Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-21

- the coming OF the wildly
/ colored car presaPed an era OF
- well kept automobiles that
would be without parallel arc be
ginning TO sit back with an Il told
you so" smile For. glance at the
traffic stream in almost any city
today will reveal that the phophets
were Just about as nearly right as
they could be.
And the laugh is very much upon
those who maintained that black
was the only practical car finish and
that the light and fragile tintS would
age quickly and become cye-sorcs
within a few months.
The car that is well groomed today
is the one with the flashy, attractive
lacquer finish The rundown auto
mobile is the one with the dull drab
enamel finish Of an earlier era. The
difference, as many see it, is not SO
much in the body finish as i'll its
effect upon the motorist. The stimu
ius to keep the wildly colored car
vivid is not to be questioned. In the
case of the darker hucs, this impulse
on the owners part often is lacking.
The defenders of the dull shades
reckoned without the ease with
which the lacquer finishes lent them
selves TO cleaning, With the modern
car, cleaning largely is a matter OF
keeping the body free from dust.
and giving it an occasional polish
which lasts for weeks and, some
times. months. Furthermore, such a
polish may be applied in a few min
utes and with small expenditure of
energy in contrast to the hours of
time and physical effort involved in
the same task few years ago.
Incidentally. black is returning into
popularity. merely because it is
different" This shade, in lacquer,
used most frequently with a stripping
of red. attracts as much attention as
vivid green did in 1923.
II y **
While humans all are creatures OF
habit, it seems to be true that those
among the humans who come under
the classification of motorists espe-
Cially are prone to them. Perhaps
the reason is because automobile
driving becomes a mechanical, sec
ond-nature matter with experience,
and thus habits exercise great sway.
At any rate, it is certain that habit
plays most important role in the
motorists driving character, in his
attitude on the streets and highways,
and in fact in his every relationship
to the automotive vehicle.
Such being the case, it would seem
the logical thing. and it is the logi-
cal thing, for the motorist to do
everything in his power to become
the instrument of good habits rather
than the creature of bad ones. Upon
the surface, the admonition appears
hackneyed, and too simple. perhaps,
to warrant further discussion. Yet,
If it is platitude it is one of those
which fully deserve perpetuation be-
cause of their basic Importance, and
should have the constant attention
OF motorists on that ground.
Essentially, the matter of motoring
habits underlies the whole structure
of motoring experience, and accounts
for a great proportion of the good
and evil one witnesses in a days
For example, the simple element
of giving hand signals, fundamental
principle in the traffic code of every
municipality, is bound up in habit;
that is, the success of it as prin-
ciple. The novice can become a
smooth-running cog in the traffic
machine or dangerous hindrance
merely by his decision in undertake
ing, or failing to undertake, to make
giving hand signals ritual. Should
he acquire bad habit in this con-
nection. it is a highly difficult task to
break him of it; too. should he de-
eide to become good motoring citi-
zen, giving hand signals will become
ton will be more or less automatic.
And automatic or not. the driver
behind wants to know where he is
going!
Attempting to break a motorist of
bad habit learned in the early DAYS
OF his motoring experience is almost
futile in many instances. However,
there is enough hope that ultimate
good can be accomplished to war
rant great and consistent efforts i,
that direction, and it is that hope
which gives rise to efforts toward
progress and finally progress itself.
Thus, it should be quite clear that
the early acquisition of good habits
in driving is very much to be desired.
One Immediately becomes a con-
structive factor rather than poten-
tial danger of the most serious ma
ture, and, also. one makes unneces-
Sary, in that individual instance at
any rate, crusade to rout out an
element which never should have
been allowed TO take root in the first
place.
There is no question that the
value OF courtesy shown visitors by
members of the city police force is
greatly moderated. Frequently it
happens that a motorists only per-
sonal contact in community which
he visits is with the police. He may
stop TO ask an officer for directions
or he may be unfortunate enough to
receive reprimand for overstepping
the municipal ordinances.
How motorist is treated by the
policeman under any circumstances
will mean great deal in the forma-
ton of a favorable or unfavorablc
impression OF the community as a
whole. If the officer is courteous,
even thought he is enforcing the law
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