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The Birmingham Age-Herald, Wednesday, October 10, 1917

RUTH LAW, DARING CLOUD GIRL, SYMBOL OF AIR SUPREMACY THAT WILL CONQUER GERMANY 

By Frank Willis Barnett

[[image]] RUTH LAW Lass who broke record just to poke her nose in a cloud, chills you and thrills you to lofty thoughts. Sky pilot finds it pretty dizzy work to follow her. 

Up in the air. This is to be a story not of high finance, but high flying. I am just from the fair, where I had the pleasure of sitting in the press box with Ruth Law. You will have to admit that I hit it in high places yesterday. In the morning I was addressing 500 college girls at Montevallo in the interest of the Red Cross work, and in the afternoon I was chatting with the famous aviator. Please do not call her an aviatrice or even an aviatrix, for it gets on the nerves of her manager, who says she is Ruth Law, the aviator, for there is none other in her class. 

Now it may seem a far cry from a bunch of college lassies to a professional woman aviator, yet the biggest hit I made before the college gathering was my reference to Ruth Law's marvelous flight in her world-renowned machine that carried her from New York to Chicago and to fam and fortune. A funny thing, you say, to be talking to serious young college women about, but wait a moment, for "there was a reason," as I stood by and saw her gradually ris from the ground in her airplane like a giant bird and sail away, it was more than a mere amusement performance, for in her ability to fly, I saw in vision America's supremacy in the air, when at last the American eagle, the uncaged bird of democracy, was going to win the battle against the shackled imperial eagles of Germany. 

The first afternoon as I watched her climb higher, and even higher, I held my breath, for a strong wind was blowing, and her manager, who was at my side, was worried about her ascension, but confessed that he was powerless to keep her from giving an exhibition if her engines were working properly. as she swayed here and there in powerful air currents he was visibly uneasy, but when she got the wind to her back and the machine shot for air, is little impressionable and is first cousin of the debutante who on seeing the ocean as breaker after breaker was climbing high over the sea wall said, "ain't it cute," or is twin brother to the Englishman who, drawing up to my side on the quay at Munich as I was looking at the Swiss Alps all covered with snow, just to start conversation said to me, "the mountains look awfully jolly, this afternoon, doncher know." I felt like drowning him, just as I would feel like giving a man whose blood didn't grow cold when Ruth Law is looping a blood tonic. 

SHE WANTS TO FIGHT

I see I am about to lose my head in the cloud over this flying woman, who has come to town, and so I will get down to earth long enough to say that I was not particularly interested in her until I learned that she is not in the flying game so she can be a high flyer with the money she gets from flying, but that she wants to qualify and go abroad and serve Uncle Sam when he gets good and ready to pounce out of the air down on Germany, and I am wishing that before another fair is pulled off in Birmingham she will have had the pleasure of circling the Kaiser's castle at Potsdam, from which will be floating the Stars and Stripes. No one who has seen her in her natty officer's uniform doubts for one moment that her has the nerve to face the Boches of the air who scatter death on helpless men, women and children in unprotected cities. 

I got to going so fast I forgot all about connecting Ruth Law with the illustration I used in my speech on patriotism at Montevallo, but having practiced law for five years, the old lawyer habit makes me connect the evidence, so here is where I get it before the judge and the jury. I told them of seeing her the afternoon before writing a patriotic advertisement on the skyline, for beneath her airplane, in letters, a man's size so that no slacker can fail to see them, are the duty impelling words "ENLIST" set between red crosses, silent voices out of the heavens calling true-blooded Americans into the service of their county, and shaming those whose ears are deaf to its needs.

I am not going to try and describe Ruth Law's personal appearance, for as I sat and talked to her I was thinking, in a few moments you may mount on high and something go wrong with your motor, and you will fall to earth a broken and mangled body. As she got up to go to take her place in her machine I said, "we are in the same business, both of us are sky pilots," with ready wit she laughingly turned it aside, for she saw I was serious, "but I have been nearer to heaven than you," and if to prove it she waved a saucy good-by and later as I looked at her a little bit of humanity with a whole sky for a background, I said to myself, if she doesn't come back down, but keeps going up and up she will surely beat me to the pearly gates and leave her card first with St. Peter. I am glad she came down safe.

