The Washington times., 1920-01-31

Know all you can about your car.
You can learn something from just
about everyone IL you will only keep
your eyes and ears open and are not
afraid TO ask a question or two.
In the good old days OF not so long
ago the straw-chewer expounders
hung around the livery stable and
said yesterday was a burned sight
better than today, and "A lot durnder
than tomorrow could possibly be. as
run by the new race OF upstarts
Every man OF any consequences owned
a fast horse at that time, or at least
one he thought was fast. And almost
invariably the owner was acquainted
with all the traits of the particular
animal whose board and lodgings he
paid for. He knew what to expect
under all conditions, and II he dis
covered his horse was going lame he
at once took measures to cure him.
The owner saw 10 II personally that
the horse got proper treatment and
attention In both sickness and health.
The animal was always well-fed, we'll
groomed. properly housed and cor
rectly shod. That was horse sense on
the part OF the horse owner.
Follow Horseman's Example.
That much we concede TO the auto
Gratis OF the livery stable. whatever
else may be withheld.
Now do you think the same rule
prevails with the general run or
motor car owners? The average
motorist Is ordinarily content II he
knows how to start his car, regulate
it's speed. direct it's course and stop It,
When the inevitable comes and some
thing goes wrong II Is the repairer
and a big bill for him, when, II he had
but Initiated the horseman, he could
probably have avoided both OF these
twin unpleasant cases.
Then, again, there is the expert"
driver, one OF the most exasperating
pests .of automobiledom, a big little
man. Speaking OF him, we do not
think OF the painstaking mechanic
who, by dint of study and experience
gained In actual practice. familiarizes
himself with motor cars until he Is
able to obtain from them the maxi
mum service with minimum necessity
for repair and adjustment. Him we
would call "the expert motorist." But
we have in mind the fellow who Is
an expert driver" nothing else.
Few Owners Expert Drivers.
1t Is almost needless to say that
since the exhibition in stunts in driv-
ing is apt to be an expensive habit.
the expert driver is rarely found
among owners. Usually he has grad
uated from the washstand in a ga
rage, while sometimes he Is a speci-
men Of the so-called natural-born me
chanic--a species that neither me
chanical progress nor scientific train
ing seems to have been able to ex-
terminate. 1t is the expert driver
who is chiefly responsible for the ami
mostly of the pedestrian against the
motorist. 1t IL he who scares old
ladies into Mysteries while bearing
down upon them with a rush, only
to clap on his brakes with a bang
and bring his car to a stop half an
inch from the pedestrians shin.
IL you want to watch him, stand In
front of a busy garage for a while and
you will have ample opportunity to
observe his doings. He will come
out OF the garage at full tilt, clear
the opposite curb by ripping the steer
ing gear around with all his might.
and disappear around the next corner
in similar fashion. When he returns
he will rush down the block at a
speed of fifty miles an hour. throw
on his brakes some eight or ten feet
from the stopping point, and bring
his car to a halt almost within its
own length: all of which. Of course,
looks very clever to the expert driver
and costs money for repairs and ex-
cessive deterioration to the owner.
This sort of driver Is the one to
whom an open muffier is music in the
ears; who imagines himself a minia-
ture Oldfeld.
II you do not drive your car your