24th August.
The All-pervading Motor, It is a matter of universal comment that the advent-of the motor has completely changed and' upset all our ideas with regard to the spending of the autumn vacation. " Quite a -few yoare ago it was considered the proper thing to take rooms at some seaside place, or cottage in the country for a month or two, and settle down to a lifo: of rural simplicity, or metaphorically dig the sands' of the sea.shore—but now all hae changed. From all quarters one hears the same tale, "No one comes to stay this year." Hotels xnd boarding-houses are crowded to excess, but excepting for short periods lodging-houses ara, for the most part, empty, and everyone is putting this down to the arrival of the. motor—not that we all possess them, but. they seem to have inspired a general, spirit of unrest, Fathers and mothers, have at last arrived at the conclusion, that there is but little pleasure for them, in the' old-fashioned, holiday, 20 most of them seem to be either cutting it exceed. ingly short ordispensing with it altogether, and substituting short but frequent jaunts on their own account, which, naturally, do them far micro good and possibly cost no more money. Owners of motors, for the most part, seem to lead avery butterfly existence flying troca one, spot to another and settling nombre. By all no counts they seem ta beaffyating. the receipts of some of our loading railway jes considerably, and, of course, if, Properly managed, a motor. can prove a. most economical investment, Last week {was very much amused by watching the arrival, by motor, of a large family at the, village where Iwas staying, In the morning of one day the father and mother. and one or two children arrived; during the afternoon the father returned home alone and next day came back with the rest of the family, nurses, ete. Only the luggage was sent by train. It is a huge vehicle nnd the greater number of the party seem practically to live in it, from early morning till late at night it is tobe met in the neighbourhood. The owner of some local livery stables—watching it pass—remarked to mo that motors would soon be his ruin. People who used to drive wouldn't do so now. Some had started motors and others were too frightened of being run down by them, to hiro carriay
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.