IN HONOR OF THE ARMY AND AVIATION 



279 



is in honor of the Army, which gave the 

 first victim to modern aviation through 

 the death of Lieutenant Sel fridge, of the 

 Signal Corps. As I would not have you 

 think that the Army is entirely unmind- 

 ful of what it owes to the civilians of 

 the country, I wish to say a few words 

 in memory of the father of modern avia- 

 tion, the late Samuel Pierpont Langley. 



When the Board of Ordnance and 

 Fortification of the Army allotted fifty 

 thousand dollars for the purpose of con- 

 structing a full-sized aerodrome I was 

 the officer associated with Mr. Langley 

 by being designated as a legal super- 

 visor of the expenditures for that pur- 

 pose. The history of that work is known. 

 A machine was built. It was ready for 

 testing, but in launching, through acci- 

 dent, it was so injured as to make it im- 

 possible to fly, although today it is recog- 

 nized that the aerodrome was constructed 

 suitably for aviation. As a result there 

 came an abuse and revilement which has- 

 tened Professor Langley's death, caus- 

 ing in him a sense of humiliation at the 

 loss of his reputation and at the unfortu- 

 nate results. People said that he was a 

 dreamer and not a worker. Dreams 

 pass, but work abides, and on the foun- 

 dation which Langley so well builded 

 has grown up this wonderful fabric of 

 modern aviation. 



And I would like to tell you that Pro- 

 fessor Langley foresaw this shame and 

 humiliation and possible failure. When 

 I informed him that the money had been 

 allotted and asked him when he would 

 go to work, he took me in his confidence 

 and told me what he thought and what 

 he foresaw. He believed aviation prac- 

 ticable and possible, but he said, "You 

 see what I risk for this work." And, 

 after a week of mature reflection, he 

 took upon himself this great and, as 

 many thought, impossible task. He gave 

 to it the best of his scientific ability. He 

 risked the loss of his reputation. He 

 faced unflinchingly the criticisms and re- 

 flections that were made upon him, and, 

 unfortunately, he died before he saw the 

 full measure of success which came from 

 his self-sacrificing work. 



I have had fifty years of public serv- 

 ice, extending into different spheres and 

 varied in its activities, and I have been 

 familiar with many forms of altruism, 

 but in them all I have never known a 

 loftier note than was sounded by this 

 man when he risked everything that was 

 dear to him, things which he valued 

 more than life, for advancing the inter- 

 ests of humanity, for enabling man to 

 dominate the unknown kingdom of the 

 air. And so tonight I felt that I should 

 like to say a word for this man who 

 dared and who suffered in the interests 

 of science and of the world. Samuel 

 Pierpont Langley was our associate. 

 Now he is our fitting exemplar. 



THE TOAST MASTER, GEN. JOHN M. WILSON 



The closing address will be made by 

 the distinguished aviator, Mr. Wilbur 

 Wright, and after he finishes I have 

 one word more to say, and then we 

 will close the evening's entertainment. 

 Mr. Wright is believed to be the first 

 successful man in the use of the aero- 

 plane. He has received the medal of 

 Congress and he has received the Lang- 

 ley medal. His career is well known to 

 all, and he stands before you tonight with 

 that clean-cut, pleasing face to tell us 

 what he has done and what he will yet 

 accomplish. 



Sixty years ago, as a boy of 13 I at- 

 tended the old National Theater here 

 and saw a play called "Washington a 

 Hundred Years Hence." There were 

 advertisements on the scenery of excur- 

 sions to London, going over in the morn- 

 ing and returning in the afternoon, and 

 show-bills telling of excursions to Mars 

 and other planets. I am sure I do not 

 know whether Mr. Wright is going to 

 carry us that far, but I am sure that he 

 will give us an interesting talk. I pre- 

 sent to you Mr. Wilbur Wright. 



MR. WILBUR W'RIGITT 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

 When the Director of your Society ex- 

 tended me the invitation to be present at 

 this dinner he indicated that a few re- 

 marks might be required from me. This 



