Evening journal., 1909-12-31

notable year. Things have happened
In 1903. Discoveries that thrill the
souls OF men around the sphere have
been made. Invention. which in itself
is discovery, has gone forward with
seven league strides. Death. singing
fts darts every year. hit shining marks
in 1909.
The year 1909 has been called "the
year Of genius" because so many men
OF worldwide fame were born therein.
This year. exactly century later, may
be termed the year OF achievement.
To all time this year will be known
as the one in which the north pole was
reached-or discovered" If you like
that better. Possibly the pole was
reached in 190S but that remains to be
proved. Nobody doubts that Com
mander Robert E. Peary of the United
States navy actually arrived at the
pole on April G. 1909. as he announced
10 the world on the 7th day of Septem-
ber Six days prior TO that date DR..
Frederick A. Cook of Brooklyn had
sent down from the frozen north
message that vibrated around the
globe. He said he had reached the
pole on April 21. 1908. Whether DR..
Cook got there or not, the fact remains
that the year 1909 has the imperishable
honor of announcing the conquering Of
the worlds top.
But let us not permit this predomi-
nant pole talk to obscure other super
lative affairs of 1909.
Man Flies Across Channel.
Let it be not forgotten-it cannot be,
for that matter-that on the 25th OF
July 1909. A. D.. a Frenchman named
Louis Bleriot, a man bird, a person Of
daredevil nerve. a fearless argonaut Of
the atmosphere, arose from the ground
at Calais in an aeroplane and flew
across the English channel to the chalk
cliffs Of Dover, making the distance. of
twenty-one miles in forty minutes
beating the steamboat time between
France and England by ten minutes.
NEven Napoleon Bonaparte could not
get across to England for all his con
quering legions. yet this Frenchman OF
1909. ignoring utterly all accepted and
approved methods Of transportation.
made heroic conquest Of the inviolable
air and shot himself by whirring motor
across The channel.
This was one OF the years achieve
ments that make it epochal Bleriot
proved that the aeroplane. q craft
heavier than air can sustain itself in
aerial fight above an ocean roadway
and make safe landing on the other
side
What has been done once can be done
again Tho aeroplane is advancing.
The Wright brothers. pioneers in avia-
tion. have performed marvels in 1909.
Their aviation working IN Europe and
America has attained IN this year a
height of excellence never reached be-
fore They, too. could fly across the
channel II they cared to do so. but
these Americans are not spectacularly
inclined. They arc thoroughbred dew
otees TO the science of aviation, labor
ing assiduously to develop the aero
plane into a thing of practical value.
Work Of the Wriehts.
The Wrights care little for record
breaking. They care much for making
their mechanism available for actual
use in transportation. What they have
done this year is an earnest of future
achievement. They have demonstrated
lconclusively beyond cavii. beyond per-
adventure OF doubt. that the air is
navigable by heavier than air craft
Much remains to be done. but the
Wrights and other aviators have
shown this year that the dream Of CEN
turies is upon the very eve of fulfill
ment
The death list of 1909 is notable A
great poet a great novelist, a great
preacher, a great general and a great
editor have died. These arc, in the
order indicated. Algernon Charles
Swinburne. George Meredith, Edward
Everett Hale. General Oliver Otis
Howard and Richard Watson Glider.
Death Of Swinburne.
Swinburne was first Of these to pass
He died April 10 at his home, Putney,
England. at the age Of seventy-two.
one Of the strangest OF human mortals
was Swinburne. Understood. red haired
unhandsome. he passed his long life as
a recluse. never marrying. His bride
was Poesy. espoused in early youth.
Before he grew his struggling red
whiskers he looked like a troLbadour
of the middle ages. have seen an
early portrait Of Swinburne by Dante
G. Rossetti. his brother poet and paint
er, which shows him to have been al
most womanish in appearance. He
wore long wavy hair. and his face sug-
gested that of Shelley. though less
etherialized. The superb mascuiinity
of Swinburne. however, none who has
read his poetry can question.
To Swinburne the English language
was music Words were throbbing
viols: syllables were singing strings;
sentences were splendid arlas Of
sound. Pre- -eminently he was the mu-
sic master of English speech. The
Iharshness of our conglomerate tongue
was toned down and turned 10 melo-
dies in his verse. No person who has
written English verse ever captured
like Siwnburne the haunting wraiths
of harmony wandering through the
Language. nor has any other poet
wrought these elusive ghosts Of speech
into such masterful music.
There are poets and poets Some Of
them are poets by brevet OF courtesy.
The distinction has been conferred up
on them by undivining editors or by
persons of special plea. Swinburne
was a poet by birthright. Tie divine
fire burned within him. Fortunately
for him and for humanity, he had spf-
hcient income to fend him against The
wolf that obsesses the doors Of most
men of genius. He could live his life
and do his work undeterred by the
nasty opportunities which beset most
mortals.
All his life Swinburne was Just a
poet, nothing else. He never was COM
monplace. He never yielded TO popular
demand. He never was compelled for
the sake of a bread crust 20 write the
namby pamby sort of stuff which maga-