Medina High School - Medinian Yearbook (Medina, OH)

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The MEDINIAN of air, he must be transported with a minimum of unfavorable reaction. This deep psychological hindrance airplanes, as yet, have been unable to overcome. The airship in this case has a handicap over the airplane, for the dirigible is the only true ship of the air. Just as an ocean liner floats on the water, a dirigible floats in the air, in its own medium and moves so steadily that there is not even a suggestion of sea sickness. The absence of noise and the smoothness of operation almost equals the fabled magic carpet. The traveling public has been educated by the agencies which serve it to expect a maximum amount of ease and comfort and even the aircraft will have to compete on the basis of comfort first, and speed second. In dealing with these two types of aircraft, we must bring in the question of motor troubles. The airship’s motors, any or all, may cease to function and the draft will float smoothly along until its propulsive power is again available, while the stall- ing of the airplane motors immediately endangers the lives of its passengers and in a few seconds or moments, if the motive power ceases to function, the pilot must either side slip or glide to a forced landing, crash; or, he and his passengers must decend by means of parachutes; or, in aviation terms, by the caterpillar route. According to Casey Jones, “You can teach any one to fly but you cannot teach him to think.” The ability of concentration that one learns in school is one of the fundamental factors which will determine his talent as an aviator. With this acquired knowledge the growing generation will be better prepared for the aviation of tomorrow. The United States trails in aeronautics. The navy department has been the greatest hindrance to the development of aeronautics in this country, preventing the organization of a department of the air, with a secretary in the President’s cabinet. For example, Great Britain established a Ministry of Aviation separate from her army and navy in 1917, because it became evident during the war that a conflict of author- ity and divided responsibility between army and navy made it impossible for them to operate aircraft ifficiently. The United States is a progressive nation and may be depended upon to soon take such measures as are necessary to give her supremacy in the air. Fifteen thousand pilots are now being trained each year; the best mechanics of the present day are devoting their time and energy to making both the airplanes and air- ships as mechanically perfect as they can make them. The most carefully tested materials known to man are being used in the construction of these machines. Hence, it would seem that the impossible has come to pass; and that man has gone far in his struggle to conquer the air. We are now in the age of practical commercial air trans- portation. At present, it is not as safe as transportation by automobile but its dan- gers are rapidly diminishing. If safety is not your deepest concern you will do well to consider travel by air; for it has much to offer you. If you want speed, style, con- venience and all the interesting people of this day for your fellow passengers and new wealths of beauty for your eyes to admire, and a thrill or two, perhaps, and — possibly some things to talk about afterwards — then, by all means, try traveling by air. Nineteen

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The MEDINIAN Aviation Today Leroy Williams, Class President When we speak of aviation it seems that we immediately form a mental picture of an airplane, so closely are the terms related in our mental processes. Whereas, the airplane is only one of the many important subjects covered in the broad and scien- tific field of aviation. In discussing the subject of aviation I shall only attempt to briefly touch upon the subject of the airplane and airship in their relation to aviation in general. The present airplane is now twenty-five years old. It is a fairly finished product and we are reasonably familiar with its possibilities. It has been put to a variety of tests and uses in all parts of the world and we now have a fairly accurate knowledge of its usefulness to man. It is past the guessing stage and it has now reached the stage of practical development. We are no longer flying blindly. The airplane was first used as an instrument of warfare. For some time, this was its only use and ob- jective. Its next use was largely for pleasure. A few years ago, another important use for it came to the attention of the public when the Government began to use it as a means of transportation for mails. It is now indispensible to this service. The Government now has numerous regularly charted air mail routes extending not only, all over the United States, but also penetrating into practically every important coun- try of the western Hemisphere. Many of these air mail routes afford us the means of communication with formerly isolated regions of the outside world. We are now living in that period of civilization known as the age “of travel in the air.” It has ceased to be a “game” and has become a business. It will become a bigger business only as the public patronizes it. If air travel has become an accepted means oftravel it should be sold on the same basis as any other transportation. That is, on its economy, comfort, speed and dependability. Air transportation companies stand on the threshold of a large volume of business. The volume must be developed much as the railroads increased passenger traffic. The temporary affluence of some companies possessing valuable mail contracts is passing and airplanes are assuming their places in the general transportation scheme alongside trains, stages and steam- ships. .Aircraft seem destined to play the leading role among modes of conveyance of the future. Transoceanic travel, in particular, will be revolutionized. The great questions at this stage is whether aircraft development will be along the lines of air- planes or of airships. In the end the traveling public will answer that question, for the crux of the whole matter is the paying load. The airplanes greater speed is of course recognized, nothing can rival that. How- ever, there are other qualifications that must be considered such as safety, comfort, cost of maintenance and general efficiency. Returning to the point of view of the passenger. What a man is liable to think of first, when preparing to hop off, is safety. Human beings are land animals and do not naturally take to the air. If the average man is to be persuaded to book passage Eighteen

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The MEDINIAN Valedictory By Ruth Ewing Friends and Classmates: At last Commencement night is here, the night to which we, the Seniors, have looked forward for so long a time. All the years of our school life our energies have been, consciously or unconsciously directed toward this hour of graduation. From our earliest days we have looked upon this day as the culmination of our ambitions — the end of all our aspirations — the realization of our ideals. To this end we have studied and worked and planned. Now the hour to which we have ' so long looked forward has arrived. As we pause to think for a m oment before taking the next step, we must naturally express our regret for some misspent hours and misdirected energies. Some of us wish that we had tried to appreciate our schooling more than we did, while all of us dread the thought of having to sever our relations with dear old Medina High School. Yet, despite these regrets, for the most part these have been happy, busy, welbspent days. Of course, we, one and all, feel we could live them more fully and completely if we were permitted to repeat them. But, alas that is the way of life, the past is gone, we cannot recall it; but how wonderful it is that we have the future before us, offering us endless opportunities for accomplishment. Truly, we have finished but to begin. But on this threshold of a larger, broader, fuller life — of another and greater existence, we must find some point in the distance far ahead toward which to direct our future activities. The time has now come when we must lay aside the trivial affairs of childhood days and begin to think about more serious things. The time has come when we must choose our profession if we haven’t already done so, that we may be ready to conquer life’s problems as they confront us. Some of us must start out in life with just our high school education; while others, who are more fortunate, are to better their educa- tion by going to college. But which ever way, I feel confident that all of us realize that we can give to the world no worthy accomplishment or worth-while service unless we carry within ourselves sufficient will-power, purpose, and industry to enable us to continue our growth and development. Along with this we must carry in our hearts and minds high aims and noble ambitions. For it has been said “Not failure, but low aim, is crime.” We must aim for something or we will never reach anything. As Rob- ert Browning says: “A man’s reach must exceed his grasp or what’s a heaven for?” However high they may aim, or however successful they may be, may the members of our class never be so unfortunate as to fully realize the accomplishment of all their high ideals. Let us hope that our ideals may grow higher and broader, more rapidly than our ability to realize them. Our school has done much toward fitting us for life’s work. It has helped to mold our character and mind. We have made many friends here, with both our classmates and teachers. We have been treated, one and all, in a fair and square way. Our faculty have taken a keen interest in us and have helped to bring out whatever good qualities we may possess. Twenty