AUTOMOBILING AS A SPORT 



143 



facturers in helping them to improve 

 their product as well as in advertising 

 their wares. 



A member of the Automobile Club 

 of America said that of 2 automobiles 

 starting from one place together, the 

 best is the one that gets there first; 

 and there is something in this. High 

 speed is a fine test of constructional 

 merit and inasmuch as racing means 

 high speed, it is to be condoned in a 

 measure for the good it has done 

 abroad. 



The Vanderbilt Cup race, to be held 

 this fall, is almost the first long auto- 

 mobile road race to be held in this 

 country, and the fact that it may in- 

 convenience a few people on Long 

 Island, should be no valid objection to 

 it, or to any similar race that may 

 hereafter be held, if there be any 

 chance of its improving the automo- 

 bile or improving American roads, bad 

 as these are known to be. Doubtless, 

 in the future, automobile racing will 

 be confined to special tracks of good- 

 ly size, where the turns are so gradual 

 that there will be little danger of skid- 

 ding or upsetting, and where, in case 

 of accident, the loss of life, or injury 

 to persons or property, will be the 

 lowest possible. 



A race between high power ma- 

 chines is extremely fascinating. This 

 is proven by the big crowds that at- 



CROSSING AN ARIZONA DESERT WITH A STEAM 

 RUNABOUT. 



tend these exhibitions now given on 

 tracks made for horse racing, the sur- 

 faces of which are undesirable for 

 automobiling, not being of a suitable 

 size or shape. • 



That the automobile is going to dis- 

 place the horse entirely is an absurd 

 prediction, especially when the sport- 

 ing phase of automobiling is con- 

 sidered. A man, if he can afford it, 

 will have both horses and motor cars, 

 if he likes them, as well as a yacht and 

 other articles destined to give pure 

 enjoyment. As well say that sail 

 boats are doomed because auto 

 launches, so called, are becoming 

 popular. It is not likely we shall see 

 horsemen turn automobilists, nor auto- 

 mobilists turn horsemen. A man who 

 is both ought to be the best company. 



Mrs. Black — "I dreamed the other night 

 about a beautiful red automobile, and when 

 I told my husband about it, what do you 

 suppose he did? 



Mrs. Green — "Oh, did he take the hint 

 and buy you a car?" 



Mrs. Black — "No. He presented me with 

 a dream book." — Exchange. 



