The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1921-10-15

assured. In consequence, Omaha Is proudly claim
ing to be Americas most progressive aviation
center.
The purposes of the congress are praiseworthy.
The congress itself Is likely to be Of great I'M
portance
One purpose is to bring the flyers together for
q big reunion, sthe first since the World War; An
other Is to show everything In connection with
aviation, In order to interest the people OF the
nation in flying. A third Is to form national
air body for the advancement Of aviation In Amer
lea. The big purpose is: Aviation supreme for
America"
The formation of national air body appears
to be well under way, through preliminary oryan
cations in the states. At this writing twenty-five
states are forming state organizations of the con-
gress and will be represented by delegates.
That there is necessity for the formation OF such
q body seems hardly open to argument Rudysrd
Kipling, years ago, wrote Of aircraft: I'VE are
at the opening verse of the opening page of the
chapter of endless possibilities" We have read
far beyond that now and the march OF events
forces us TO keep on turning the leaves, If we
would keep our place in the forefront Of the pro-
cession of the nations.
a In the opinion of those who seem best qualified
to know the United States has not kept abreast
with other countries In the development of avia-
ton, especially In the matter Of development Of
Always. For example, the best we can shOw>in
u
ing the general line of Cleveland Chicago. Omaha,
Reno and San Francisco. The experts declare II
to he not more than 40 per cent complete in organ
xatloh.
An essential of the success Of big business Is
Imagination. Imagine. II you can what the part
Of aviation In the life Of the nation will be FIVE
years from new. 1t is no wonder that Of
large affairs want the organization of a national
air body and want 1t now.
Omaha's slogan inspired by the Aero Club
of Omaha. an organization Of 100 former pilots
and observers Of the World War. Nevertheless
all the city is talking aviation these days. Three
months ago. of course. IL was not so. Omaha was
no more enthusiastic over aviation than any other
city. When its citizens heard airplane dronng
overhead they gazed skyward for moment 9th
erwise they were uninterested.
Then Earl w. Porter, president of the Aero
Club of Omaha, conceived the idea of the con-
gress and went to work on Ii. Now aviation Is I'm
the blood Of the citizens. They talk of the manv
phases of air travel with the nonchaance of aces
In other cities the people may call anything that
trayerses the air an airshp. But not so In Omaha
they rightly use the word aircraft Do you hear
blimp In Omahaf Well, hardly Omaha knows
that bmp is not only slang but obsolete slang
whereas people In other cities are still applying
the word unfortunately to all balloons rigid
ard nonrigid airshps and lighter-than-air craft
fou never eaten an Omahan these days saying
hydrophne when he means seaplane he knows
that the former never leaves the water And Won
nnd him correctly using airplane, seaplane and
airship instead of aeroplane. hydro-aeroplane and
diriglbie. You may even overhear a conversation
about the captive helicopter. In short everyonc
In Omaha appears to be enthusiastic about avia.
tion In general and the coming congress in par
ticular.
President Porter went to his fellow cIubmen
They Endorsed his idea and his plans and pledged
their support They also fixed on him as the lopi!
cal head of the movement and he was duly made