The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-27
THE PEOPLE AND THE AUTO
TOTkS kNOW MORE aBOt r
MtrHiNES Non .tDtYS.
Acquaintance Win the Motor Has ln-
creased Considerable, In the Last Two
or Three Year, Technical Familiar.
nv Isn't 10 Complete nj rhi, Time,

nN isn't 10 Complete NJ This Time.
The pruple do know more now about
Gt'mobilss than they used to. That in
FER all only natural More per,-ons
"A.- ears now than was the case not many
rc-.rs ago and 10 only from the columns Of
're newspapers covering act ual happen
lngs II the day certain aut omobile terms
have become well known. As for instance
30 -nme one OF those IN the street prepare
- make jest Of some sort about auto
mobiles and automobilia. as the British
have II. Ten chances To one. and better
~ 10 are easily obtainable he'll hay,
something to say about a spark plug or
- carbureter.
These are institutions. Every one. aut u
m"hilist or not. knows about them They
have been written about and talk ed about
until very large numbey OF folks with
only the vaguess idea of their functi ions
know them well enough to smile know
lngly when they are ment toned
The talk OF the day is motor talk The
other day James J. Hill. the master Of
railways and epigrams. added To- the
cost OF high living" a remark about the
fact that the country wasn't travelling
now -on the high speed and there wasn't
any danger Of broken axles. Even thou gh
"a certain amount Of glamour II i'll attaches
10 being "A motorist and owning an aut o.
mobile the car il a familiar object So
many folks have their own private garages
which may mean in some cases Just
sheds-and 80 many run around in little
'ars that are docile and driveable that the
machine IL no longer the wondered AT
AFFAIR It Was not 80 long ago.
Automobiles have passed from that
earlier stage when they were Injuries
and had lIttl e other place They go from
one city 10 another: they run eternally
IN town: they do their work and do 1t in
most cases unost ent atiously. Folks sat
out IN Automobiles To- 90 10 places and they
not only expect to get there, they take il
for granted thar they will arrive Tire
trouble is the only thing they look out for.
IN engine can In guaranteed in a general
way. but whether a punCture will lie got
rests with Providence largely.
Automobiles deserted by the wayside
aren't many. The joke about walking
h.ck An indefinite number of miles doesn't
'ake becsuse II doesn't ring true. The
automobile, as pthers have said before this
has arrived. IL is "A question Of material
and the standardization Of il thar is before
The motor public now.
People were lot longer getting on to
III. automobile than they were taking in
The idea Of the flying machine. For one
thing the flying machine had to ne de-
velpp.d or WAS developed more in secret
Then when flying was really achieved
n" thing came with rush. Further.
> here were and are fewer types OF flying
raft than there ara of aut omobilps and
~ addition To all that the engine. the hing
nat drives the monopEn. or biplane.
had become known through the aut ONO
bIl.
AGAIN. whether u - monoplane or
hipEtne any one can see from the outside
But - - the number Of cylinders or
arrangement Of the engine or the shape
- IN. crank shaft or the number Of bear
lngs and whet her slide valve or other
type. no one but the expert can tell from
ne out side of the car There wasn't
quite 20 much 20 learn about the Aging
machine from the outside and therefore
Il WAS quicker learned.
Many persons who don't own automo-
l,ie- are Interested in them All Of
moderate means are looking forward tn
: he day when the car will be within reach
~ them all In the interim they are
learning about them from their friends
ny ''i -. $50
ahoht " %'i gr'si' fhahs Oh ms ir'e'ihS
aren't bored 10y this sort of conversation.
In fact they lsten eagerly
More folks know nowadays the differ
ences IN shap" II bonnet that mark one
car from another and they delight IN
picking them out ~ they GO further
along they get chances to see cars with /
engines exposed and 10y littl and lrtl" the
average man has come To know the auto
nobil" rather he't"r than h" dId two
years ago
The other dav a man VIII" handles
steam cars and one who purvevS ga-ol"n"
automobiles wer" discussing tenn AZ
luncheon. With them was thIrd man
who had had a steam car and now was
learning To handle "A gas car. He broke
into the discussion 10 .av that he thought !
man who had had a steam car iirst did |
not take easily 10 the ga-olene car.
why no,'- asked the gasO.ene car
man
Well. for one thing replied the third
person. L think the control il NJ much .
simpler and easier to handle
-Controi2 Why it's the easiest thing
in the world said the gslsoiene car agent. [,
. I never have found il hard