[[image]]
65ยข GAS RATE

JUNIOR EAGLE SECTION, BROOKLYN-NEW YORK, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1916
[[image]]
We next behold him in the land
Of "always ice and snow";
His reindeers feel at home right here,
As does the Eskimo.

He tarries long enough to put
Some toys into the furs
Of sleeping baby Eskimos--
(You can't tell HIS from HERS).

The chief of all the "Eski" tribes,
Invites him in to dine,
On choicest blubber of the whale,
But Santa must decline;

Because he has so far to go,
Before the night is o'er;
He must not miss a single town
Or pass a single door.


LITTLE TALKS WITH FAMOUS WOMEN

BOYS and girls are the best airplane passengers," said Ruth Law to me last Tuesday. Miss Law, as you all know, is the young girl who made the record flight from Chicago to New York a few weeks ago. She does not look at all like most of her pictures. She is light-haired and blue-eyed, and smiles all the time. She wears glasses when not driving through the clouds.

"Young folks are the best passengers to take aloft," she continued, "because they aren't nervous. They weight fuss nor fidget. Children in an airplane don't realize the danger involved, and that is what makes them so brave. A grownup is always considering the risks, you see, and hence does not feel quite so comfortable."

"You mean that boys and girls on aircraft think they are having 'one grand time.'"

"That's it. The boys and girls I have take up in my plane acted as if they were on scenic railway in Coney Island. They wanted some thrills to enthuse about." All of them thought they were getting the greatest treat of their young lives."

Miss Law spoke of the possibility of boys or girls driving airplanes.

"THERE IS NO REASON WHY A BRIGHT BOY OR GIRL OF TWELVE CANNOT DRIVE AN AIRPLANE," was her surprising statement. "No strength at all is needed to drive a plane. What you need is nerve, alertness, and judgement. Many young folks have enough nerve and alertness, but they are liable to be a little short on judgement in a tight pinch. For this reason it would be risky to let boys or girls to drive airplanes, but there is no doubt that they could do it."

"How did you come to take up flying?" I asked the most famous of women aviators.

"Why, the idea always appealed to me," she replied. "I have always been athletic and have liked outdoor strenuous sports. I drove an auto many years before I ever touched an airplane lever, and I used to do a lot of horseback riding. My brother, Rodman, took up aeronautics and I naturally followed. I suppose you have heard of Rodman?"

Her interviewer admitted that he had. In fact, he remembered very clearly seeing Rodman Law jump from a balloon at the Hudson-Fulton celebrations and come down into the Hudson River, clinging to a parachute. That thrilling sight was surely unforgettable. 

"Rodman is two years older than I am," continued Miss Law, "but we grew up almost like twins. We were both very active and athletic and they used to say I ought to have been a boy. Later on Rodman began experimenting with airplanes, and I followed suit."

"Did you know much about motors when you first took up flying?"

"No, not much. I had driven autos, of course, but I hardly knew a spark plug from a crank shaft. Since then I've studied motors, of course, and have learned quite a bit about them."

Miss Law has also studied many other instruments which she has had to use on her long distance flights.

While she was speaking about her brother, he called her up on the telephone.

"Hello, Rod," she said. "Of course I heard about your being hurt in that accident." This brought a smile to The Eagle man's face, for Rodman Law has about as many accidents as you have meals. And he doesn't think much more of getting hurt than you would of taking dinner. For years he has been providing real thrills for the movies and for the public, and he has many times narrowly escaped death. Every once and so often he is sent to the hospital, but just as soon as he recovered he goes about doing something more daring than ever. 

Mr. Law must have asked his sister over the 'phone whether he could come up and see her right away. 

