New-York tribune., 1910-07-26
THE AVIATION MANIA
Martyrs TO Science is It
Worth While?"
--e-s - The london Chronicle

From letters 70 The london Chronicle,
Is il wise 10 use the stimulus of public
honor and public excltenlent. Win n 3 :
added zest Of immense monetary reward. IN
fad Of experiment where labot1ouS pa
rience Is the first necessity or success ana
where humanity has not even Yet deter
mined the value Of victory? The deplora BILE
and tragic death Of 9. :. Rolls shoulo
force this question TO an answer. lie IS not
2 rl1a-tvr but the destruction Of his lie IS
loss 70 the world, and that life would
surely have been now engaged IN services
10 mankind i his experiments had not peen
turned into exhibitions and the moral al
Yn6sphere OF the nation had been less cleo
tric with excitement
Tl7Are are certain people making money
out OF aviation II is 10 their interest ina
there should be shows. The man who will
risk most is the man for rneir money Inc
contests which they arrange must De oal-
srri+e5 and expA-tant the condition OF the
public mind the better business It Is for
them
ton viii bring happiness to the human
rare While war continues z possl oility
among great blocks and masses Of human
i+y II might be easy 70 prove the contrary
Never+Falpss careless Of the result care
less OF the vast moral and material issues
and driven forward by the almost drunken
enthusiasm for mechanical evolution which
IS one Of the supreme follies of our i'm
pa-ien1 davs. men are calling on other men
10 risk their lives in hazardous experiments
an6 dangerous essays at time when even
the mere act Of dTirg in the most perfect
atmospheric conditions is attended by IN
eleerinr risk To organize an exhibition OF
4[i5r i to shoot an arrow into the dark
of weather conditions, but 70 demand or
sz-iators display Of freak f"lng in such
an exhibition is 70 call death to the meet
ing.
With the terrible fate Of 9. s. Rous-the
seventh victim that the present aTlatlo9
mania has claimed within year-foilo'Fed
in less than rwenUy-four hours by the
massacre OF the five passengers in the
German dirigible airship Erbsloeh tneTe
must surely be many sober minded folk
throughout this country who are prompted
10 ask. even in the face OF the widest pop
ular enthusiasm. tbs. aN-inportant ques-
tior. + Il worth wtile2
So far as can see. the so-cal!ed SCI
ence'' OF aviation has contributed nothing
vyFa atever to our knowledge Of Nature s
forces The bird man is. 10 use An sp-
pIopriat- phrase, merely flying in the
Aace 0f Nature " He is NJ agsinst the
scheme OF things lie has not -h&rnessed
the winds as the electrician has narneSSed
the lightning. re is their helpless victim
en5 TIsvtning and cannot even furl his
saiIs or pain Of instant death. He is trv-
ing to do bird work without bird structure
or anv hope Of an approach 10 II he Is
doomed 70 ultimate DISASTER by every nat
tral law from the first moment he takes
Fis urecar rious seat Is II worth while7 Up
n rfe nresent the dying nen has been NJ
teriy and pathetically useless for any other
rurDose than that OF giving exciting
9show.r
Lastly. as a sport, is aviation likely to
rrscraa+fon for the mass Of our citiZens2
T-nfn---tlyately. here again grave doubts
800. IN il NAV be contended, perhaps,
+bs+ courage is needed 10 face the dangers
~ s trip through the air. Bu' is il cour-
ags or is IT mere foolhardiness'
-I5,,-.3,- o4ctacuIar sport such as char
.-,e-tzss the average aerodrone, where an
IA. crowd expresses its disappointment un-
Less something sensa ttoT!aI nappens-by
-,rich is presumably meant an actual hope
+fat sor,e poor fellow viii uselessly risk
a. Icsc his nfe-tends all TOO certainly in
+hs ss~ection OF the decadsnt orgies OF the
Roman arena. The disgracesfgIl scenes so
90. ,baf ansllad upon Mr.. Rollss death
orIv tend % confirm this view.
Il ~ WORTH while that the mind Of the
.aefa = "a ree should be distracted from
1fre things that DO matter by these cheap
netorfAties the being ara becoming OF
1rhfcf, arc as often as not mere adver-
tisen94r1f gamble: that ing3goraiin and gen
nine sports should Be neglected. Tor an en-
. e5,-s4ip. excitement and that a splendid
vcilpr Itfe should De sacrificed - make =
T3.,,Irnen.outh holiday? Is il worth while?