Evening star., 1928-04-01
BY WILLIAM RUFUS SCOTT.

Modes of travel and transportation
older than recorded history are giving
way before the modern motor car II
might have seemed to the ancient Arab
that the sands Of the desert would grow
cold before the camel would lose his
preeminence as a carrier of men and
merchandise, but the automobile is
mastering the desert, as II is the noun
tains. the wilderness and jungles.
The jinricksha had been the char
acteristic and picturesque manpower
vehicle Of Japan and China since the
memory OF man runneth not to the
contrary. yet the jlnricksha is yielding
to the automobile. While in the noun
tains of South America and elsewhere
the patient burro with his sure-footed
progress along perilous cliffs and over
reath-taking peaks also Is finding
competition with the automobile too
hard as roads replace trails.
Auto Replaces Camel.
Considering first the camel and his
future, the tourist to Egypt nowadays
will ride 'on camel. of course, because
OF the imaginative interest every one in
the western world has In this beast of
burden, but when any extended sight
seeing Is planned the motor car is
called. Long before the pyramids were
built, long before King Tut-ankh- Amen
lived through his brief young reign and
was buried with the pomp and trap
pings so lately revealed. the camel was
plodding over Egypt and the Sahara
Desert-and long before Abraham left
Ur Of the Chaldees to seek a promised
land the camel was the familiar and
essential domestic dependence OF Arabia
and Palestine for long distance hauling.
Today the American or European
tourist steps off a steamer in Northern
Africa and steps into an automobile
for trips of hundreds Of miles through
the desert; or he sees much of Egypt
in the same way and soon will see all
OF 1t as the good-roa6s program is
| finished. II he wants to see the Holy
Land he can get into a motor car at
| his hotel In Cairo and go overland
| somewhat along the route followed by
| the children of Israel under Moses and
| travel the length and breadth of Pale
! stine without any difficulty
Plane Line to Mecca.
| The airplane also Is showing the
camel farther back in the list OF car
riers. for 1t is reported that plans are
| under way for airplane trips to Mecca
the headquarters of Mohammedanism
| replacing a long hot, weary camel or
| foot trip. That the automobile viii have
beaten path there too Is only a ques-
ton Of time.
i Not only is the motor car forging Ia
the front In peaceful pursuits, but it Is
| working rapid changes in warfare in
the desert. The dashing sheik Ara
hian steed already is at fatal disadvan-
| tage against the Western tank or ar
mored motor car Talk recently of wal
| by the desert tribes against the Brit
ish makes any one who knows the stu.
| stion feel sorry for the desert tribes
| Airplanes. tanks, and motorized artil-
/ lery and machine guns viii play terri
! bic havoc with horse or camel mounted
| foes. II the attack ever comes.
| The signs OF time are clearly seen In
| the visit of the Ameer OF Afghanistan
to Europe. For centuries his kingdom
/ was closed to outsiders, or TO westerners
| especially. Now he Is having good roads
built for automobiles. He is buying air
/ planes. The same change Is discernible
! in China, India and the Far East gen.
/ orally. Speed Is beating the slow-going
/ camel caravans.
| Jinricksha Is Passing.
| In China the war lords and the
| wealthy mandarins but motor cars of
the most expensive American makes. In
Japan the jinricksha is becoming a
second-ciaSs mode Of travel. Tourists
exclaim over them. but the wealthy
natives and foreigners living there per-
manently use automobiles.
In olden days. and even today. camel
caravans would leave India or Persia
and after months would arrive at Pek-
ing. Rich merchandise would be ex-
changed and the caravan would return
over the long trail through China