Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-26

IN III the Spectator published an
article on clubs by Addison wherein
he dwelt on their usefulness, ana MANY
of their peculiarities. says William
Ullman, secretary of the District OIL
Columbia A. A. A. Club. lone would
CLEAN from his remarks That the people
of those days were given 10 organizing
Just as they are today. only their Or
CARNATIONS were mainly for soclai
purposes. The often-quoted phrase.
Man is said to be sociable animal,
originated with Addison, as the intro
duction to his article.
To-day in forming our organizations
we are inclined to call them clubs.
thereby giving the impression that
they are principally for social pur-
poses. The rise of the automobile
fraternity and the awakening of those
who own and operate cars to their
needs have created a 'get-together de-
mand-the need for organization. Some
have tried the social features and have
become exclusive: others have merely
considered themselves as strictly
business affair. copartnership ar
rangement between those who have
been intrusted with the handling of a
power machine. using the streets and
highways-a protective organization.
il you wish. They have found plenty
to do. What with hostile legislation,
with its demand for routes and runs
and tours. their work has been cut out
for them, and those organizations
which have taken advantage of those
fields of activity are doing great work
for every motorist.
There is another field of labor open
which is being handled by the vari-
Gus clubs in u way entirely new to
club programs. With the coming of
the motor car, it was found necessary
to frame laws and regulations to gov
ern their use and abuse. A large per-
centage of drivers do not need things
On the statute books to tell them the
safe and sane manner of handling
car, but there always few who
bring discredit upon the whole body
because of their utter disregard of
everything pertaining to justice and
order. There is something inhumanly
selfish in some of us which prevents
us from seeing beyond the moment or
the point of our nose: our selfishness
carries into all manner of compli-
cations; we do not heed even a small
measure of the golden rule.
Tom Paine. in Common Sense. wrote:
Government. like dress, is the badge
OF lost innocence; the palaces of kings
are built on the ruins of the bowers of
paradise. For. Were the impulses of
conscience clear, uniform and ire
ststfbly obeyed, man would need no other
lawgiver. but that not being the case,
he finds it necessary to surrender UP
a part of his property to furnish means
for the protection of the rest, and this
he is induced to do by the same pru-
dence which. in every other case, adj
vises him out of two evils to choose
the least
ut may seem strange that a func-
tfon of a business association should
be to attempt to awaken sleeping
conscience, for undoubtedly there must
be those of us whose conscience is
asleep: or, at least, we are unwillingly
to obey its impulses, clear. uniform and
irresitibly.
But il is a fact. the live and active
motor clubs are calling clearly to the
minds of their members the rightness
and business of obeying the laws. They
are not only doing this for their members
but for the non-members and the pub
lie in general. 1t used to be that the
fellow who could cheat the government
was entitled TO do so and feel good.
Now We are thinking differently. We
have come to realize what it means to
have civic pride, TO be righteous civil
cally, and are striving. by precept and
practice to show that our great ma
jority are peaceful and law-abiding.
There are those in whose ears an
Elijah or a Gabriel proclaiuiing could
not make TO hear. and to them we
should give our attention. The organi-
zation which is taking a arm stand on
this question of law observance is do
ing a real service to motorists them
selves Take as an instance: In a large
automobile center not long ago one of
the club officers who had police powers
stopped man with his wife and family
In his car. The driver was pushing his