
10 exolain 10 her Just how intricate. del
ieate, and involved all cars must be.
And If, as frequently happens, he finds
his woman customer Is to run her own
car without chauffeur 10 help and he
finds that she is intelligent, up-to-date,
and clever. he sees to II that she is
equipped not only with a knowledge Of
how to drive-meanIng the mere turning
of the wheel and shifting of the gear
lever and putting on Of the brake, but
with at least a superficial knowledge OF
the elements Of simple, minor repairs. so
that she does not have to he lowed home
in AN event OF having a couple of dirty
spark plugs.
Mr.. Motor Enthusiast told his daugh-
ter she could have a motor II She would
learn TO take care of II. I've no pa
tience with these women who pull a
lever and twist a wheel and pay dol
lar every time a belt slips of the fan or
plug gets dirty" he said. you show
me you can take reasonable care of a
car and I'll give you one"
How Daughter Began to learn.
Daughter was game Daughter knew a
man who sold automobiles. And for a
week. Daughter spent time in the repair
shop. took curious rides out on the Con-
dnit, road with quite impossible but very
gentlemanly and very dirty repair men,
who. finding that she was quite in
earnest and not a bit stuck up" about
it, opened their hearts and told her many
and curious things about car and its
insides. Much OF what they said went
In one ear and out the other. A girl
whose technical education does not ex-
tend beyond a gHs range and sewing
machine may well look with quite unin-
teligent eyes upon such phrases as "dif-
ferential gear horsepower ratio de-
termined by equation between bore
stroke. and revolutions ''Power loss be-
tween point OF application and road equal
t. friction plus lost motion plus ABSORB
ton of power In moving parts" sc.
A1AA A4tt dNAiAAA AllAiAAA STUCK. " illl-
out, in the least understanding the prin-
cipfe Of a set OF sliding gears, any one
can learn 10 shift them. Similarly. with
out in the least understanding what it
stood for. Daughter learned 10 use an
ammeter on her batteries and 10 know
when they were too weak She also
learned how 10 trace out an electrical
circuit, how To clean spark plugs, how TO
jack up a car, how 20 adjust q carbu-
refer. how to put on a fan belt. how TO
keep down carbon IN her cylinders. how
to watch the oil and gasoline. how to
test both, how to test for short circuits
all the hundred and one little things the
remedies for which are in two hands.
common sense. and the tool box.
Ready TO Take a Ride.
Then she spent day examining her
fathers car. with new eyes and in the
light OF what she had learned. That
night she reported.
Father. can take care OF a car.
When Will you buy me mine?''
Just as soon as you prove it," he
said. delightedly wen go out Sunday
and I'll put my car out OF whack in a
dozen different ways. and Wen see if yen
can fix it,"
Sunday found them limping out OF the
city on three cylinders
What's the matter with her. do you
suppose?" said the motor enthusiast 10
his daughter.
II can't tell 10 a certainty, until I
test" she answered promptly. II may
be a stoppage in gasoline; IL may be de-
fective circuits; it may be-probably is
dirty plug-it may be-"
'That'n do. said her father. Fix her"
He stopped the car Daughter got out.
raised The hood. took a pair OF pliers
and a wrench and extracted three spark
plugs The third she held up for her
fathers inspection.
You put that dirt in there" she said.
accusingly. 1T doesn't pack itself in Ike
that naturally"
The motor enthusiast laughed. so ]
did, he said. you evidently know a
dirty plug when you see one" This
opinion was confirmed when he saw the
girl pull out a small oil can filed with
gasoline and clean the plug with it and
a penknife blade and a bit OF waste, all
after putting on gloves. as If she was
born 10 1t.
While she was busy, her father
steaithily approached the hood from the
other side, raised Il, and did something.
Not long after they had started again
he suggested that they take on water.
I'm not sure l filled her up this morn
ing he confessed. Well" she replied.
you should be, IT'S poor mOtorist
who doesn't look to his tanks!"
Father laughed He watched her in
tently as she took out a rubber bucket
from the tonneau seat and as she I'M
screwed the radiator cap. He noticed