Among motorists in this country—and that means practically everybody but the very poor or wu. fortunate—the principal tope of conversation is what the new car which Henry Ford is to bring out willie like, They say it fs, to Fevolutionize the industry, which is doubtful. Then they say that Ford is "bucking General Motors," which also is absurd, for Ford is and always has been a great individua-Tistie pioneer, starting out industry like Drake started out as Jen uneclipsed adventurer, while the gigantic General Motors typifies the mest modern expression of present-day big business. Ford and G M. Ihave succeeded along diametrically opposite lines.
"Henry "Pord has been. a great autocrat in his line, He command-fed, rather than ce-operated. Offers of outside capital he scoffed at, Jdcclaring that shareholders are parasites—that's " pet idea of his. He refused to take loans from Wall Street, which at one time started out to "break" him but did not feeeed, and denounced the rear reservoirs of credit, Ford does not Have much to do with trade associ jons or chambers of commerce, hot (until a year or so ago) believe in advertising, and did very litle it, and has been so unconventional business that he has played 0 Tone hand. The General Motors, however, is altogether different, Tt corporation that boasts of open mind, perpetually changes its models, and is full of progress, and has succeeded apparently by' the very methods of business that Mr. Ford condemns.
During the last year and a half, Ford without doubt has been very bby the other "great, competing automobile colossus, and People said that he had shot his bolt, and that he never would be able' to come back, but they now are being shown that the wizard of the popular ear has not slept, for those closest to him declare that his new fay will cause a flutter throughout automobile circles. Ford. still the individual adventurer, and pro-ably the reason he was forced to some new move, if his hold in the trade were to be maintained, was the fact that he realized that in his fear he had sacrificed beauty for economy. In a very real way the present-day Ford is the Ford five years ago; there were chang fof course, but he did not follow beauty of design, as did the General Motors. The small ear turned out by the Intter to-day is infinitely: more tasteful in appearance than the modern Ford. Ford is probably: the most intense specialization, adherent that—modera industry knows in any country, and he may looked to maintain his success reason principally of passingly successful "mass" methods,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.