- The Wedding Bells
The Wedding Bells were ringing, And Monday was the day, And all the little ladies Were there so fresh and gay. And up—up—up the steps they went, The wedding fine to see; And the Roses were all for the Bride, So pretty—so pretty was she. - Man lifting a 100 horse-power aeroplane motor
How lightly a petrol engine can be made was demonstrated by the firm constructing the Antoinette motor, with which many of the pioneers fitted their craft. A 16-cylinder engine was made so that a man could raise it upon his shoulders—as shown in Figure —and carry it without much difficulty; and yet this same motor, which one man could lift from the ground, developed 100 horse-power. - Little Phillis
I am a very little girl, I think that I've turned two; And if you'd like to know my name I'd like to tell it you. They always call me Baby, But Phillis is my name. No—no one ever gave it me, I think it only came. I've got a pretty tulip In my little flower-bed; If you would like I'll give it you— It's yellow, striped with red. I've got a little kitten, but I can't give that away, She likes to play with me so much; She's gone to sleep to-day. And I've got a nice new dolly, Shall I fetch her out to you? She's got such pretty shoes on, And her bonnet's trimmed with blue. You'd like to take her home with you? Oh, no, she mustn't go; Good-bye—I want to run now, You walk along so slow. - To Baby
Oh, what shall my blue eyes go see? Shall it be pretty Quack-Quack to-day? Or the Peacock upon the Yew Tree? Or the dear little white Lambs at play? Say Baby. For Baby is such a young Petsy, And Baby is such a sweet Dear. And Baby is growing quite old now— She's just getting on for a year. - The Little London Girl
In my little Green House, quite content am I, When the hot sun pours down from the sky; For oh, I love the country—the beautiful country. Who'd live in a London street when there's the country? I live in a London street, then I long and long To be the whole day the sweet Flowers among Instead of tall chimney-pots up in the sky, The joy of seeing Birds and Dragon Flies go by. At home I lie in bed, and cannot go to sleep, For the sound of cart-wheels upon the hard street. But here my eyes close up to no sound of anything Except it is to hear the nightingales sing. And then I see the Chickens and the Geese go walking, I hear the Pigs and the Ducks all talking. And the Red and the Spotted Cows they stare at me, As if they wondered whoever I could be. I see the little Lambs out with their mothers— Such pretty little white young sisters and brothers. Oh, I'll stay in the country, and make a daisy chain, And never go back to London again. - Wright Motor and Propellers
When the Wrights had built an engine, there was still the question how they should make it drive their aeroplane. They inclined naturally to the idea of an aerial propeller. Two courses lay open to them; they could fit one propeller running at high speed and coupled directly to the motor, or they could use two propellers, revolving at slower speed and geared in some way to the engine. They decided upon the latter course, placing two propellers behind the main planes of their machine and driving them from the engine by means of light chains, these running in guiding tubes. This system of propulsion is shown. A. Motor; B. Gear-wheels upon motor crank-shaft; C.C. Tubes carrying driving chains; D.D. Sprocket-wheels over which chains pass; E.E. Propellers. - Lilienthal's Experiments
Lilienthal was fascinated by the mechanism of the bird’s wing. He and his brother built one machine after another to determine the exact amount of lifting effort that a man could obtain by imitating the wing-beat of a bird. One such apparatus is illustrated. This had a double set of wings; a wide pair in the centre and narrower ones in front and at the rear. These wings beat alternately, by movements of the operator’s legs; and the machine was suspended by a rope and pulleys from a beam, being counterbalanced by a weight. The tests showed this: that, after some practice in working the wings, a man could raise with them just half the weight of himself and of the machine; but the muscular effort proved so great that he could only maintain this rate of wing-beating for a few seconds. Here, incidentally, a fact may be mentioned: the energy a man can produce, at all events for a prolonged effort, has been estimated at about a quarter of a horse-power; and this—in tests so far made—has been insufficient for the purpose of wing-flapping flight. - Henson's Proposed machine
