Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-04
"Grahan1
HERE Is an interesting letter which
have received from Mrs Walter

HERE Is an interesting letter which
have received from Mrs. Walter
L. Kincannon Of Houston, Tex:
my uncle, who is q missionary In
China, writes me as follows: We are
hopeful that the increasing use of radio
in China will prepare the soil for our
work. It Is not that we hope so much
to make our appeal on the air as that
the radio is beginning to get the masses
OF the Chinese into a different attitude
toward Western culture. Perhaps 1
should not say masses, as, Of course, the
use still is extremely limited, but lead
erS among Chinese business and pro-
feSSional men, and particularly the stu
dents, are now getting receiving sets
and we can see that the leaven of q
new culture is beginning to work. I
can see that the radio will be Of ineSti-
mable value in building UP self-respect-
ing nationality in China and I believe
which Isolate China from the rest Of
the world"
Since receiving Mrs. Kincannon's let
ter have noted that DR.. TSen Cha
Taao Of the radio division Of the
Chinese national council Of reconStruc-
ton has been in America studying radio
development and purchasing apparatus
and equipment for two new short-wave
stations to be erected on the southern
coast of China. DR.. Tsen said there
were IL broadcasting stations In China
and that great progress in radio was
being made. In the light of the present
crisis in Manchuria it seems providen-
tial to me that radio has arrived just
at q time when enlightened public
opinion is making O drive against war.
Certainly intelligent leadership OF com.
mercially backward and disorganized
peoples ought to be o great deal easier
than In the past, and radio ought 70
render humanity signal service IN
building a new international attitude
toward war.
interest in the recent exploit of H. G..
Bushmeyer In broadcasting while drop
ping 1O,350 feet from an aeroplane at
Roosevelt Field. Some have questioned
the story. I am in a position to state
that the account was true in every par
ticular:
Several persons have asked me
whether, in my opinion, these hazard
Gus performances are Of any particular
value in furthering radio progress. MY
best information is that, scienti1cauy,
they are not. Technicians and research
men know pretty accurately what radio
will do, and it Is rarely that q Circus
stunt like this turns up anything OF I'M
portance. But do believe that such
novel undertakings help to dramatize
events in the radio world and stimulate
interest and curiosity. During the last
few decades marvels have piled up 30
rapidly thattheatrical trimmings Of one
kind or another are necessary to turn
the public mind toward . new develop
ment. Radio began in dry, grubby re-
search In laboratories and lowered out
into all sorts Of spectacular byways, ap-
preaching now the mysterious and en- l.
chanting byways of televisiorl. It Is
natural that 1t should take on dra-
matte embellishments.
Stunning" of all kinds has been
pretty thoroughly worked In the radio
field, but there Is still opportunity Tor
all sorts Of thrilling performances. 1t
would be quite possible, so far as the
mechanics of the problem are concern
ed, for VIII Beebe, the naturalist, TO
stroll through the lanes Of coral at the
bottom of the South Seas and give the
topus fight. The sand hogs already
have told their story from far down
under the East River, working under
air compression of 40 pounds to the
square inch, with q wiSp OF human
speech traversing the solid rock to the
Surllit world above.
Living through this wizardy as have
and seeing each new year bring new
wonders, one gets a wider, possibly
loosen, range OF fancy and wonders
whether the possibility of communicate
ing with other planets is entirely CHI
mericaI. AS a matter OF fact, II the
folks on Mars at the present time have
an output power equal to 200 OF the
largest Sperry searchlights. our scien-
fists can get them, and they are ready
and waiting. The sensitive photoelec-
trio cell now translates light impulses
into sound impulses. We can get them
from Mars II they start sending them.
We would have to develop an inter-
planetary Language, which leads Us
back to the practical realities, with Q
reminder that radio Is already develop