THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, MARCH 7, 1909.
AUTO IS USED BY AUTHORS
Popularity of Motoring Is Reflected in Modern Novel s, Short Stories and to Even Greater Degrees on Stage.
BY LEONE CASS BIER. '
WITH the advent of the automo
bile, several years ago, a new
school of fiction came Into exist
ence, and Its establishment has been
celebrated ever since In song, play, musi
cal comedy, poetry and near-poetry.
Most of the "six best sellers" now
utilize the motor car between every
other page and in many instances the
entire plot hingres upon one of these
delightful pleasure vehicles. Even the
cheaper novels and stories revel large
ly in printed ownership of touring
cars, taxicabs and runabouts. Iady
Vera Vere de Plunk commands her al
most French maid' to command "the
butler to command the lengthy reti
nue of other lackeys (only found in
novels and newspaper accounts of Eng
lish noblllty to "fetch het otter-mobile,"
Just as nonchalantly as the golden-haired
heroine in one of the "six
best sellers" goes out to the garage
and harnesses up her own red deviL
In the works of Robert W. Cham
bers, the auto figures prominently, as
It does also in the "Lightning Con
ductor." Even in the shorter magazine
articles, novelettes and serial stories
of popular fiction the ones that 'find
greatest favor with the reading masses
arc those with auto races, accidents,
exciting rides, chases and motor jar
gon in tuem.
In days long since the poor little
heroine, clad always in a long dark
cloak and carrying a small satchel,
kissed the family portraits and stole
softly out the back area or the fire
escape, to where the brave hero await
ed her with a hired horse and rig
times they eloped on horseback, often
times by means of the modern street
cars. Always in these long-ago run
aways in novels the rain fell pitilessly
and the wind sighed in the pine trees.
Now, thanks to .the invention of the
buzz-wagon, all Is changed. Lizzie
trips gaily out in midday, clad in a
snakeskin motor coat, goggles and
headgear so effectual . it almost de
ceives even her up-to-date lover as
to her Identity. In a grand big car,
which Harold has rented, purchased
or pilfered, the twain merrily exceed
the speed limit while fat papa and the
"sho-fur" give the pair a hot chase,
while the wind gaily sings, a melody
from "Lohengrin" and the horizon
looks like a moving picture.
In the long ago novels, all the board
ers at the farmhouse went in wagons
or on horseback, to all sorts of gath
erings, berry pickings, corn huskings,
quiltin's. literary and debating socie
ties in the schoolhouse on the hill, and
on picnics during the Summer season of
the year. The gay old gasoline cart has
supplanted all these dissipations, and
now the farmer's daughter probably
runs her own machine, and charges the
festive erstwhile paying guest a slight
wherewithal for taking a spin about
the hills and dales.
But nowhere as In song and musical
comedy has the automobile been so
much in evidence. Every other ditty
we hear these recent days has the joy
gig for a motif. As the old ones die
out, new ones come in and fit right
into the niche. Since Arabella has
ceased pounding "In my merry Olds-mo-bile"
on her installment-plan
piano, we still hear its sweet suggest
lveness in the doubtful strains of the
street musician (spare the word) and
the drink-inducing hurdy-gurdy. Every
time I go to a new musical ' comedy
(or since there are no new ones, a
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I'LAR AUTO COTJltSBS.
salad of some old one) I fully expect
to hear a song or chorus about an
automobile, and If I don't hear It I
have a temperamental groucb for a
week. Sometimes the big car Itself
comes snorting onto the stage as In
the "T"anderbilt Cup" and many oth
ers. In "The Bishop's Carriage" a
motor car plays a prominent part, be
sides other productions too numerous
to mention. One might safely say, in
every play for if the auto Itself is
not actually in evidence, we hear all
the characters, Including the cook
lady and the chambermaid, talking
about the "machine." The butler of
ten years ago used to enter majestical
ly and announce "The carriage waits,
muh Lord" (vision in distance of
footman in grand livery.)-
Nowadays the butler enters, even
more majestically since motors ara
more distingue than horses, and says
Instead, "The motor waits, muh Lord.'"
(Vision in distance of mummylike
chauffeur In goggles and oilskin head
gear.) Even Sherlock Holmes, .who always
"Jumped into a waiting carriage" or
"summoned a hack and was driven
hastily to the scene of the eight hor
rible murders" nowadays. according
to the historian of this wonderful gent
of "wonderful" deeds! "summons a
taxicab" or "jumps into his motor car"
and is at the scene of the eight hor
rible murders before the murderers
and murderesses get away from the
place of their crime, or at least be ar
rives In time to ' measure the exact
space they occupied in the atmosphere
and land them all in Jail before- night
fall. I. for one.' am sorry the airship Is
being born. The automobile In song
and poesy Is so much more satisfying,
and no 'matter how much motheaten
the Jingle may become, or how hack
neyed the words or stilted the style
the motif is always the same nice,
swift, thrill-producing, smelly benzine
buggy.
Belgium's Automobile Trade.
During the year 1908 the little kingdom
of Belgium imported 20 automobiles,
valued at 1.409.187 francs, and parts val
ued at 2.063,444 francs, as compared with
225 cars valued at 1.553,106 francs, and
parts valued at 2.821,652 francs In 1907.
Of the cars Imported in 1908. 152 were
from France. 25 from Germany. 10 from
Holland and six from England. Bel
gium exported in 1908. 452 automobiles
valued at 6,917,625 francs, and parts val
ued at 5,316.798 francs, as compared with
464 cars valued at 5.721.447 francs, and
parts valued at 5.269.973 francs In 1907.
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STEVENS -DUR YE A
Score Unqualified Triumphs at Licensed. Association
Automobile Shows
The Ideal American Make
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DURYEA features of the past, plus 'the improvements and
refinements of standardized, accepted designs.
For minimum of up-keep expense and for everlasting peace of
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New Four Model X
Light Six Model U v
New Four Model XXX Runabout
New Four Model XXX With Baby Tonneau
New 6-40 Six-Cylinder Model Y
Demonstrations Prove All "We Claim
GRAHAM MOTOR CAR CO.
15th and Washington Streets Portland, Oregon
"Manufactured by Stevens-Duryea Co.. Chicopee Falls. Mass.
Of th cars exported by Belgium In 1908,
155 went to England, 112 to Germany. 41
to Franca. 39 to Holland, six to Italy and
one to United States. It will be seen
from the above figures that tho ex
ports of Beleium were sllBhtlv irreat-r
In 1908 than the previous year, wh.Ua ths
!mrort were slihtlv smaller.
The Vanderbilt Automobile Course Is Paved With
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CLACKAMAS STKEBT, BBTWEKlf FIFTEEJiTH AICD EIGHTEENTH STREETS.
JI AST COCK STREET, BETWEEN TWESTT-POrRTH AND TWEKTT-SETEXB STREETS
SHOWING PORTLAND STREETS PAVED WITH HAS SAM
The Vanderbilt Cup course is the greatest of the world's automobile speedways, 60 miles long,
built as a business investment by America's wealthiest business men. No money was spared in
its construction. Mr. Vanderbilt 's engineers spent a year investigating pavements used, in Eu
rope and America, and after a competitive trial of all the pavements under actual conditions
on the ground, discarded all the other so-called hard-surface pavements as unserviceable and
selected Hassam as the only one because it is dustless, permanent and non-skiddable.
Try your machine on the streets shown in the above pictures and see whether what we
say is true. Do we need Hassam on Portland streets I Look around Portland streets and see.
OREGON
H
ASSAM PAVING CO.
805-807 Board of Trade
Building, Portland. Or.