CHAPTER III 



THE CONQUEST OF THE AIR 

 When I bestride him I soar, I am a hawk. SHAKESPEARE 



Primitive man was forced to find or produce food, to protect 

 himself from the inclemency of the weather and from his enemies, 

 and to transport himself and his belongings to new territory 

 when he had exhausted the resources of one spot. Production, 

 transportation, and self-defense are still problems of prime 

 importance in our modern life. 



At first man found or produced what he needed by his own 

 unaided efforts. He made things by hand. His chief defense 

 was the strength of his bare arm or the speed of his legs. He 

 was his own beast of burden. In time he discovered how to 

 domesticate plants and animals, how to use tools and machines. 

 Then production, transportation, and defense were made rela- 

 tively easy. The history of man's progress along these lines, of 

 his inventions and their effect on social adjustment and organiza- 

 tion, is the most interesting and important phase of the history 

 of the race. 



Much of the subject-matter to follow will deal with the 

 matters thus briefly outlined. The presentation will not follow 

 the logical order here suggested, however, but will begin with 

 such toys and appliances as usually enter into the pleasurable 

 experience of childhood, and proceed through the scientific 

 principles elucidated by them to an understanding of some of the 

 most valuable inventions man has made to aid him in the task 

 of making the forces of nature subservient to his needs. 



No chapter in the history of man's subjection of Nature has 

 been more replete with thrilling incidents than that which deals 

 with the conquest of the air. Two major lines of endeavor have 



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