1940-08-10 — Page 2

Saturday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

August 10 1940.

Oh, for the Gadgets of Yesteryear!

By W. Clifford Harvey

But research

TS MODERN RESEARCH the and comfortable Sports shoes.

modern dictator? Answers And research, or style if you will, to that question are written into is even introducing soft collars for the building fronts of large city evening, formal wear. shopping centres where thou-hus not even volunteered a substitute for traditional, strolt-jacket evening sanda of customers daily discard

clothes and elusive collar buttons that the old things for the new, often take four hands to get into place- before the old has had time to yours and your wife's. outlive its usefulness.

Then, there are the old songs that{ on the lips off Also, in automobile showrooms,linger pleasantly

senti- the lure of modern streamlines and modern youth, showing that 1040 gadgets blur the vision of ment and art can "buck" the research motorists to the miles of comfort-dictator. Yet, no amount of senti- able, economic driving still left in the ment can keep running boards on automobiles. Practicability may res- old cars.

tore them in the end, but laboratory Coals, vests, and trousers are proexpèrs seem convinced that running' duced by the thousands to fit the spboards are "on the way out." called average man.. They almost fit: others. But they do not come within

During the last five years. are being advised that research is on Why? Because roomier bodies are modern research has developed their trail. Sentimental attachment,

a cuff's width of meeting the require-demanded by manufacturers after into big business. ments of the many who do not con-feeling the pulse of the average man.

form

More and even though it Is bringing back the bleyele after years of obscurity, can

into research

electric razor,

to the average, stereotyped | And since garuges will not allow for more millions of dollars are hurdly be experied to ward off the pattern. The "average" man is un-pushing cars farther out in front, or being poured ually the one who looks stylish, or in the rear, bodica are being widened, laboratories of industry, educa- else he has the money made clothes.

for

custom-

utilizing the space now occupied by the running boards.

True, modern research has pro- duced an automobile that all but drives itself-until something hap

tion and government to find new things for people to use and new ways of using them..

Glaring advertisements fel!

And why do motorists drive their cars in the corner grocery store because instead of walking? Not they do not like to walk, but because the research has thrust them into an era

That sounds logical. Yet public to change to something better, pens to the qutomalle controls. Then, someone has asked why the promising to outmode even the home where the driver of the automatic motor industry does not turn out of the future almost as soon as Junior cor who has automatically forgotten a family four-seater, built upon outgrows his crib.

of automatic action, in which cars and homes virtually run themselves This, in turn, has encouraged the tantalizing procedure of industry pulling old things off the market just

to keep up with mechanical changes? chassis of its own, rather than Tinkling bells tell the family man when you need to replace fe. When the modern car goes wrong, the garage man is dictator. Which upon the chassis that a seven-when to get up is the morning. Gilbroken parts.

explains the

enthusiasm of

the passenger car would require.

The through barnera merrily hum night or swing automatically into independent motorist who recently The answer, of course, is mass pruution just before the family arises. of the 1929 vintage.duction in order to bring down prices Gone are the routine, fre-stoking

Only five years ago, a family bought a T

to the average man.

trips into the basement. Gone, too, "Now I can x t myself," he said.

thanks to refrigeration research, I moved into its new home in Step into the restaurant and you the disturbing question! "How much Newton, Mass. Recently, three the Automatic, also, is

average, with its angle with menus drawn up for the longer will yesterday's ice delivery broken latches needed replacing modern home basement

family. There ore the last in this hot werther?" Intricate inyout of safety valves, average

prices. Hundreds of literally standardized

Yes, research is a great benefactor on kitchen cabinets; Research gauges and gadgets. It

in many ways. Plug in the electric had found new latches, however, hums with moving parts, completely families without stereotyped baffling to the family man who used petites get more than they want to razor and you are through-shaving in the old type being discontinued. electrle Hence, in order to keep the har- Jiffy, That is, to tinker in his spare time. Now, eat and often eat it because they have

Others sit with a book mony of detail in the kitchen, for what seems like hours, happily the family had to replace all 13 when the equipment breaks down, it on their plates. They would rather havers are.

buzzing away at their beards. And the family head calls helplessly upon be served less and pay less.

still others labour long and conselen-latches. specialists whose jobs seem dent upon developing new equipment

lously with their little grinders and Ket nowhere at all. They haven't clap-learned how.

depen-

From the average family, research artists get their inspiration in housing

faster than the layman's powers of helds. comprehension.

