The Washington herald., 1906-12-04
LANGLEY Is PRAISED
Life and Services Of Scientist
Are Ext0lled.
MEETING IS HELD
Andrew ID. White Reviews the work
of the Late Secretary of the smith
sOniaR Institution in "a Speech De-
IiVered at the National Museum.
Others Pay Him Tribute.

At the meeting in the United States Ma
tional Museum yesterday. called by the
board of regents OF the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition, the life and services of Samuel
Pierpont Langley were extoiled. The meet
ing was in charge OF the chancellor Of the
Smithsonian, the Hon. Melville w. Fuller,
Chief Justice Of the United States who
confined his part of the proceedings to in
PRODUCING the three speakers of the even
ing in brief way.
The lecture room was unwontedly dec
GRATED for the occasion. There was pOr-
trait Of Prof. Langley. wreathed in inn
morteiles. and around the wall was hung
the collection Of famous paintings made
by Harriet Lane Johnston at the time
when her uncle President Buchanan, &c
cupied the White House. The institution
has recently come into possession Of these
paintings by reason of a judgment of the
Supreme Court OF the United States. and
they were placed in position for the first
time for the meeting last night.
They are all notable works of art, but
the most interesting Of them all is the
picture Of a fair-faced youth with waving
brown hair. clad in British scarlet. which
occupies the place Of honor, and above
which the coat Of arms of Great Britain
reigns. It is the portrait Of the pres
ent King Of England painted by Sir
Watson Gordon, when the King. then
Prince of Wales visited America in
1S6o.
Andrew White Speaks.
The principal speaker at the Langley
memorial meeting was the Hon. Andrew
D. White, Ii. D., who spoke on behalf
of the board of regents. He reviewed
the history Of the Smithsonian Institution
and spoke briefly OF Prof Joseph Henry
and Spencer T. Baird who were Prof
Langley's predecessors as secretaries Of
the Institution. He dweIt at length on
Langley's work as an astronomer. and
speaking Of Langley's early life. ne said
that Langley was fortunate in that he
sprung from the middle class in Amer
ica, "a class neither emasculated by
wealth nor crushed by poverty"
OF Langleys work as craftsman, archi-
tect and civil engineer, Mr. White spoke
briefly. passing TO his astronomical work
at Allegheny. Pa, where al first he had
no instruments 10 work with It was
Langley's work in developing a uniform
system Of time for the railroad systems
that enabled him 70 secure the funds to
carry on his theoretical work He ex-
planned at length Langley's work in
drawing maps of the sunspots, and said
thar Langley's drawings were the stand
ard to-day. IN spite Of the great aid that
Photography has since been 20 astronomy.
He told Of the work that Langley was
employed 10 do in securing scientific data
about the solar eclipses Of 1873, and sub
sequent years. and of his labOrs. always
10 the end that the nations capital should
be dignifed. beautiful. and artistic
In speaking of his work in aerOdynam-
les he told Of Langley's early expert
ments with the whirling table. designed
to secure data as to the resistance of the
air to plane surfaces. and went on to tell
how he. after making aeroplanes that
would fly, was induced to construct one
that would carry a man. Said Mr.. White:
Designed for War Purposes.
THE circumstances under which he was
induced 10 undertake this work are not
fully known as yet. but they had to do
with the impending Spanish war, and his
plans were submitted to the Board of
Ordnance"
propriated $4,000 for the work, and how
the work failed, but he said:
The experiments would have been a
success had It not been for the ridlcule
which did not understand. but which
made itself felt in the national Legisla-
ture"
Prof. f. c. Pickering, director Of Har-
ward College Observatory. read an in
teresting and conservative paper on
Langleys work much along the lines Of
tie paper Of DR.. White and then came
Octave Chanute, OF Chicago. who averred
that Langley's flying machine never had
a chance; Il was ruined in the attempts
to launch It, and that had 1t not been
for the ridicuie of the press il would
have been successful. As it was he
thought, Prof Langley would be known
as the precursor and the prefecter Of the
successful flying machine.
To-day the annual meeting of the re-
gents will take place, and a move is
likely to be made toward filling the Office
of secretary Of the institution vacated by
the death OF Prof Langley