There was a craft day at the former Governor’s Mansion in Bismarck today.  I went with a few friends and got to see several fun spinning and knitting projects.

I also got to tour the mansion and carriage house–something I’ve been wanting to do since I moved to the area.  In the carriage house was a list of the Ten Commandments of Motoring, from a North Dakota Highway Bulletin dated September 1925.  I’m sharing them here:

1.  Drive to the right side of the road; it’s just as good as the left.

2.  Slow down when approaching a crossroad; it is nearly as dangerous as a railroad crossing.

3.  Look out for children.  You can never tell what they will do, and you are always in the wrong if you hit one.

4.  Try to hep instead of hinder the traffic officer; he is there for your good and he’s got a tough job.

5.  Be sure your “dimmers” really dim; it’s no joke driving into a blindng glare, as you probably know.

6.  Read and obey the warning signs; they are not put up as ornaments.

7.  If you feel you’ve got to speed, do it where it won’t kill anybody but yourself.

8.  When making minor repairs, stop where your car may be seen from both directions; otherwise you may stop longer than you anticipated.

9.  Speeding round corners s a straight route to the hospital.  Don’t race past a stopped street car.  Some day the jury will call it manslaughter.

10.  Use discretion.  The fact that you had the right of way won’t bring anybody back to life, least of all yourself.

No one talks that way anymore.  It’s not very politically correct or even polite, but it’s fun to read, anyway. 

Besides the Ten Commandments of Motoring, the carriage house has a very old bike–one where the front wheel is about five times the size as the back wheel.  The carriage house itself is well worth the visit.

For information on the Former Governor’s Mansion and fun bits of history like this one, contact the State Historical Society of North Dakota.