One of the first to work upon Sir George Cayley’s theories was an experimenter named Henson. He planned an ambitious machine weighing about a ton. It was to have planes of canvas stretched over a rigidly trussed frame of bamboo rods and hollow wooden spars; and these planes were to contain 4500 square feet of lifting surface, and be driven by screws operated by a steam engine of 30 h.p. But this craft did not take practical shape, although in its appearance and many of its details it bore a resemblance to machines which ultimately were to fly. In the specification of the patent he took out for his invention, Henson indicated that it was for “Improvements in locomotive apparatus and machinery for conveying letters, goods, and passengers from place to place through the air.” - The Little Queens Coming
With Roses—red Roses, We'll pelt her with Roses, And Lilies—white Lilies we'll drop at her feet; The little Queen's coming, The people are running— The people are running to greet and to meet. Then clash out a welcome, Let all the bells sound, come, To give her a welcoming proud and sweet. How her blue eyes will beam, And her golden curls gleam, When the sound of our singing rings down the street. - Ball
Ball One—two, is one to you: One—two—three, is one to me. Throw it fast or not at all, And mind you do not let it fall. - The Maxim Machine
The engines drove two canvas-covered wooden screws, each 18 feet in length, and the general appearance of the machine is indicated by the picture. In these trials, although it was always captive, the aeroplane demonstrated much that its inventor had set himself to prove. In Sir Hiram Maxim’s own words, it showed that it had “a lifting effect of more than a ton, in addition to the weight of three men and 600 lbs. of water.” He adds: “My machine demonstrated one very important fact, and that was that very large aeroplanes had a fair degree of lifting power for their area.” - Street Show
Puff, puff, puff. How the trumpets blow All you little boys and girls come and see the show. One—two—three, the Cat runs up the tree; But the little Bird he flies away— "She hasn't got me!" - Henson and Stringfellow’s Model
Henson and Stringfellow built in 1845 a model which weighed about 30 lbs.; and although its stability was not perfect, it was an interesting machine—a forecast of the monoplane of the future. Here one saw the lifting planes take shape; the body between the wings; the tail-planes at the rear; and, above all, a suggestion of the means by which machines would be driven through the air: the fitting to the model, that is to say, of revolving propellers or screws. When an inventor has fitted an engine to an aircraft, means must be devised for using its power to drive the machine through the air; and to make the wings flap like those of a bird, has been found so complicated, owing to the mechanism necessary to imitate natural movements, that much of the power is wasted. Inventors such as Henson and Stringfellow, realising this difficulty, made wings that were outstretched and immovable, like those of a bird when it is soaring, and relied upon screw propellers—which they set spinning at great speed by means of their engines—to thrust their craft forward through the air. - De Bacqueville
A method of flying was suggested as long ago as 1744, by the inventor De Bacqueville; his plan was to fix four planes or wings to his hands and feet, and then propel himself through the air by vigorous motions of his arms, and kickings of his legs. He made a flight from a balcony overlooking a river, but finished his trial ingloriously by falling into a barge. Such schemes, indeed, were doomed to failure; and they are only interesting because they show how, even in those far-off days, men were ready to risk their lives in attempts to conquer the air. - Little Girls and Little Lambs
3 girls walking with their lambs on leashes - Langley’s Steam-driven Model
One of the men who thus laboured, without himself seeing his work brought to the goal of success, was Professor S. P. Langley, an American scientist connected with the Smithsonian Institution, and a man of original ideas and great resource. He made a methodical investigation of the action of lifting planes and the shape of propellers, using a large revolving table so that he could test the latter while they were moving through the air. Then he began building models which took a double monoplane form, as indicated in picture, with wings set at dihedral or upturned angle. This uptilting of the wings was to give the models stability while in flight: and the fixing of planes at the dihedral angle was tested, by later experimenters, in regard to full-sized machines. - Going to see Grandmamma
Little Molly and Damon Are walking so far, For they're going to see Their kind Grandmamma. And they very well know, When they get there she'll take From out of her cupboard Some very nice cake. And into her garden They know they may run, And pick some red currants, And have lots of fun. So Damon to doggie Says, "How do you do?" And asks his mamma If he may not go too. - The Little Jumping Girls