"No, no," she replied laughingly, "I won't be able to [[IMAGE]] see you until supper time. I have just four million appointments between now and then." 

"THE MORE I FLY, THE MORE CAREFUL I BECOME," said Miss Law in reply to a question. "I now know that I took many chances when I first began driving my plane. Beginners are never as careful as they should be. It takes time to teach you the full dangers you run. And then, when you finally realize the dangers, you make flying fairly safe by taking just as few chances as possible. It takes a skillful flyer to avoid risks." 

"Do you think that flying will always be dangerous?" 

"Why, yes, to a certain extent," answered the young woman. "If you drive an automobile along a road and something goes wrong, you may be stalled. If you mismanage your plane, there may be a mile of air [[?]] you through which to tumble. An airplane in th[[?]] of a skillful driver is safer than a racing auto. [[?]] is likely to happen to a well-built airplane in the hands of an experienced aviator. But the best automobil[[?]] the hands of the best chauffeur will have a dangerous spill if an axle breaks or a tire bursts. Besides, [[?]] is the danger of other persons running into you. planes are not so common yet in America that they [[?]] liable to bump into one another for lack of room." 

Ruth Law said that she loved to fly. Airplaning [[?]] wonderful fun for her and she enjoyed even the [[?]] tiring flights. 

"Was not your flight from Chicago to New Yor[[?]] great strain?" I asked. 

"Yes it was, after a fashion, but you get used to [[?]] flights. I had to be as careful the minute befo[[?]] landed as the minute I set out. Hours of flying mal[[?]] aviator weary, and the hard part is to be as careful [[?]] you are tired as when you are fresh. Your ste[[?]] and control must be perfect every minute you are [[?]] if you take it easy for one moment you may nev[[?]] to tell about the smash up that followed." 

Miss Law has a wonderful compass which she [[?]] on her trip from Chicago to New York. She will use [[?]] same instrument when she sets out on her flight [[?]] the Atlantic to the Pacific. The compass was mad[[?]] England. It was brought to this country by Lieuten[[?]] Porte of the British Navy, who, as you may remem[[?]] was to have flown from America to Europe. He [[?]] have done it too, Miss Law thought, if the outbre[[?]] the European war had not forced him to call off [[?]] flight. The compass dial floats in alcohol and the [[?]] hand points exactly toward the North at all time [[?]] you turn the instrument around very quickly, the [[?]] hand swings back to the North in an instant. Th[[?]] what is needed on an airplane. The compass must [[?]] pointing in the right direction at all times. If it [[?]] too long for the needle to return to its position af[[?]] shaking-up, one may be miles out of one's way. [[?]] compass weighs only 8 pounds, though it is 9 [[?]] across and 5 inches deep. "Experts have told me," [[?]] Miss Law, "that it is the finest instrument of its ki[[nd]] [[?]] the United States." 

A new airplane is being built for Miss Law that [[?]] fly 125 miles an hour. At that rate it would tak[[?]] just about twenty-seven or twenty-eight hours to [[?]] San Francisco and even less to fly to London. S[[?]] delighted at the prospect of getting great speed [[?]] the new machine. You must remember that in her [[?]] from Chicago to New York, she was handicapped [[?]] slow, old-fashioned machine that couldn't go much [[?]] than a mile a minute. 

Ruth Law's modesty teaches a good lesson. The [[?]] papers have been full of her name; great men have [[?]] her honor; everybody has been talking about her [[?]] derful courage and enterprise, but she doesn't think [[?]] has done anything to boast about. She thinks [[?]] women can do as well, and she says so, too. 

"Oh, many women could drive airplanes just as [[cut off]] as I do," she said. "Any girl who is a good automo[[cut off]] driver will be a success as a flyer. All you need is a[[cut off]] ness, nerve, and judgment." 

EDITOR, JUNIOR EAG[[cut off]]
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THURSDAY-The Evening Tribune
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Are You Small, Petite, Dainty? 
Then You'll Make Good Aviatrix