estimated that the tremendous increase of interest in flying developed
by Lindbergh’s feat caused publications in the United States to use
25,000 tons of newsprint in addition to their usual consumption.
Roughly 5,000 poems were believed to have been written to commemorate
the first New York to Paris flight. A town was named “Lindbergh.”
Scores of babies were reported christened after the flier. An enormous
impetus was given the use of air mail.
Inspired editorials were written in every part of the civilized world.
The following from the _New York Times_ suitably completes this very
superficial record of the early Lindbergh welcome by mankind:
“Such a man is one in a host. In treating of the psychology of those
who adore Lindbergh it must first be set down that he has the qualities
of heart and head that all of us would like to possess. When he left
Newfoundland behind, the dauntless fellow seemed to have a rendezvous
with Death, but his point of view was that he had an engagement in
Paris. Two gallant Frenchmen had lost their lives, it was believed,
in an attempt to fly across the Atlantic to the United States. An
American, unknown to fame, in whom no one but himself believed, made
the passage smoothly, swiftly and surely, traveling alone and almost
unheralded. From New York to Paris, without a hand to clasp or a face
to look into, was a deed to lose one’s head over. And that’s what
everybody in France, Belgium and England proceeded to do.
“After all, the greater was behind--the young fellow’s keeping his own
head when millions hailed him as hero, when all the women lost their
hearts to him, and when decorations were pinned on his coat by admiring
Governments. Lindbergh had the world at his feet, and he blushed like
a girl! A more modest bearing, a more unaffected presence, a manlier,
kindlier, simpler character no idol of the multitude ever displayed.
Never was America prouder of a son.”
THE END
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:
Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.
Archaic or variant spelling has been retained.