Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-24

dDOuG dll1lAA II AOAAy
drives around the city?
Most every one has, and for this
& reason Bernard L. Henning, a vet
e.-an taxi-driver, has come to the
front to add little philosophy to
this column. Oddly enough, he
takes speed for his subject, mat
ter which was discussed to some
length in this space last Sunday.
Mr.. Henning'S treatise is unique,
however, and interesting.
There is no question as to the
fact that the automobile has a
charm to the average individual
which is heritage one inheritS
from primitive ancestors OF pre-
historic times. Every human be-
ing, doubtless, aSpireS to drive an
auto.
That the above conclusion is a
logical one, if one pauSes 1or q
moments reflection, is obvious.
Man, long before the dawn of his
tory, longed for and dreamed of
the benefits to himself if he could
Outrun the other animals who oc-
cupied the earth with him. With
out doubt he was, in the mystic
past, before the dawn of history,
more helpless and less efficiently
equipped to take care Of himself
than the animals with whom he
was forced to compete for exist
ence. Even the insects, like ants
and mosquitoes, were equipped by
nature to take better care of
themselves than were men.
Most, if not all, of those animals
weaker than himself, on whom
man could have preyed for food,
were equipped with the one thing
they needed to protect them
selves from his efforts to convert
them into food-Speed. Most of
these animals who were weaker
than man, and, therefore, were
regarded by him as mere food for
himself. The one thing he need
ed to capture them was-by ma
ture-given to them and denied to
himself. The rabbit, the deer, the
birds and other food stores"
could outrun him, or could even
fly. And, without a doubt, most of
the first thoughts of primitive
man were longings for speed on
earth and ability to fly in the air
fast enough to prevent these
speedy food stores" from foiling
his efforts to catch or to trap
them.
Held Means for Escape.
Again, to escape from the ami
mails more powerful than himself,
like the lion or tiger or the fero-
cious animals of whom we know
little or nothing, must have been
next to impossible for him. Even
with his prehistoric climbing
ability, he probably had cause
many times to wish for the speed
of the antelope or the wings Of
the eagle, or even the sparrow, in
his efforts to escape his doom.
Shall one deny, then, that speed
has never been less than among
the first five most important
things in the mind of man? Food,
clothing, housing, heat and fast
motion, speed. These five, above
all things, have always been first
in the minds of men. The only
question open to argument is the
proper order of their Importance.
And while the order first given
may be the correct one, a very
good argument could be invented
for placing speed first in the
thoughts of men. Primitive man
might have crayed speed first as
a means of catching the fleet ami
mails he desired for food. Again,
he may have longed for speed in
preference to all else as a means
of escaping his more powerful
enemies. self preservation is
the first law Of nature" Speed
would have assured him of both
food and safety.
Moderns Atavistic.
These needs of man for speed
before the dawn of history
through hundreds or perhaps
thousands of years, these cravings
and longings for speed enough to
assure man of safety from a, slow
starvation or near starvation,
from hunger, or from annihila-
ton by enemies stronger and
faster than himself, having made
their impression on his mind SO
strongly, are doubtless reflected
in our mania for speed, even in
this day when man no longer de-
ponds on his ability to catch or
trap his food, nor on his own
speedy movements to elude the
prehistoric animals who must
have been the dread of his an
Gent ancestors.
Is it this ancient, hysterical de-
sire for Speed-speed that was
desperately needed, and lack of
which often meant doom to pre-
historic man-which is reflected
by the desire Of every one to drive
an auto? Is the reckless speed
demon Of today, unconsciously,
suffering from the thoughts and
oosessions, driven to speed by the
inherited fears and decisions of
his prehistoric ancestors? Who
can say not? Who can say that
these thoughts and lodgings of
primitive man, impressed in his
brain through his need of speed
for salvation behind the dim and
misty veil Of prehistoric times,
a RI MT the ir1bpritad i'm Y1lIcac of