The Secret of 
Flyin?. 
(227) 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
TKe Secret of Flyirvg. 
A Doctor Who is Imitating Birds. 
The following was written to a con¬ 
temporary, by Dr. J. A. Rose, Medical 
Officer of Oakengates, Salop, who claims 
that he is able to fly with wings:— 
The air is Nature’s marvel, the life 
and soul of all mankind and living crea¬ 
tures, God’s purifying influence, so often 
polluted by the ignorant. A man can 
go for long periods without food, for a 
shorter period without water, but only 
for a few seconds without air. 
A bird can go for a less period with¬ 
out air than any other living creature, 
yet birds fly in the air, which in a way 
indicates that the air itself supplies a 
power that enables them to fly in it. 
What is this great secret? It is Nature, 
that wonderful power that laughs at 
efforts of mechanical genius to navigate 
the air, and yet gives this power to most 
of the feathered creatures and birds, 
and also to some that have hair for a 
covering instead of feathers. 
Monkeys Never Flew. 
Man was, so it is said, originated from 
a monkey, but monkeys never flew; bats 
do, the nearest resemblance to a monkey, 
but man never did. “ Why can’t he ? ” 
Because all our greatest philosophers 
and thinkers, who may have solved the 
problem, are gone. 
A lifetime’s study of the air and birds 
may have given many deep thinkers 
ideas, which have all passed away un¬ 
known for want of practical knowledge 
to carry them out to be for the service 
of men. Assuming that the secret had 
been solved, and proved beyond doubt, 
that it was just as easy and almost as 
safe for a man to fly as to walk, what 
possible benefit would it be to the man 
who gave the secret to the world, and 
what recompense would he get for his 
hours of thought and years of experi¬ 
ments ? 
Why Not Before. 
It is hard to believe that it has not 
been discovered years and years ago in 
the days of Huxley and other deep 
students of Nature. But no, it has not; 
it has been left until the twentieth cen¬ 
tury for this wonder to be accomplished, 
just at the time when men are trying 
mechanical methods, presumably to win 
a prize under impossible conditions, 
which is no doubt offered for commer¬ 
cial purposes in general, and the motor 
trade in particular, as so far as can 
be judged, the offering of this prize 
must be an extremely profitable thing to 
the shareholders of certain motor com¬ 
panies. The prize is in safe keeping, 
as it can never be won. All whom it 
will benefit will be the motor-makers, 
and those who will suffer will be the 
poor inventors who have so much faith 
in their own powers. 
“It Can Be Done.” 
Now the reader will say, “ This is all 
very well, but how can you fly?” That 
is the question. To this I would reply, 
it can be done, has been done, is being 
done now. It is proved beyond dispute 
that it is as easy, and almost as safe, for 
any moderately light, strong man to learn 
to fly in about the same time as he 
would take to learn to swim. 
Practice makes perfect, and the 
more fresh air you get into your lungs 
the better your health, the lighter your 
step and feelings. Practice deep, long 
breathing; the air is cheap, and the law 
has not as yet taxed it, so make the 
most of it. Once you thoroughly acquire 
the habit of deep breathing you will 
accustom your lungs to have more air, 
and they will soon notice any falling off 
in the quantity, and help you to keep up 
the habit; the muscles on the chest will 
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