The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-25
COMMENTS ON MEN AND
 MATTERS OF THE WORLD

, others which it seems to be the privilege of genius to posse-~
 It was in the portrait art that Whistler excelled. Some of his paintings of women are distinguished for expression and airy family portraits for European nobility which will serve to perpetuate his name at least in the family galleTlee
 Society at ,-c-taort is waiting with ex- treme anxiety the arrival of MT. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt who 1t will be re- membered were the participants in the London wedding that set the gossips of the country clacking and scandalized the London clergy, The perturhat'o7 of the smart set, which Is smart only in the lat- est interpretation of the word when re- ferring to clothes or the like, is caused by the social warfare which will be opened when the Vanderbilts arrive on the scene. Certain of the proper danes among the leading lights will no doubt take it upon themselves to snub Mrs. Vanderbilt. who was Mrs. Rutherford only a short time ago. When the Yanderbilts arrive the most interesting feature of the strife will be the part Mrs. o. H. P. Belmont will play against the woman who now holds the place she herself formerly adorned in MT. Vanderbilts home, Mrs. Belmont having been MT. Vanderbllt's first wife. The doings of the society leaders are very amusing when viewed from the outside, but 1t requires a closer inspection to dis cern the tragedies, scandals. and petty jealousies that make up the life of these people
 Professor Langley's new airship is called the "Buzzard" which is rather an unfortunate selection of a name, to say the least. However, if the machine will fly that is all we ask. The Buzzard is q bird that is a mechanical bird. which is expected to do great things in aerial navigation. The Buzzard began its career very auspiciously by taking a sail on the Potomac during storm. But sailing on a barge and sailing in the air are two very different things and the efficacy of Professor Langleys inven- tion remains to be proved
 The next thing after airships for the scientists to perfect is the submarine boat. Somehow the public seems to have lost interest in the mysterious craft built to voyage beneath the waves and has turned its attention almost entirely to the ships of the air. Yet inventors of subma- rine boats have been about as success full as those who build airships Recent experiments at Newport with two tor- pedo boats, the Adder and the Moccasin, demonstrated that these craft can be very effective in coast defense, although the man who enters one of them and sinks beneath the waves has scant chance to come to the top again.
 Considering the arduous study given to the subject of submarine navigation it is remarkable that the men of science have attained so small a measure of success. The problem is certainly an easier one than that of aerial navfga- tion, but no one has yet been able to per- feet a boat that can remain under the water for an indefinite time in perfect safety. It begins to look as if the dreams of Jules Verne will never come true and 1t will no doubt be many days hence when we are at last permitted to enjoy an excursion to the moon or 8 trip over the floor of the Pacific