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Show THE 8PJCE OF DANGER It was a typical Incident nt tho Sheepihead liny Speedway, New York, a fow dnys ago, When Carl Llmbcrg and his mechanician, who wsro competing in on automobllo raco, wero killed whilo speeding 104 miles an hour. Tho nows story says tho enthusiasm of the crowd was dampened. Yet If thoro had been no danger In this competition, it Is doubtful lf nny crowd of 25,000 poo-plo poo-plo would ever havo put in an appearance. ap-pearance. Thcro Is a love 1 nthojiuman mind for swing peoplo do perilous things. Circus stunts like tlgh ropo walking walk-ing nro as old as history, and havo always drawn n crowd. Would peoplo peo-plo over turn out to see them lf tho ropo wore strotclwd two feet from tho ground? Just as much technical skill would bo called for In that enso. Hut tho element ot control of nerves would bo missing. This Is largely what tho crowd comes to seo. For many years balloon nscenslons wore tho most popular attraction at tho county fairs. Today their l'laco has been taken by nviatlon which satisfies tho samo demand. Tho public enjoys seolng daring men flirt with death, it wants them to win out In this competition with tho Moments, but It Insists that there bo no shirking of risks. The fact that the air Is squally and full of 'pockets' does not excuse tho nvlat-or nvlat-or In tho minds of tho crowd, from falling to mako his flights. Yet his safo return under these conditions may bo very dubious. It Is often remarked that tho law should stop perilous exhibitions Hko automobllo racing. Yet It tho racers wero stopped on tho speedway, thoy would risk their necks on tho public roads, where thoy would endanger many others bcsldo themselves. They would onjoy tnklng thcso chances, and no doubt do it for lovo of tho sport nulto as much ns for monoy. This is an ngo of morbid fears. It Is rather refreshing in n tlmo of so many oxtrcmo precautions to see certain cer-tain types of peoplo who can put usldo all timidity In tho faco of death. |