Evening star., 1933-06-12

| Several deaths in the Indianapolis
automobile races, which attracted thou
sands of spectators, lead to public argu-
| ments against repetition of events under
similar conditions Of peril. 1t is argued
that while such speed exhibitions orig
inally were justified on the ground that
cars and mechanism must be tested, no
such importance now attaches to the
contests, and they attract only the per-
sons who demand dangerous action with
resultant thrills.
THE indianapolis race may rank high
| in popular interest as sporting event, "
says the st. Louis Post-Dispatch, "but
| if it Is consistent with civilized stand
ards, then our ethical code has risen
| little since the days of gladiatorial COM
bat" That paper recalls the things
that appealed to the ancients with the
| statement: Rome had its gladiatorial
combats, with men fighting to the death
| against other men or wild beasts. This
mechanical age has magnified the gaudy
| spectacle to pit men against machines.
While 100000 witnesses applaud, they
defy fate by shooting round and round
an arena at speeds approaching two
miles minute, where the slightest
error in human judgment or mechanical
construction means almost certain
death or injury"
''The monetary returns" according to
the Oklahoma City Oklahoman, were
meager compensation for the lives lost
in the fight for new speed records. 1t
is not necessary to kill people in order
to prove that an automobile will travel
at binding rate of speed. The whole
show seems foolish and barbarous. Pos
sibly goodly number of those who at
tended the races did so in the belief
that fatal accidents might enhance the
thrills of the occasion"
These races" as viewed by the Rut-
land Herald, have long outgrown their
original purpose or pretext that the
strains to which cars, tires and acces-
sories are subjected in such races are
the basis for useful data to automobile
builders. 1t would be just as reasonable
to say that driving powerful cars over
embankments or into death traps served
the same purpose The fact is that
these races are big sporting events,
conducted for profit and little else The
difference between the professional au-
tomobile racer and the stunt flyer is
not very great"
Similar argument is made by the Boise
Idaho Statesman, with the belief that
manufacturers look on such events with
skepticiSm, convinced that the high
mortality rate serves to put unreason-
able fears into the minds of everyday
motorists" The Statesman concludes
that there is no excuse for it, except
in the interest of professional sport, and
any sport which demands such a ter
rife toll Of life is barbaric." The Balti-
more Sun argues: Current opinion
seems to be that races are held because
they attract great crowds that enjoy
the thrill of them and are fascinated
by the danger of cars speeding at more
than hundred miles an hour on a
comparatively small track. The dare
devil riders are attracted by large
purses. And the fact that a hundred
thousand people were drawn to the
Indianapolis race indicates that there
must be profit left in it for the pro-
does not look so very scientific. Human
life has been and always will be sacri-
feed in mans struggle to conquer the
air and to overcome obstacles to faster
and ever faster transportation on the
land and sea But risks that often |
involve shocking tragedies should not |
be countenanced unless it is demon |
strable that valuable results are OBJ |
tanned from them. That thev come |
from speedway racing remains to be
proved
n UdItlc III WluCu Tic pEOpOIIlOil VI |
killed and wounded was as great as in
the Indianapolis event would be con-
sidered an extraordinarily bloody af-
fair" argues the Dayton Daily News,
and the Port Huron Times Herald sug-
gests that 'it is rather stretching the |
to think of one of these
racers as interested In anything but
the prize that comes with winning"
while the Topeka Daily Capital re-
marks: Speed can be overdone. But
the world has come to a time when
humans just simply have to have at
least thrill day. and at the recent
rate of progress will soon crave excite
ment at the rate of one thrill second
Times have changed since Cicero in
his essay on old age remarked that to
live long one must live slowly"
so long as such sport is permitted
In this country" thinks the Lincoln