And the new
September 20, 2011 (Tuesday)
Some of the new cars these days are designed with a starter button separate from the ignition key. That it is considered a new idea seems a little strange to some of us, who became accustomed to the starter button many years ago. It was quite an innovation, because the starter control was usually placed on the floor next to the accelerator pedal in older models. All of the designs had one thing in common: they operated an electric starter.
Before the days of the electric starter there was the hand crank. From the very first days of the automobile era, cars were started by inserting a hand crank into the front of the engine, through a hole on the outside of the car. Aside from the inconvenience, that hand crank could be dangerous. Attached to the engine itself, it created the possibility of being injured as the crank began to spin (which it was designed not to do). If the engine backfired or temporarily ran backwards upon starting, the operator could find himself/herself with a broken hand, wrist or arm. The electric starter was a wonderful idea and warmly welcomed by drivers.
Even after new cars were equipped with electric starters, they came from the dealership with a hand crank, just in case it might be needed. Our 1938 Chevrolet had a hand crank. Chevrolets came with hand cranks at least through 1947, maybe even later, I don’t know. As engines became more powerful, they were much harder or impossible to crank manually, so the hand crank became totally useless.
As I picture in my mind a brand new, powerful automobile with a hand crank stored on board, I have to snicker a little. As I allow my mind to wander, the scene becomes an illustration of a person who is determined to hang on to the old ways long after they become impractical. People refuse to fly, use computers, or use modern appliances. They prefer the old ways. Churches throughout the land are torn by conflicts between the old ways and the new ones. I don’t have a crank in my trunk, so I’m going to do my best to enjoy and participate in worship and activities, old style or new. I try very hard to remember the seven last words of the church: “We never did it that way before!”