Jump—jump—jump— Jump away From this town into The next, to-day. Jump—jump—jump— Jump over the moon; Jump all the morning, And all the noon. Jump—jump—jump— Jump all night; Won't our mothers Be in a fright? Jump—jump—jump— Over the sea; What wonderful wonders We shall see. Jump—jump—jump— And leave behind Everything evil That we may find. Jump—jump—jump— Jump far away; And all come home Some other day. - Lady carrying child
Lady carrying child - Two girls
Two girls - To the Mystery Land
Oh, dear, how will it end? Peggy and Susie how naughty you are. You little know where you are, Going so far, and so high, Nearly up to the sky. Perhaps it's a Giant who lives there, And perhaps it's a lovely Princess. But you very well know You've no business to go; You'll get yourselves into a mess. Oh, dear, I'm sure it is true; Whatever on earth can it matter to you? For you know it—oh, fie— That it's naughty to pry Into other's affairs— Into other folks houses to go, Where you know You're not asked. So you'd better come back While there's time, it is plain. Go home—and be never So naughty again. - The Daisies
You very fine Miss Molly, What will the daisies say, If you carry home so many Of their little friends to-day? Perhaps you take a sister, Perhaps you take a brother, Or two little daisies who Were fond of one another. - Phillips’s Experimental Craft
Phillips built the strange-looking machine. It resembled, more than anything else, a huge Venetian blind; and he adopted this form so as to introduce as many narrow planes as possible. There were, as a matter of fact, fifty in the machine, each 22 feet long and only 1½ inch wide. The craft, as can be seen, was mounted on a light carriage which, having wheels fitted to it, ran round and round upon a railed track. A steam engine was used as motive power, driving a two-bladed propeller at the rate of 400 revolutions a minute. The machine was so arranged on its metals that, although the rear wheels could raise themselves and show whether the planes exercised a lift, the front one was fixed to its track—thus preventing the apparatus from leaping into the air, overturning, and perhaps wrecking itself. Tests with the machine were successful. The lifting influence of the planes, when the engine drove them forward, was sufficient to raise the rear wheels from the track; and they did so even when a weight of 72 lbs., in addition to that of the apparatus, had been placed upon the carriage. In his main object, then, Phillips succeeded; and that was to show the lifting power of his planes. But his apparatus had not the makings of a practical aeroplane. He gained for himself, nevertheless, a name that has lived and will live. - My Little Girlie
My Little Girlie Little girlie tell to me What your wistful blue eyes see? Why you like to stand so high, Looking at the far off sky. Does a tiny Fairy flit In the pretty blue of it? Or is it that you hope so soon To see the rising yellow Moon? Or is it—as I think I've heard— You're looking for a little Bird To come and sit upon a spray, And sing the summer night away? - Susan Blue
Oh, Susan Blue, How do you do? Please may I go for a walk with you? Where shall we go? Oh, I know— Down in the meadow where the cowslips grow! - Happy Days
"Are you going next week to see Phillis and Phoebe? Phillis on Monday will be just fourteen. She says we shall all have our tea in the garden, And afterwards have some nice games on the green. "I wanted a new frock, but mother said, 'No,' So I must be content with my old one you see. But then white is so pretty, and kind Aunt Matilda Has sent down a beautiful necklace for me." "Oh, yes, I am going, and Peggy is going, And mother is making us new frocks to wear; I shall have my red sash and my hat with pink ribbons— I know all the girls will be smart who are there. "And then, too, we're going to each take a nosegay— The larger the better—for Phillis to say That all her friends love her, and wish her so happy, And bring her sweet flowers upon her birthday. "And won't it be lovely, in beautiful sunshine, The table spread under the great apple tree, To see little Phillis—that dear little Phillis— Look smiling all round as she pours out the tea!" - The Dancing Family
The Dancing Family - Besnier’s Apparatus
Of the devices suggested [for man to fly] many showed ingenuity; and some were quaint, in view of what we know of flight to-day. In the machine, for instance, designed by an experimenter named Besnier—who was a locksmith by trade—there were four lifting planes, closing on the up-stroke and opening on the down, and these the operator was to flap by the use of his hands and feet. - First attempts
