But this is only the less important, though necessary, part of the training of the modern motorman. What is really needed is that some school should teach manners on the road and the habits of traffic,—in short, train its men for the road. There should also be problems of difficult but ordinary situations in traffic set in a written examination, the correct solution of which should be obligatory before the motorman could be said to be property trained. It is not, perhaps, easy to see at first how this sort of instruction can be given on the present scale of fees, but the schools in the future, which devote a large part of their attention to teaching the rules of the road and its customs and courtesies will assuredly turn out the best class of drivers, who will be in the greatest demand.

To begin with, the habits of horse-drawn vehicles should be studied. It is a liberal education to take a journey, for instance, on the top of a Fifth Avenue motor bus and watch the way in which the driver drives his unwieldly vehicle through the streets of New York. Other bus drivers also are rapidly becoming his equal, and let it be acknowledged that nothing but the hard school of practical, every-day experience in New York City streets, assisted by police supervision and the fear of dismissal for carelessness or accident, could produce such able drivers.

Again, the expert taxicab driver might be taken as an example of a faster class of motor traffic. The would-be first-class motorman when being trained would thus have the experience of horse vehicles and pedestrians, and have noted carefully what usually happens and have tried to understand their point of view. This is one of the first steps which should be taken in training the driver of the swift mechanical vehicle. Then example might be given of the proper way to drive cars around corners, both right-handed and left-handed, and the best manner of the ascending and surmounting steep gradients or negotiating high bridges. Driving at night should also be practiced, and prospective drivers should learn to distinguish the faint glow on the road ahead which designates the presence of a motorcycle and other signs denoting persons or vehicles. Map reading should also be a part of his instruction.

And there is yet one other thing which the motor-driving school should inculcate, though it could not technically teach the motorman—that is, good manners to his employer and his employer’s friends. To be rough and rude is a disgrace to any class, and it is the mark of a man who is either not certain of himself or is afflicted with an innate bad temper. It is not, and never can be, a sign of superiority. A respectful and civil attitude not only makes the path of life easier, but is in itself a strong recommendation. Little things which do not at first seem to matter, and are merely more in the nature of courtesy than servile attentions, should be observed. A civil salute when the owner first addresses the motorman, the readiness to help in any little matter, such as carrying a bag to the station, or the thought of a rug to cover the lap, and similar little courtesies, are the sign of the man who, if considerate in these little matters, is likely to be considerate in others more important. It also establishes him firmly in the estimation of his employer.

To sum up, the perfect motorman, though he should possess as much knowledge of mechanics as possible, should, above all, be a considerate driver, well versed in the manners and courtesies of the road and the habits of traffic. And in addition, he should try to be well mannered, as more and more motor-car owners are becoming convinced that, besides knowledge, “Manners maketh the Motorman.”

INDEX

Transcriber’s Notes:

The spelling, hyphenation, punctuation and accentuation are as the original, except for apparent typographical errors which have been corrected.