CARRIAGES. 63 



ferior to those of foreign manufacture ? The cause may be 

 attributed to the fact that, as a nation, our ideas have only 

 recently been formulated into definite shape regarding the 

 types of vehicles best suited for certain purposes. Prior to 

 a generation ago, the conditions were not conducive to the 

 development of the coach builder's art, owing to the following 

 circumstances : First, the tardy development of our roads ; 

 second, the disturbed political conditions that prevailed ; 

 third, the general abnegation of all luxuries by those who 

 were struggling for wealth ; and fourth, the errors committed 

 by coach builders, who, wdth but few exceptions, turned out 

 vehicles according to antiquated or defective local standards 

 or endeavored to overcome the faults of our roads by con- 

 trivances that resulted in vehicular aberrations. A few of 

 the more conservative builders, however, realized that a bad 

 road could not be made good by changing the principles of 

 carriage construction ; they knew that, when the roads 

 were properly made, their vehicles would meet all the 

 requirements. 



The adaptability of our people is now^here more dis- 

 tinctly evident than in the building of our better types of 

 carriages. We have united the simple and practical design 

 of the English builders wath the perfection of detail that was 

 developed by the French artisan, and our native forests and 

 skilled labor have added the best material and workmanship; 

 with the result that our carriages have been recognized as 

 superior to those of any other country. It is to be regretted, 

 how^ever, that the cheaper grades, with which the market 

 is flooded, should impede the merits of the finest vehicles 

 from becoming more generally recognized in our own 

 country. 