Of the doings of another of these brave but reckless men—a Saracen who tried to fly in the twelfth century—there is fuller information. He provided himself with wings which he stiffened with wooden rods, and held out upon either side of his body. Wearing these, he mounted to the top of a tower in Constantinople and stood waiting for a favourable gust of wind. When this came and caught his wings, he “rose into the air like a bird.” And then, of course, seeing that he had no idea of balancing himself when actually aloft, he fell pell-mell and “broke his bones.” People who had gathered to watch, seeing this inglorious ending to the flight, burst into laughter: ridicule rather than praise, indeed, was the fate of the pioneers, even to the days when the first real flights were made. - On the Bridge
If I could see a little fish— That is what I just now wish! I want to see his great round eyes Always open in surprise. I wish a water rat would glide Slowly to the other side; Or a dancing spider sit On the yellow flags a bit. I think I'll get some stones to throw, And watch the pretty circles show. Or shall we sail a flower-boat, And watch it slowly—slowly float? That's nice—because you never know How far away it means to go; And when to-morrow comes, you see, It may be in the great wide sea. - The 1900 Wright Glider (operator’s position)
Their first glider was a biplane, with 165 square feet of lifting surface, as illustrated in figure; several of its features need explanation. First there is the position of the operator; he can be seen lying prone across the centre of the lower plane. This attitude was adopted by the Wrights to minimise wind-pressure. Should a man be upright in his machine, they calculated that his body would, as the glider passed through the air, offer an appreciable resistance; while, in lying flat, he would offer scarcely any resistance at all. - Voisin Glider towed by a motor-car
In the launching of gliders, some French experimenters showed ingenuity. The brothers Voisin, for instance, who played a prominent part in the early tests in France, adopted the plan illustrated. The gilder was towed by a motor-car across an open stretch of ground; then, when its speed was sufficient for the planes to lift, it rose and flew behind the car like a kite. - Mammas and Babies
"My Polly is so very good, Belinda never cries; My Baby often goes to sleep, See how she shuts her eyes. "Dear Mrs. Lemon tell me when Belinda goes to school; And what time does she go to bed?" "Well, eight o'clock's the rule. "But now and then, just for a treat, I let her wait awhile; You shake your head—why, wouldn't you? Do look at Baby's smile!" "Dear Mrs. Primrose will you come One day next week to tea? Of course bring Rosalinda, and That darling—Rosalie." "Dear Mrs. Cowslip, you are kind; My little folks, I know, Will be so very pleased to come; Dears—tell Mrs. Cowslip so. "Oh, do you know—perhaps you've not heard— She had a dreadful fright; My Daisy with the measles Kept me up every night. "And then I've been so worried— Clarissa had a fit; And the doctor said he couldn't In the least account for it." - The Wright Biplane
A.A.—Main-planes; B. Double front elevator; C. Rudder (two narrow vertical planes); D. Motor; E. Propellers; F. Pilot’s lever; G. Skids upon which machine landed. It is now possible to describe, as a completed craft, the Wright power-driven plane; The picture shows its appearance; and in looking at it one is struck by the fact that, save for one or two modifications, and the fitting of motor and propellers, the machine is practically a glider, such as the Wrights used for soaring tests. Of the changes to be observed, the most interesting concern the elevator and rear-rudder. The former, it will be seen, has a double plane; it is, in fact, a smaller biplane on the principle of the main-planes. Needing to increase the surface of the elevator, the brothers fixed one plane above another so as to make the construction stronger and occupy less space. The rear-rudder, acting like that of a ship. - Going to bed
HIPPITY HOP TO BED O it’s hippity hop to bed! I’d rather sit up instead. But when father says “must,” There’s nothing but just Go hippity hop to bed. - First Arrivals
It is a Party, do you know, And there they sit, all in a row, Waiting till the others come, To begin to have some fun. Hark! the bell rings sharp and clear, Other little friends appear; And no longer all alone They begin to feel at home. To them a little hard is Fate, Yet better early than too late; Fancy getting there forlorn, With the tea and cake all gone. Wonder what they'll have for tea; Hope the jam is strawberry. Wonder what the dance and game; Feel so very glad they came. Very Happy may you be, May you much enjoy your tea. - Childs Song
