The true northerner., 1909-01-01
Science, Sociology,
Religion and Cther Data.

keiiSlO7 and Other Data.
Continuous mechanical fight as a |
human feat has been publicly demon
strated TO the satisfaction of the |
world by the two American avatOrS, |
Wilbur and Orville Wright, giving as
sTrance of new military weapons and
promise OF practical commercial APP
plications Having finished their Sc
cret trials at Kill Devil hill. North
Carolina, last May and having receiv-
ed patent protection here and abroad,
the Wrights made public the details
OF their work. Wilbur then took one
machine to lie Mans, France, and Or
vile another TO Fort Myer, Va, for
official trials in September. Orville
scored first, making a record flight of
| hour II minutes 20 seconds prior to
the fatal trial Of Sept. %. when the
aeroplane, carrying the inventor and
Lieutenant Selfridge fell with a
broken propeller, killing Selfridge and
breaking. several of Wrights bones
Later Wilbur sailed the air alone l
hour and 81 minutes and on Oct. 10
took along one man for | hour min
utes 40 seconds. winning 100000 for
the invention from a French syndi-
cate. Farman and Delagrange also
made successful aeroplane fights in
France, the former winning the Arch
Deacon prize for the first circular
mile. while the tetrahedrOn machine
of Bell and Baldwin at Hammonds-
port, ~ Y. was flown short distances.
Count Zeppelin Of Germany again
led the world in the dirigible balloon
field. although his series of flights
eliminated Aug. l in the burning of
his huge rigid gas arship at Mayence.
where he had paused in a storm for
repairs after continuous journey Of
261 miles in II hours. With popular
aid he built another ship, In which he
made more flights In November, win
ming the kaiser's praise and selling his
invention to the government,
The dirigible balloon built by Thom-
as w. Baldwin on official trial at
Fort Myer. Va, in August attained a
speed Of 1916 miles an hour on a two
hour trip and was bought by the war
department for $4,000.
Both the panAnglican conference and
the Lambeth conference at London
went on record for socialism. The
Methodist general conference at Balti-
more took advanced ground for indus
trial reforms and prohibition, but re-
fused to change the code of discipline.
The Episcopal diocese of New York
made a working arrangement with or
ganized labor On the other hand, the
American Catholic society sharply con-
demned socialism. The first assem-
bling of the Catholic hosts in this
country took place in Chicago in No
vember the occasion being the celcbra-
tion Of the transfer of the United
States from a mission country To
country with an independent national
church
Signs of a coming unification of all
churches were seen first in the warm
interchanges between the Methodist
Episcopal conference at Baltimore and
the Methodist Protestant conference at
Pittsburg in the union motions be-
tween the latter and the Congregation
nj and United Brethren. in the union
favored By the Presbyterian general
conference at Kansas City with the
Reformed church and finally I'm the
first meeting Of the great federal coun-
ell Of the Churches Of Christ in Amer
ica at Phil" delphia in December. This
council also took advanced ground for
practical social reforms.
American athletes won a majority Of
the events in the Olympic games at
London in July. John Hayes being the
Marathon winner In November he
was beaten by Dorando in Madison
Square Garden. New York. and on Dec.
Is at the same place Dorando was
beaten by Longboat, the Canadian In
dian. The baseball leaders were the
Chicago Cubs and the Detroits.
Famous persons who died In 1908
were: Charles Emory Smith, Edmund
G. Stedman. Edward A. McDon-
aid. August Wilhelmi. Louise de la
Rance (Ouida). Redfield Proctor, SEN
ator from Vermont; William Pinck-
ney Whyte, senator from Maryland;
William Il. Allison. senator from Iowa;
Francois Coppee. Henry G. Potter,
Murat Halsted. Joel Chandler Harris.
Bronson How'r' Ira u. Sankey. DAN
lei Colt Gilman. Charles Eliot Norton,
Donald q Mitchell Grover Cleveland,
Henrv Ca'npbell- Bannerman and VIC
borien Sardou.