New-York tribune., 1921-04-17
THE LOST ART
OF DRIVING

IICTORIAS and cabriolets, landaus md
i broughams will some day all b.
parked in museums along with coct-

ioI dS HtoSt VI Inc younger generation is can
cerned they might be placed there now with.
out any perceptible loss to the community.
But even youth in its motor car haste can.
not head off and shut out the slower NOR.
dignifed vehicles in a day. There are still;
people who like, and even prefer, carriages and
horses to automobiles. OF course, these peo-
pie belong to the older generation. They have
remained true to the fashion Of their youth.
Now, don't get the idea that the owners ~
tine carriages keep them because they cannot
afford motor cars. AS a matter of fact, most
Of them have automobiles as d necessity
and keep the od-fashioned conveyances for
pleasure, just because when they want to en-.
joy themselves they prefer carriage riding
behind good horses. 1t is safe to say that anv
one who can keep fine victoria and horse
could afford several cars.
Garage rent, tires, oil and gasoline NAV b.
expensive, but feed, stables and grooming are
practically as high. And there is besides
scarcity of these latter which makes them even
more difficult to deal with.
In the days when driving was considered an
art and a sport worthy the gayest and most
brilliant young blood's time, the authority on
the subject in many peoples estimation was
Morris Hewlett. Mr.. Hewlett came to this
country from France to enter world driving
meet at Madison Square Garden Winning the
prize in this event, he found himself in such
demand as teacher and coach that he stayed
in America. He has seen his business at its
height, and its gradual dwindling in the face Of
motoring. There just isn't any work for him
learning to drive horses any more"
"The people who like horses in these days
can't have very much pleasure with them
even if they want to- said Mr.. Hewlett last
week. Where can they drive? In the part
there are bride paths for riding, but there
is no place for the carriages except on the
roads with the motor cars, and they spoil it
for the horses. They go so much faster
and are impatient of the slower carriages
They have little courtesy of the road and
make it uncomfortable for the persons rid
ing in carriages. Of course you can't blame
them. It's just the difference between the
automobile and the horse
"There are still fine carriages in New York
Mostly when you of them you viii
notice that the people riding have white hair
And the coachmen are usually rather ancient
That makes me think of another thing in the
way of keeping carriage in these days-the
men. 1t takes years and years to make
good coachman chauffeur can be turned
out in about a week. Few men care about
learning to drive horses any more.
And there it is. If you want to keep
fine turnout of the old style, that was so
smart in its day, you must either live far
from the asphalt or have plenty of money
and patience.
R,%
own ideas of pleasure. Once in a while the
busy crowd Broadway pauses to look at
something rare, and among those sights may
be numbered the we'll turned out carriage
with its horses
Only few days or nights ago the scurry-
ing punches in the theater district stopped
short of breath in a little of old New York
1t was in front of one of those more-than-a-
hundred-p d-performance shows. A perfect
equipage of the old school drawn by a splen-
dldly matched team drew up. man in livery
stepped down with the deiberation of days
when motors were not honking for places to
stop.
Spreading a robe against the spotees Vic
toria, he stood aside while man in evening
clothes and high silk hat got out. The gen.
tleran, who, true to Mr.. Howlett's observa-
tion, was not young then assisted a lady who,
by her dress, seemed not afraid to concede
that she was somewhere near his age to the
sidewalk. With ceremonious instructions to
the coachman or driver, the couple passed into
the theater. Then the hesitating taxis and
pedestrians closed and were their way.
THAT was real sensation" said the man
who can phlosophize, even at $3.50 on Broad I
way. Gwen though the motor has sort Of
crowded the horse off the boards, sight like |
that gets hand when it comes on for honors. /
II remember one time several years ago"
here he lodged reeling taxi, but attained |
the curb without breaking the sentence, or
any bones-"a Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn,
when all the first families, and some of the
seconds, were out in their rigs. There was
great display of horsefesh on Bedford Ave
nue.. Suddenly every one, including nfany Of /
the horses, stopped, looked and listened. A
real marvel was coming along the avenue. You II
could hear 1t even before it came in view. An
actor and his wife We're talSing the air in
their horseless carriage. He wore high silk
hat and other elaborate Sunday afternoon at
tire. She had on white suit and big pie.
ture hat. The car was one Of those open faced,
high old affairs, but very fine in those days.
The sensation it caused that afternoon was
In cpA~@f ~E H. 49, nR-W