The King and the Queen were riding Upon a Summer's day, And a Blackbird flew above them, To hear what they did say. The King said he liked apples, The Queen said she liked pears. And what shall we do to the Blackbird Who listens unawares. - Under the Willow
Under the Willow Put down your pillow under the willow, Hang up your hat in the sun, And lie down to snooze as long as you choose, For the plowing and sowing are done. Pick up your pillow from under the willow, And clamber out into the sun. Get a fork and a rake for goodness’ sake, For the harvest time has begun. - Wright Launching Rail
A. Biplane; B. Rail; C. Rope passing from the aeroplane round the pulley-wheel (D.) and thence to the derrick (E.); (F.) Falling weight. Details of propulsion and control being arranged, there remained the question of how the machine should be launched into the air. In their gliding tests, it will be remembered, the Wrights employed assistants, who held the machine by the wing-tips and ran forward with it. But the weight of the power-driven machine, and its greater size, prevented such a plan as this. They decided, therefore, to launch it from a rail, and to aid its forward speed, at the moment of taking the air, by a derrick and a falling weight. - In an Apple Tree
In September, when the apples were red, To Belinda I said, "Would you like to go away To Heaven, or stay Here in this orchard full of trees All your life?" And she said, "If you please I'll stay here—where I know, And the flowers grow." - Voisin Glider on the river Seine
A form of glider, mounted upon hollow wooden floats—anticipating the sea-plane of to-day—and towed upon the river Seine by a motor-boat. This gilder also, when its speed became sufficient, rose into the air. In the construction of the machine, a biplane, one notes resemblances to the method of the Wrights; and yet generally the craft is dissimilar. - Launching the Wright Glider
Two assistants took the machine by its plane-ends and ran forward with it, the pilot assuming beforehand his position upon the plane; then, when they had gained a pace sufficient for the machine to soar, they released their hold and it glided forward. Beneath the glider, under the centre of the lower plane, there were two wooden skates or runners, and these took the weight of the machine when it alighted, and allowed it to slide forward across the ground before coming to rest. By the use of these landing skids, and by steering at as fine an angle as possible, the Wrights found they could touch ground, even at 20 miles an hour and lying across the machine, without injury either to themselves or the craft. - On the Wall Top
So high—so high on the wall we run, The nearer the sky—why, the nearer the sun, If you give me one penny, I'll give you two, For that's the way good neighbours do. - Our little Pat
OUR LITTLE PAT Our little Pat Was chasing the cat And kicking the kittens about. When mother said “Quit!” He ran off to sit On the top of the woodpile and pout; But a sly little grin Soon slid down his chin And let all the sulkiness out. - On the Wall Top
Dancing and prancing to town we go, On the top of the wall of the town we go. Shall we talk to the stars, or talk to the moon, Or run along home to our dinner so soon? - Lilienthal gliding
Now, patient and assiduous, he (Lilienthal) began to teach himself the art of aerial balance. Raising his wings to his shoulders he would face the wind—which in his first tests he did not care to be blowing at more than ten or fifteen miles an hour. Then, running against the wind to increase the pressure beneath his wings, he would raise his legs and begin to glide, moving forward and at the same time downward. How he appeared when in flight is indicated by the picture. - Girl with Flowers
Girl with Flowers - Boots, Boots, Boots
Boots, Boots, Boots Buster’s got a popper gun, A reg’lar one that shoots, And Teddy’s got an engine With a whistler that toots. But I’ve got something finer yet— A pair of rubber boots. Oh, it’s boots, boots, boots, A pair of rubber boots! I could walk from here to China In a pair of rubber boots. - Children playing
Children playing - Flower
Flower - A girl and her sister
An older girl walking with her little sister hand in hand - Miss Molly and the Little Fishes
Oh, sweet Miss Molly, You're so fond Of Fishes in a little Pond. And perhaps they're glad To see you stare With such bright eyes Upon them there. And when your fingers and your thumbs Drop slowly in the small white crumbs I hope they're happy. Only this— When you've looked long enough, sweet miss. Then, most beneficent young giver, Restore them to their native river. - From Wonder World
