The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-12-15

nomic royaliSts," as l oeIleVe some
call them now.
At my right was the head OF
one of the greatest corporations in
the world-a man with a billion
dollars at his command. Across
the table was a young man who
commands a vast network Of Amer,
lean railroads. A little way of
was the owner of a newspaper OF
large circulation and powerful in
fluence. Near him was a steel,
maker of worldwide fame. And
all around we're men who hold
in their hands, almost literally,
the lives of millions OF human
beings.
And yet all of these imposing
tycoons of industry paid eager
Difference to a quiet spoken, most
unassuming gentleman you might
scarcely notice in crowd-a man
of Lincolnian viSage, rough-heWn,
plain as an old shoe. When he
spoke, all listened. He held court"
as I have seen few men hold 1t.
Charles F. Kettering
The name of this man Is
Charles F. Kettering, the most
distinguished automotive engineer
of the age, the truly gifted re-
search wizard who has given to
modern life so many indispensa'
BILE aids and comfortS-the cleo
trio self-starter, which converted
the old-time automobile from a
bucking, bone-breaking demon
into a gentle and tractable slave,
obeying the slightest touch Of a
finger; the modern system OF
home refrigeration; the improved
Diesel engine which is revolution
izing railway travel-and many
other contributions.
It was intensely interesting to
observe not only the Difference
paid to Mr.. Kettering by all these
millionaires and masters Of in
dustry, but the wholly modest
mien and bearing Of the great
engineer himself. I know Of no
living man who, in his own per
son, better exemplifies the quail
ties that have made our country
great.
Charles F. Kettering has always
struck me as the Abraham Lin
coin of the scientific field, physi'
cally, if not facially, in his begin
nings in the soil of the Middle
West and, more than anything
else, in his homespun philosophy
which, of late, has made him a
much-sought-after public speaker
He is so now, has his fortune
and his yacht, and is chief OF the
research branch of General
Motors. The man who invented
the self-starter for automobiles
never saw even a street car until
he was 81.
From an Ohio farm, the black
smith shop and the country
schoolhouse, he advanced to the
university and from it to first
rank with the inventors of his
time. Here is typical Ketterine
thought:
Gust the minute you get
satisfied with what you've got,
the concrete has begun to set
in your head"
Mr.. Kettering, answering those
who advocate putting the brakes
on scientific development so thai
civilization may catch up, says
that he deplores the fact thai
there has not been single in
vention of any Importance in the
past 10 years. Scouting the sug
gestion for a moratorium on man
kinds inventive genius, Mr.. Ket
tering says:
GREATEST NEED
1--WE are not at the end, but
at the beginning. We have but
reached the shores of great
unexplOred continent. We can
not, however, turn back, for
there is no other direction to
60 but forward. 1t is mans
destiny to ponder on the riddle
of existence and, as by-prOd-
uct of that wonderment, he is
creating a new life on this
earth.
"The engineers and the scien-
lists, instead of being stopped
in their work should be enCOur-
aged to continue at fever heat
to balance matters. and they
will. by the invention of la.
bOr-creating systems.
"That is the worlds greatest
need now, and necessity is the
mother of invention. 1t is easy
for the economists and the pol
itician to blame the inventor
and the research engineer.
"The research men created
the new wealth of the world
and its prosperity. 1t is not
their fault that it was abused.
Those who did abuse these
new.found riches have by now
=. 1T is hoped. learned their
lesson. The joy is over. We
are back to earth and It is
up to the researcher to bring
us out of the wreckage. There
fore, do not hamString him.
Assist him, do not blame him.
Research is not mans despair