South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-07-28
IRE YOU AFRALD2

ARE YOU AFRAID?
Were you Of the thousands OF people who
looking the great crcing airplane that beat its
way through the skies said to themselves The
earth is good enough fo- me. Those things fsol
killers?
Have you told yourself same thing as you
have read, from time 20 time OF accidents in the
air. Did the o those hiers with the Anund-
exploring party. IN the frozen Arctic. who met
death when a wing broke and the machine crashed
III you with fear?
II It did. have you stopped to consider that there
Is always m the human mind great fear of any
thing that IS new?
When the first railroads built stories OF
wrecks along the line. and they much more
frequent than with the airplane today. prompted
your grandfather and your grandmother to say that
ihey would stick the old horse wagon. They.
too had the fear OF the new thing
Less than seventy years ago trip by train
considered an a real adventure. TO be entered upon
fearsomey and with regard for the possibilities
81 death.
You will find the reflection OF this in the
little signs which still posted above ticket
windows Of railway offices offering to sell you an
accident policy for day with great reduction for
three days
The profits the sale policies
vas something enormous but even as short time
ago 1890. most people outside OF travelling
called drummers in those days bought one Of these
tickets when they entered a railway coach
Today they still sold but only to the
travelled. Very few people are longer alarmed by
he threatening invitation insure themselves, in
itself suggestion OF unknown dangers and Of at
least the possibilities Of tragedy.
Your father felt the same way about the automO-
bile when it first appeared upon the city streets.
He was also sure that he would ride in
Of those fool things and probably intimated that
II Providence had intended ride behind
machines he would have never placed horses here
cor mans
Your mother presumably more timid but in
Witty more adventurous. might have remarked that
ne machine would be practical and also
uttered a vow that would ever persuade her
20 ride in a contraption OF that sort.
That airplane which now circles with the grace
OF the bird. is safe than were the first
models Of automobiles.
The human animal differs little from the brute
in rs fears It shudders at the new and the
tried then takes then~and uses them the
pioneering Is done and proof exists that they are
comparatively and reasonably safe. for nothing is
without its dangers even so innocuous thing as
walking down the street
You looked up as the airplane climbed to the
skies Tomorrow It quite likely that the entire
viewpoint of the world will be changed by this very
machine
10y looking down from the skies and will see Il in
very different light.
It's circng and winding rivers become mere rib
bons stretched through embroidery Of vegetation.
GIlded domes become nuggets Of gold upon the
earth. Men become dots. moving and animated.
The thing terrifying because of its newness to-
day will tomorrow become more and more useful
Is its safety is demonstrated.
The air mail service drove these. machines nearly
.vo million miles last year without fatal accident.
one auto driver out OF every 20 figured in some
sort or an accident the period and the
automobile is so safe that questions It. 1t
no longer inspires fear not only because of its
demonstrated safety but because OF the very COM
nonplaceness and the necessary niche it fills in
modern life
The mind that IS able TO cast of fear for new
things is the mind that is attuned to progress. II
au minds could throw of this fear OF anything just
because il is untried the world would advance
hundred times more rapidly.
But as long as is he IL and fear is what
u is We shall probably continue TO follow the foot
steps OF the pioneers learn from the adventurous
and the fearless. 20 accept and only those
things which have become familiar through asso-
citation.