The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-07-01

Wholly unspoiled by the many hon
them and as modest and unassuming
in manner as they were before their
splendid triumphs in aviation, the
Wright brothers came back to their
Dayton home. A year ago, and they
were practically unknown. Now their
name is familiar to every civilized
section of the globe
For untold centuries man has
dreamed of some day flying through
the air. Those who best know the
men who have made this dream real
ity know that phantasy and romance
have no place in their sober and mat
ter-of-fact minds. The work they have
done has been performed under the
most prosaic conditions and in the face
of universities which would have ap-
palled any but the most resolute. The
faith of the father in the abilities of
his boys to solve a problem which had
only excited derision is one of the most
striking features of triumphant his
tory.
Father a Clergyman.
Bishop Milton Wright Is a minister
of the United Brethren Church, and
began his ministry in 1856. He served
as a missionary in Indianapolis, and,
two years later, in Oregon. He mar
ried Miss Susan Katherine Koerner in
1859. and continued In an itinerant
pastorate for several years, drawing a
meager salary but frugally putting by
q few dollars against time of need.
OF family of seven children, all
were born in different parts of the
country except Miss Katherine and Or
Vile. whom the stork brought to Day
ton. where they have lived and worked
all their lives. During the early years
of the bishops residence in Dayton he
was editor of the Religious Telescope,
the official publication of Eis church.
In 1889 a dissension arose and the
church was divided. The bishop re-
tired from the management of the pa
per, and has lived in retirement since,
drawing a meager income from some
land in Iowa, which he had acquired
when land in that State was very
cheap.
When mere scboolboys, the now IA
nous brothers showed a special apti-
tude for analytical reasoning along
mechanical lines, but displayed little
taste for the mathematical and liter
airy branches of the school curriculum
They abandoned their studies in the
public schools to take up the mechani-
cal pursuits which so strongly appeal
4. ed to them, and they entered their
chosen field together, having worked
conformity ever since.
Soon after their abandonment of the
schools. the bicycle business sprung up
and they found in that line a calling
peculiarly fitted for their talents and
fnclinations, which led them to open a
repair shop, which later was turned
into small factory in which wheels
embodying their ideas of what bicy-
Gle ought to be were constructed on
small scale. They failed to reap the
harvest which was the reward of so
many bicycle makers, but they man.
aged TO make a comfortable living
and. In their spare hours, began to
think of aerial navigation. In speak
ing Of this embryonic idea, Wilbur
said:
"The matter occurred to both my
brother and myself at about the same
time, but, while both of US yearned for
an opportunity to make some expert
ments along that line. each was re-
luctant TO mention the matter for fear
Of mourning the good-natured ocular
fly of the other. but the ideas finally
found expression. and we stealthily set
to work to build our first small mod
oil. which differed from that with which
the public is now fairly familiar.