The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-22
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

I am indebted to Dr. Samuel F. Na- bors of this city for sending, me page out of the issue of the Scientific American of August 23, 1913, for it i gives me chance to call attention to the fact that in spite of the claims of science, the scientists have frequently been in error when prophesying, in them are fond of calling attention to the failures of the Old Testament prophets to predict alright.
 Now, do not jump to the conclusion | that l am attempting to belittle science or scientists but among the pseudo scientific gentlemen it has been the custom to speak with patronizing air concerning those who in the twentieth century still cling to their belief in the authenticity of the prophets of. Israel
 It was Ingersoll, believe, who lec- tured "on the Mistakes of Noses and l do not recall the humorist who, when asked if he was going out to hear the eloquent doubter, replied: No. wouldn't give dollar to hear Ingersoll on the mistakes of Moses, but l would gladly plank down five of them to hear Moses on the mistakes of Bob.'
 I am willing to admit that scientific men suffered much at the hands of the church in the days when it had power to punish them even with death, and it may be bit human for the scientists to hold it against the theo- 1 logians that they did compass the death of some of the worlds greatest and most daring thinkers, for there are some dark blots on the pages of churchmen.
 We pick up the stories of the drown ing and the burning of witches and we are astonished that not only the clergy in this free country of ours have a part in it, but that learned Judges were equally guilty in adyocat- ing so inhumane and so outrageous a thing. and that down to a time so near our own as to make us blush with shame. I overheard a man say in de- lending the vindictiveness shown by ' Senator Lodge to President Wilson "oh. Lodges ancestors were witch burners in New England.
 But I am not going to rehearse here the long conflict between theology and science or attempt to set out the many | two, for only too often just as the truce is signed, something comes UT to put them at variance. and so the merry war is handed down from cen tury to century, and even from gen eration to generation. l suppose i will last as long as men divided them selves into materialists and spiritual ists.
 The tale of the war of ideas fills oul libraries and I leave it to my readers who wish to pursue the subject to fer } l ret out for themselves the matter i ! they are interested. for I am going tt } limitSthis largely to the fight whicl { inventors have had not only to ge recognition for their, inventions but t l escape persecution and villification a 5 the hands of the learned as well as tn, : general public.
 , It would take a long catalogue t, list the blessing we now enjoy whicl , are doubted and prescribed as impos f abilities by scientific societies. I can f just for the moment locate the thins myself. or point you to the volum and page. but l have faint remem brance of reading somewhere that tn . great Daniel Webster made a speecl . against the absurdity of driving al v engine on rails by steam and gave a = his reason that if such thing was il v the bounds of possibility. it would b impossible to stop the thing whe under full head of steam within fiv , miles of designated station.
 
 t What fight electricity had to wi : it's way in spite of the fact that tn : great sclentific bodies at first locke on it as toy, but in the light of wha II it is doing now, it's a world marve n to know what has been accomplishe l. by the electric fluid since the day whe
 
 a kite and bunch of keys. The stor J of the telephones final triumph owe
 obstacles is another wonder, and whe 1t we get into telegraphy, running o e wires from city to city, going beneat a the ocean and connecting continent
 we are just ready to appreciate wire u less telegraphy.
 f. But l have taken too much spaC
 leading up to the article in the Scief
 tific American, published in the yes 'e 1913. in the leading scientific journ
 in this country "On Fighting in u
 Air" by c. Dienstbach. on whether
 the war of -the>future airplanes will l
 pitted against airplanes? He was vii 'r ing to admit the possibility, and y es pointed out many difficulties. Just IS show how far astray he was in h prognostications, l will cite few
 the hindrances he foresaw
 ss He was afraid tha- the atmosphe ,y over Qualifications and over the terr h. tory occupied by the opposing armi would make it almost impossible f airplanes to ferret one another out u sd less they went singly, and then th'
 might find themselves miles apart. ,n came to the conclusion that probab =, the first whole hearted attack in mo oi ern warfare would be delivered fro
 a very large and safe dirigible, era
 boasting of a firing platform, in spi
 of the danger of conflagration.