The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-06-23
HONOR MEMORY OF
LEONARDO DA VINC|
Was Great Painter, Sculp-
tor and Scientist
TESTING AEROPLANE
Shorthand Reports of Napoleon's
Speeches Now Being Published in
Verbatim-Motor Bandits
Not Forgotten
Nv GEORGE purRnsNE

|
DRY of Leonado da Vinei. who four CEN
turtles ago wrote a remarkable treatise on
the flight Of birds. The manuscript went
| through strange vicssitudes and the work
was not published until 1898.
The great artist, who was not only
painter and sculptor. but also architect,
engineer and scientist, revealing his
genius in every one of these capacities,
was the author of the first work on me-
chanical flight.
He conceived the idea of screw-propul-
sion. he invented the paddle-wheel; he de-
signed a breech-ioading gun, and, 300
parachute descent he demonstrated the
principle of the parachute.
NJ. Milerand the French war minister.
has conferred with NJ. Raaaeni. the secre-
| tary of the Franco-Italian league, with re-
| gard TO the coming commentator, ana
leading French and Italian scientists, lit
| erary men, and artists will take part IN
| it, under the presidency of the war min
| lister and the Italian ambassador.
| Leonardo da Vinci's treatise was writ
| ten at Florence in 1906. 1t was among
| his papers at his death, and was be-
queathed to his companion, Francesca
AIelzi. IT accompanied the Leonardo da
| vinei manuscripts to Paris by the orders
| of Napoleon in 1876. At the restitution of
1916 only the Codice Atlantieo, as it is
called, was sent back to Milan The
treatise on flight remained at the Institut
| de France, was stolen, taken to Italy,
bought by a Russian, and finally pub
| lished In Paris in 1898
| In 1t are found the first technical de-
signs for imitation wings. In this ma
hnr
tai position and work the flying strokes
| with his arms and feet by means of
ropes passing over pulleys. The wings re-
sembed those of n bat, and consisted of
several parts which tapped together in
| the upward stroke and spread out on
the down stroke. A tail surface was pro-
vided between the parted legs. Here is a
| paragraph from Leonardo da Vincfs
| treatise:
THE bird should, with the help of the
wind, raise itself to a great height, and
this will be its safety, because, although
| all the revolutions mentioned may happen,
there is time for 1t to recover its equi-
| librium, provided it's various parts are
capable of strong resistance so that they
may safely Withstand the fury and inn
petus of the descent. being provided with
/ the safeguards mentioned, with their lga-
| ments of strong tanned leather and their
! tendons of very strong raw silk, and no
| one need trouble to use iron Joints, be-
| cause atley split under the. strain of a
twist or wear out, so that there is no
need to trouble about making them"
!
Captain Charet, a military aviator, is
making some experiments of the greatest
| interest and utility in order to test the
power of resistance of an aeroplane, and
to discover at what points the structure
needs strengthening. On special rail-
road track, two miles long, put at his dis
position by tho Northern Railroad COM
pany, the captain is running a truck in
which his aeroplane is fixed at 20 miles
an hour. The truck is simply platform
on wheels. and the aeroplane is so fixed
as to be in exactly the same position as
when in the air. In this way, drawn by
a powerful engine at 10 miles an hour, it
is possible to note just where the aero
plane can least stand the strain of the
high speed at which it PUSHES through
| the air, without any danger to pilot.
| This experiment is of the greatest inn
portance, as the many accidents which
have recently occurred in France, and
especially to military aviators, have al
most all been due to the swapping Of
some weak portions of the structure. In
three trials yesterday all the parts of the
| aeroplane remained firm.
! One would give a good deal for YER
| batim reports of Napoleon's speeches
A councillor OF state, who remained
| anonymous, took in shorthand some Of
the Emperor's sayings at sessions of the
council, and they are now published for
the first time. They are almost pre-
naturally Napoleonic. Napoleons coro-
nation was discussed. The Emperor in
sisted on being crowned by the pope,
| saying:
Religious discussions continue. All
| that will cease when the pope comes
Nobody will have anything more to say
when 1t Is once said the pope was there"
Some councillor mentioned French
Protestants. The Emperor interrupted
| Woe to Protestants II ever tho Emperor
were Protestant The Emperor must all
ways belong to the religion of the ma
jority, Changing religion Is no longer
| looked upon as of any Importance. There
are many roads to Paradise.
The imperial symbol was discussed
and the cock suggested The cock be-
longs to the farm yard; II is too mean a
beast. 1t Is not possible, 1t can't be the
symbol of an Empire like France. You
must choose among the eagle, tho ele-
| plant, or the lion." Later. "A lion living
over the map of France with ono paw
over the Rhine, might do" The eagle
of course, was eventually chosen, Ma
poleons opinion Of the crowd, especially
| the fdiibidn CroWut WaS low. III Is Inn
| portant that the population of Paris
should not fancy itself to be the nation:
that would be submitting to the noise OF
| the rabble that serves only as the be-
| ginning OF revolutions. Tho nation has
no business TO mix with political affairs
any more. Why not choose another town
than Paris for the coronation7 Paris f.
full of scum. 1t would be just to show
/ the Parisans one can govern without
them. As long as I have blood In my
I need have not 100000, but just 1900 men
to bring Paris to its senses. II ever
was mad enough to believe In the at
tachment of Parisians I was assured of
that long ago. They have always been
the same. They have never, loved any
4 body"
Here are the Napoieonic dicta on re-
ligion: Religion vaccinates the imagi-
nation If you take faith away from the
people you have only highway robbers
left While tho people remain religious
you can control and guide them; you
have them In hand"
GARNER and Valet, the motor bandits,
have apparently not been forgotten by
their admirers In the anarchist world,
They nre buried In a common grave In
Bagneux cemetery. When the keeper
was making his rounds the other day he
| found that a bouquet of red egiantines
/ had been deposited on the grave, In
paper wrapped round the flowers were
these words, "Parisian egIsntine May
these flowers bring you the friendship of,
| the Byzantine"
(faroi1v orla of the srrpposed 7nofar han