܀

Paradoxically, modern

a

some

the

Just to maintain the great paradox, mellowed Cottages,

research has turned somewhat from standardization in the camera world, boards and short, plum chimneys,

Sit down to breakfast and twiddle shifting a measure of emphasis from ride the waves of national agitation your thumbs while the automatic stereotyped, box camera photos that for Bat-roofted, glass-block homes toaster browns both sides of the were once invariably good, to the founded on the socalled "functional" bread, rings #bell when its work is intricate machinery of levers, bulbs needs of the modern family. On the done, tosses the slices out of the and hand gadgets to bewilder search seems to be both for and other hand, sentiment has failed to

nachinery and all but plays "Yankee layman, If you get what the camera Doodle" while you do the eating, field calls "real, good camera" against the average man. Take, keep the kerogene lamp on living We repeat, "you" do the eating. these days, it is as thoroughly a 10-

finger job as playing the flute. for instance, the release it is room tables, even though the New giving to him from burdens of Englanders mumbled to themselves conventional dress; slacks for during the 1938 hurricane hit the old ail lamp would not have failed summer wear, collarless shirts them.

*

Y

Lately, modern research has dipped into the kitchen to ft Mrs. Blank But what if you do not like out of the drudgery of housework, "Yankee Doodle"? And what Now the family must "eat out" most if your style of toast is not of the time, so that Junior is develop. into a transient consumer, Fire- the-conventional,- standardized in brown that the electric wizard less cookers and electrical-controls-

are encouraging the dinner to "pre-

is accustomed to turning out? pare itself" even though the family, In that case, you are the victim of if left alone, would go right on en- modern research. Either you take joying the dinners "mother used to the stereotyped toast or look around make."

for another toaster, In either case, research has scored again.

But the time scens not distant when "hand-made dinners" will be Now, for those who enjoy the lus old-fashioned, as "hand-mode brush and lather for shaving, they quilts.”

A

BEETHOVEN ANECDOTE

Despite his monumental gentus as Beethoven tapped him lightly on the a composer, Beethoven was not al- head with his finger. Again a mis ways above criticism as a performer. take, and again a gentle tap. But criticism was something, the At the conclusion of the work, great man was never above seiept- Beethoven said, "Well

have no need of studying those ing.

Once after a dinner given by aconatas with me first. The finger Princess, Ries, a favourite pupil of signals were only to prove my atten-

done. You

Beethoven, was asked to play one oftion to you."

Beethoven was then persuaded to

the latter's plano sonatas, but pleaded

to be excused because he had not yet play. his D minor sonata, Opus 31, studied it.

while the Princess volunteered to Bút Beethoven refused to let him blunder from the master, and the Came a noticeable turn the pages. off, saying, "Now, you will not play Princess gave him a none too gentle It so badly that I cannot listen."

Beethoven turned the pages while tap on the head with her hand.

Bles played. Presently the latter Imade a mistake in the left hand, and

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"If the pupil receives a finger tap for a false note," she explained, "the master must be punished with a full hand when he makes a greater mis. toke."

Beethoven,led with hearty laughter the merriment which followed. Then he began the sonata all over again. and performed the work wonder- fully, rendering the adagiu with particular beauty and grace.

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and so bear ourselves that, if the British Commonwealth and Empire lasts for a thousand years, men will still say "This was their finest hour.”

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