Evening star., 1949-12-18
Lindberqh Hits Dependence on Science
Continued From First Page)


planes that got too bothersome
But the legend around the Pacific
theater during the war was that
more than several Japanese re-
gretted making contact with him.
More than TOO guests rose from
their tables at the Hotel Statler
last night to applaud the flyer
when he received the award. For
the last two years, Mr.. Lindbergh
has been a special consultant to
the chief of staff of the Air Force.
operating with fighter and bomber
groups here, in Alaska, the Pacific
and in Europe.
Mr.. Lindbergh told the group
assembled to commemorate the
= 46th anniversary of the Wright
brothers first flight at Kitty
Hawk, N. c., that "Orville and
Wilbur Wright will always inspire
the men who follow them in
aviation"
Describes Aviation Progress.
He said that many had seen
"the metamorphosis of the Wright
biplanes into supersonic proto-
types with close to 80 times their
speed. Now, we plan huge rockets
that will travel faster than a>rifle's
bullet for thousands of miles.
And we talk about flying to
the moon as freely as people
talked about flying from one city
to another before that December
day at Kitty Hawk"
The flyer declared that to-day,
whether it be for peace or war, we
Westerners depend on wings. We
depend on past, present and future
contributions of men like the
Wright brothers."
Referring to the past, Mr.. Lind
bergh said I'VE hear mariners re-
ferring nostalgically to the era of
iron men and wooden ships. In
a similar sense, I sometimes feel
that the decline of aviation began
with the self-starter and the
closed cockpit.
Recalls Early Days of Flight.
Before the advent of these
items, and the instruments that
went with them. flying was an art
that required the use of the body
and all its senses. In that early
environment, man could keep
a better balance. He spent much
Of his time in the country. for he
flew from farmers fields.
"He experienced the beauty of
sunset. His skin felt the fresh
ness of rain. He had to know tex
ture of earth and shading of grass
to keep from nosing over in mire.
Pulling a stubborn engine
through kept his muscles in con-
dition. He relied on sight of hori-
zon, touch of control, sound of
engine. He might even test
battery by taste.
Nov. flying has become a
science in which the mind ascends
and the body becomes an in
creasingly unnecessary part.
Hurting throught the air in a.
jet fighter, or vibrating through
cloud on multi-engine instru-
ments, hour after hour, I realize
how intellectual flying has be-
come.
Machines Have Taken Over.
1--WE no longer sense the quail
ties of earth and air. Today. we
press button to engage an au-
tomato pilot to carry us across
an unseen ocean or to destroy an
unseen city below"
1--WE must not let science hyp-
notize us into believing that simply
by sitting in front of desks and
drawing boards and instruments
all day, we are contributing to
the character of man." he de-
clared.
personally, I am convinced
that man cannot thrive indef1-
nitely in the hot-house atmos-
phere we are creating. I believe
that for permanent survival. He
must balance science with other
quality of life, qualities of body
and spirit as we'll as those of
Municipalities he cannot devel-
op when he lets mechanics and
luxury insulate him to greatly
from the earth to which he was
born"
And how can we retrieve the
qualities of the Wright brothers,
who balanced success with mod
esty; science, with simplicity?"
Mr.. Lindbergh asked.
Must Reorient Standards.
'I believe it can be done only
through a reorientation of our
standards" he answered; "only by
placing the character of man
above the value of his products.
If we are to be finally successful,
we must measure scientific ac-
complishments by their effect on
man himself"
Mr.. Lindbergh went on to say
that aviation eventually will
stretch forward into eras Of
supersonic and, possibly, inter-
planetary fight. We cannot pre-
dict with certainty what dis
coveries and developments the
future will unroll. But December
II will always create opportunities
for us to learn from, as well as to
honor, the qualities of great
pioneers"
The Wright Brothers Memorial
Trophy is awarded for Significant
public service of enduring value to
aviation in the United States" :"
The award committee, composed
of heads of aviation groups and a
member of the press, selected Mr..
Lindbergh in recognition of his
numerous pioneering flights, his
studies in rocket propulsion. his