J 4 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MA(;AZINE 



niinated b}' great flares, so that the his- 

 toric scene might be recorded. 



When Colonel Lindbergh was able to 

 make himself heard he accepted the honor 

 in a brief, graceful speech, and mingled 

 laughter and apjjlause greeted him when, 

 after uttering only a few sentences, he 

 said : "In closing. . . ." 



Following Colonel Lindbergh's address. 

 Assistant Secretary MacCracken sum- 

 marized America's achievements in the air. 



DR. GROSVENOR PRICSENTS THE PRESIDENT 



Dr. Grosvenor, in presenting President 

 Coolidge, said : 



"Mr. President, Mrs. Coolidge, members 



of the National Geographic Society: 



"During the last four years American 

 navigators of the air, with bewildering 

 rapidity, have made voyage after voyage 

 of amazing importance. 



"The first round-the-world flight, the 

 first North Polar flight, the first circum- 

 navigation by air of Central and South 

 America, the first flights to Hawaii, the 

 first flight from New York to Tokyo via 

 Europe, the first, second, and third trans- 

 atlantic flights from New York to Europe 

 in one summer ! And world records for 

 altitude attained in a plane and for mil- 

 lions of miles flown with air mail without 

 accident ! 



"To the greatest of these achievements 

 the National Geographic Society has now 

 assembled to pay tribute. 



"In order that the acknowledgment to 

 our dauntless }-oung navigator may be 

 truly national, our warm-hearted Chief 

 Magistrate has generously honored us by 

 his presence. 



"In every one of these outstanding vo^■- 

 ages, so fruitful in scientific knowledge, 

 the aviators were men trained, developed, 

 inspired in the Government Service. 



"And so to you, Mr. President, the 

 Commander-in-Chief of all of our air 

 forces, whose clear, practical, construc- 

 tive program has guided, encouraged, and 

 stimulated an air conquest that is phe- 

 nomenal, the members of the National 

 Geographic Society throughout the Nation 

 extend most earnest and respectful con- 

 gratulations. 



"Ladies and gentlemen, the President 

 of the United States." 



PRESIDENT CUOEIOOE EAUDS THE AIR HERO 



President Coolidge spoke as follows : 

 "Fellow Countrymen : 



"Transportation and communication are 

 essential to civilization. Within the year 

 an encouragement has been given to their 

 development that has few parallels in his- 

 tory. The principles of aviation were 

 demonstrated first by Americans at the 

 turn of the last century. In the interven- 

 ing years their science progressed, both 

 here and abroad. Important flights were 

 made. 



"It remained for one of our own citi- 

 zens in May, 1927, to arouse universal in- 

 terest in the practical possibilities of travel 

 through the air. His flight, alone and un- 

 aided, from New York to Paris thrilled 

 the world. It appealed to the imagination 

 of humanity. How the hero of this ex- 

 ploit was revealed, not as a reckless ad- 

 venturer, but as an able, sober-minded, 

 modest young man of high and unselfish 

 purpose, has now passed into history. 

 What he did to strengthen the cordial re- 

 lations between our people and Europe is 

 well known. The wonderful and sincere 

 welcome he received abroad, the acclaim 

 that greeted him at home, are still fresh in 

 the public mind. 



"But that was not all. With a clear 

 conception of public service, he determined 

 to capitalize his fame, not for selfish 

 aggrandizement, but for the promotion of 

 the art he loves. He was unmoved by the 

 many opportunities for private gain. The 

 flight to Europe was spectacular. It stirred 

 the heart of the people. But foremost in 

 his mind was the permanent good that 

 might come from thus having directed 

 public thought to human flight. This 

 courageous, clear-headed, sure -handed 

 youth, whose character had withstood the 

 glare of publicity and the acid test of 

 hero-worshiping adulation, became an 

 apostle of aeronautics. He dedicated him- 

 self to advancing the science and practice 

 of aviation. 



"Taking little time to reco\er from the 

 strain of his experiences, he started on a 

 missionary tour of over 22,000 miles. Fly- 

 ing in his Spirit of St. Loiiis, the 'Spirit 

 of America' visited 82 cities in our 48 

 States. Only once did he fail to arrive on 



