Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-07-18

James Mattern. young Texas aviator
whose plane met disaster in Siberia on
his solo world night In an attempt to
set q new record, Is placed by some OBJ
servers among the pioneers and coura-
geous explorers Of the world. His es-
cape from death causes rejoicing, while
it is recognized that at the last frontier
he was still within reach Of the rest OF
the world.
General and genuine rejoicing that
the intrepid young Texans life has not
been sacrificed to aviation" Is seen by
the Roanoke Times, while the Esca-
naba Daily Press says that the ia
dumitable nerve Of the man could not
but challenge the imagination and ad-
mirAtion OF the world" The San Fran
cisco Chronicle declares that men with
the courage to tackle such an adventure
are truly irrepressible, unquenchable:
they bounce out of every trouble: even
Fate lays on them" Holding that ''he
has won his place among heroic char
acters," the Toledo Blade points out
that "the flight was q failure, the flyer
q success" for he needed indomitable
will, physical courage and stamina to
get through"
Although he has failed to produce a
new marvel In the annals Of speed" re-
marks the Omaha World Herald, Mat
tern has had the grand adventure,
which we suspect will reflect credit
upon the resourcefulness and ingenuity
OF its hero" The Scranton Times finds
satisfaction that "he was not another
victim Of what many looked upon as an
attempt ct q foolhardy feat" The Jer-
sey City journal rejoices that while ''he
may have lost his record, be didn't lose
his nfe.'
The Rock Island Argus pomments:
These young men and women OF the
air are fured by the challenge OF great
danger and by the thrill and glory
which may be theirs II they succeed.
= . The only explanation is that
they possess the spirit Of pioneers of all
generations, always looking for new
frontiers to conquer" The Danbury
News-Times thinks that there must be
something in the species which informs
it that valor Is better than cowardice";
that every species knows death Is .
small matter and life Il the thing"
The Lincoln State Journal declares:
THE world had been educated to be-
lieve that the last frontier had been
crossed and conquered, when along came
Jimmy Mattern and found place up
on the rim Of the world where it takes
three weeks to get telegram back to
civilization. And Jimmy had hoped to
girdle the entire globe in little more
than eight days"
TT IS altogether possible" suggests
the Altoona Mirror, that Mattern could
have been there for more than three
weeks without being able to get word to
the world at large, because Of the fact
that there are no means Of communica-
ton other than by courier. Amundsen,
the Arctic explorer, Arrived at Anad1r
in 1920 after being missing more than
year on an exploration trip In the Arc
tic" The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern
concludes that "the Texan has proved
that there are few out-of-the-way
places % remote that some word can
not be sent back ultimately to those
who still exert themselves to relieve
distress"
men who make such stunt flights, !"
according to the Rochester Times
Union, ARE the twentieth century sue
cessors of Columbus, De Cana, Magel-
Ian, Cartier and the rest. To attempt
belittling their achievements by sneer-
ing at their motives Is poor business
and poor logic. The toll Of blood In air
pioneering Is long enough now. 1t will
be longer before the tale Is complete.
But every one can rejoice that Jimmy
Mattern's name u not to be added to 1t
yet"
"As for the moral that q single mo-
tor Is not sufficiently reliable to main
tain unerring buoyancy," in the opin-
ion Of the Hartford Times, "the thought
may stand. Col. Lndbergh has settled
that point by experience and study. A
plane, flying over vast wastes Of Land