Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/594

 OBVILLE WEIGHT By Samuel Raymond Dunham OBVILLE WBIGHT was bom in Dayton, Ohio, in 1871. His father was a poor and respected dergyman with scientific tastes, .who had invented a typewriter but never perfected it. His denomination recognized his abilities by making him bishop. Mrs. Wright was a college-bred woman, the best mathematician in her class, who delighted to encourage her children in studious habits. One of the older boys put on the market, as his own invention, an improved hay-press. The daughter, Miss Catherine Wright, is a classical graduate of Oberlin college and teaches Latin in the Dayton schools. Orville inherited the scientific and inventive mind. When he was eight years old, his father brought home a little toy which left a permanent impression on his mind. It was a light frame of cork and bamboo covered with paper, which formed two propellers or screws, driven in opposite direc- tions by rubber bands under torsion. The scientific name was helicoptere, but he called it the ^^bat" because when thrown into the air it would ascend and strike the ceiling, where it would flutter awhile before falling to the floor. The boys be- gan making heUcopteres of increasing sizes until, thinking themselves too old for such toys, they turned to kite-making and Mte-flying, at which Orville was an expert. When fifteen years of age, he and a friend issued a four- page paper called The Midget and three years later they pub- lished a larger weekly. The West Side NewSj of which they were editors, typesetters, pressmen, and delivery boys. The press, which was of their own make, was good and attracted the attention of a large printing-press house. Like many another boy, Orville was enthusiastic on the sub- ject of bicycles. He and his brother made their own with home-made tools. They created considerable amusement by appearing on a tandem which they had made out of two old-