Putnam patriot., 1916-08-04
From the Editors Desk

HWnen 1 go out in aly automobile. uGer out and get under Or, get in and turn over. It certainly does look from fhe side of Uncle san 5 hign@sy to Us. the peepui, that perhaps @e ere more fortunate than te know in being oblieet to use our peds and neither eE t5smfJIes ts get from here to lhefe. AS the eaouk, chonk, and the smell of used gasoHene rapidly disappear over The brow of the hul we f8g the dust from our eyes, spit oat a fe% gravel stones, cough ap tbe s~aat9" ai eH- pended 9as from She aHiawfafiy gFen ed munief and eita our worst anli aulo face heap iaveelIses upon the man at the wheel and those whose money keeps him there and 8itn H4r- rer Ii 0ur hearts nope laai dead nam E curve at tae fool of the hiII has been left aat of fhe blue book and lHa6 5fmt mv She chauffeur 8iIi mistake tBe aN. eierlor for the emergency 0saEs at fbe efIfIeaI Hues THHE a, 4aast Is tse feeHag dI tae moment as teR5a4 af tHe Hiaes euF orae of te d. side aae1e ae #efe =Hsea forged .a laa ae Rake an uae#8-e.=9s ats IH 1he already sai aar t9 sae nl
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 at aHaef drops aa aana ar a#IHH #af atH# na#fs aHa 8a esefaa aia- cblae Ne aas Heaeter e5auaas lo wonder bes laHs ae.afe inc meIaH.sls W be riding m4fa slowly to Iae sweep 0f long oaf over the aeet styxz ItIslhis f5adside observation, coepied 8llb paWsai of the accident columns Of tbe press and the giiiage motoring stories that euRender 9Aese reflections.
 les, it does seem Co Hs common ped. estfians, who afa apt to continue ped esaine the rest Of oHF H8lafai lives, if we continue to sIt in oHf sanctum and write ueat obituaries and thrilling ne. eident stofles Of auf motoring friends, that the nm and tbe cut 8iii come te ghel II hls creditors hold oil bong enough. After 8ur neighu5f has owns ed bis eoVele1 machine 8 month he begins to tell hls open mouthed admir- efs Of the time he has made burning up lbe state road About the second month this changes and an nwe.stticks en group shiver at the hntr.bfeHdth escapes he relates. Some day his place on the box at the corner grocery will be vacant. There may be crepe on his front door or word may be received to send the weekly y home paper with an account of the accident to the nearest city hospital for the kind nurse to read 10 a heap of bandages where he may be heard but very little seen.
 The careful driver only occupies Il
 
 road to himself he night still he at the wheel when his snowy whisbers have grown to his belt line and still going strong. But there is always the break Of the ears meeanism, the joy rider, the speed maniac, the dare devil, the road hog, the unknown, unfenced, embnnkmeut, the sightless gtade eros sing and dead mans curve, and few other grim lurkers of the highways that receive 6 griuning salutation from the unseen grim reaper pefched on the hood
 Statistics have been compiled that show machine to every fourteen peo. Die in the good old U. S. A. Doubt less in each of the thitteens that are maehneess will be found at least one country newspaper editor. Time was when a chicken, "A oushel of spuds or a hueket of maple sap was sent in to be credited to some absorbing subscriber But while eN ery.hing is going up and nothing coming down the weekly sheet goes on forever at one fifty per If one takes slate and pencil one might Ind out how many years in Hdvane, even tiiVver would pay for. Ii would reach the years to the fathel and son and son to the steenth gene ralion. A poor outlook for the ehront ielef Of the current events Of the smal town.
 But after all the dangers that bese the eater up of roads there k this to b, said, Life is short. Reckoned To in finity II Is as 10 the milionth part of q second. What Is \ few years more o less so reckoned. What fl 1t is you turn tomorrow. Within the fraction of the tick Of \ watch Il will be ours who plough along hy the wayside eat ing your dust and breathing yoal odiferous gas explosions, II you, Mr Gar Owner have grown umid anu would like 10 change places just leav' your roadster, touring ear or Fora hN the cross roads some night al the dert of the moon, nalify the editors of tn, country weeklies and see if ny morn ing il has not been spirited away.
 With these few words we proceed [, compile our own obituary to be tilee away in the oihce mofeue in case o need and await the notification lhaI will send us speeding up and down