The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-08-18
CLIPPINGS FROM OUR EXCHANGES.
CURRENT COMMENT.

With everybody knocking" says
! The S~partanburg Journal. no wonder
l Professor Langley's air ship doesn't
| fly. What it needs is a boost" We
] should say, on the contrary, that with
1 such a valume of hot air about it there
l is a greater wonder in our mind that it
/ doesn't soar into the empyrean instead
| Of into the Potomac.-Charleston Post.
The aching void in Philadelphia Gre
l ated by the destruction of the Keeley
l motor after the death of its living in
l ventor is about to be filled by the es-
| Enlistment OF a large plant for the
| transnutation Of metals. \ Mr.. Hun
l ter. on whom the mantle of Kelley
! seems 10 have fallen. says that he will
build a factory costing half a million
| dollars. in which silver will be turned
into gold as rapidly as he thinks Il
safe to dc it and not upset the econ
annie fabric of the world YOU viii
la to bring the alchemist only one
silver dollar in order to get back FORTY
/ golden ones. This making ore silver
dollar equal to forty dollars of gold
beats even the political alchemy OF
which Mr.. Bryan, a we'll known Ne
b-aska politician, is an advocate. and
throws into he shade Miller's get-r.ch
quick scheme.-New York Press.
TT is a very ill-bred scientist who
will disagree emphat5cally with The
newspaper reporters in a matter of
scientific concern" says the Springfield
Republican. Here is Professor Lang
ley's first assistant declaring that the
test 81 the small aerOdrome on the
Potomac river Saturday was entirely
successful while to the reporters IL
looked like an unqualified failure.
Perhaps, after all, Tie first assistant
was letter able to Judge than the
other aid more untechnical observers.
1t seems that the machine used Sat
day was merely q. model Of the big
a~erodrorat-, which will be tested soon
with a 1naH as q passenger 1t may
interest The States: readers to know
that the Scientists here referred to
and spoken of in the dispatches as As
sistant Manly is a former South Caro-
Iinian-Mr. Charles Matthews Manly,
son of the Rev DR.. CharIeS Manly, for
many years the pres ideIt Of Furmar
university. Young MI. Manly has been
working with PrOfeS sor' Langley for
several years On the aIrshir at the
Smithsonian institute e.-Columbia' s.
G.. Static.
In view of the nude lie made by the
republicans III 1900 in he manufacture
of their platform, woul d it not be we'll
for the Leaders. to begin now the prepa-
ration of planks for that structure
and the framing of the n together with
such SOlidity that nom : o. them Will
be likel yto BE- edited out by Lemuei
Eli Quigg or any other iOurneyman
platform carpenters bu1 lgl1dg hand? It
Will be readily recalled I hat a complete
draft of the 1900 pIatfor1 n was prepared
in this city some time before the con-
Vention assembled. hal it was care
fully studied and by Presi-
e Mckinley. the OF lly candidates;
that it wa s~transported to Philadelphia
and there fell INTO the hands of Mr..
Quigg. by wholn il was so murderous-
ly treated that. when ct was reported
and adopted. the most il npCrtant of all
tie planks. the. expansf on" declaration,
the new departure, the one great fea-
ture of repuIbli lau policy, was missing.
It will, also, be Ibered that. at
the first opportunity. President
ley virtually edited that. missing plank
in again an d Sd. faced tn. g democrats OF
''parS MONT iSSu e. There were
several ott er mistakes in the opera
zion perfor med by Mr.. Qufgg. but this
the most serious one. In order
that so en- l~barTassing a situation may
.Cure to ST ggest that the platform be
framed so solid1y that it will defy the
skill of ar " amateur into whose I'M
hS nds it may Happen to fall.
Why not take a hint from The Dea-
cons Mas terpiece; or, The Wonderful
Jne-Hoss Shay" and make every
just as strong as the rest?"-
Washingt On Post.