Out of Wonder World I think you come; For in your eyes the wonder comes with you. The stars are the windows of Heaven, And sometimes I think you peep through. Oh, little girl, tell us do the Flowers Tell you secrets when they find you all alone? Or the Birds and Butterflies whisper Of things to us unknown? Or do angel voices speak to you so softly, When we only hear a little wind sigh; And the peaceful dew of Heaven fall upon you When we only see a white cloud passing by? - Ring-A-Ring
Ring-A-Ring Ring-a-ring of little boys. Ring-a-ring of girls; All around—all around, Twists and twirls. You are merry children; "Yes, we are." Where do you come from? "Not very far. "We live in the mountain, We live in the tree; And I live in the river-bed, And you won't catch me!" - A
A - Airliners of the future
By the use of such a machine as this, twenty years hence, we shall be able to spend a week-end in New York, as we do now in Paris or Scotland. Flying at immense heights, and at speeds of 200 miles an hour, these huge aircraft—carrying hundreds of passengers in vibrationless luxury—will pass from London to New York in less than twenty hours. - When we went out with Grandmamma
When we went out with Grandmamma— Mamma said for a treat— Oh, dear, how stiff we had to walk As we went down the street. One on each side we had to go, And never laugh or loll; I carried Prim, her Spaniard dog, And Tom—her parasol. If I looked right—if Tom looked left— "Tom—Susan—I'm ashamed; And little Prim, I'm sure, is shocked, To hear such naughties named." She said we had no manners, If we ever talked or sung; "You should have seen," said Grandmamma, "Me walk, when I was young." She told us—oh, so often— How little girls and boys, In the good days when she was young, Never made any noise. She said they never wished then To play—oh, indeed! They learnt to sew and needlework, Or else to write and read. he said her mother never let Her speak a word at meals; "But now," said Grandmamma, "you'd think That children's tongues had wheels "So fast they go—clack, clack, clack, clack; Now listen well, I pray, And let me see you both improve From what I've said to-day." - Dressed up warm
Two girls dressed up in winter coats with fur and muffs - The Wright Wing-warp
Apart from governing the ascending or descending movement, there was the question of preventing a machine from slipping sideways; and this the Wrights solved ingeniously. They saw, of course, that when their glider lurched to one side or the other, they would need some power to tilt it back again. So they devised a system by which the plane-ends of their machine—being made flexible—might be warped, or caused to shift up and down. This action the operator controlled, as he lay across the lower plane, by a movement of cords, and its operation is shown in Figure. The effect upon the machine may be described thus: should a wind-gust tilt down one plane-end, the “warp” upon that side of the machine was drawn down also, and the effect of this—seeing that it caused the plane to assume a steeper angle to the air and exercise a greater lift—was to raise the plane-ends that had been driven down by the gust. By a system of connecting the control cords, this balancing influence was made to act with double force; when one wing warped down, the other moved up; and, in this way, while the side of the machine tilted down was made to rise, the other plane-ends, which had been lifted, were made to descend. A dual righting influence was thus obtained. This system, which imitates the flexing movements made by a bird, was an important device; the Wrights patented it—combining the movement with an action of the rudder—and brought cases at law to enforce their rights. - Sister Kate
WHERE ARE YOU GOING? Where are you going, sister Kate? I’m going to swing on the garden gate, And watch the fairy gypsies dance Their tim-tam-tum on the cabbage-plants— The great big one with the purple nose, And the tiny tad with the pinky toes. Where are you going, brother Ben? I’m going to build a tiger-pen. I’ll get iron and steel and ’lectric wire And build it a hundred feet, or higher, And put ten tigers in it too, And a big wildcat, and—mebbe—you. Where are you going, mother mine? I’m going to sit by the old grapevine, And watch the gliding swallow bring Clay for her nest from the meadow spring— Clay and straw and a bit of thread To weave it into a baby’s bed. Where are you going, grandma dear? I’m going, love, where the skies are clear, And the light winds lift the poppy flowers And gather clouds for the summer showers, Where the old folks and the children play On the warm hillside through the livelong day.