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CITY EDITION
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NO. 2,920.
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PERTH, SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 1936.
PRICE THREEPENCE.
THE GREATEST INVENTOR OF THE AGE MARCONI, THE WIZARD OF WIRELESS Hitches His Waggon to the Star of Catholicism
SCIENTIST
AND CHRISTIAN
t ilarconi is a Devout Catholic
Marconi, the staunch Christian, who declares that there is no peace where therc is no religious feeling, is revealed in the following sidelights into the life and character of the great scientist. Few men, even among crowned heads, have so many decorations as Marconi, tributes to his genius bestowed as a mark of gratitude for his great work for humanity. A great invention like wireless is shared by every civilised person, and all nations have joined in honouring the great inventor.
/T would be difficult to recall a more breathless or dramatic moment in history than the occasion when Marconi jumped been lord rector of St. Andrew's let me tell you that 1 believe it li , first electric wave across the University, Scotland; he is fel- %%mild be a great tragedy if men A ,iantic. It happened at mid- low of institutes all over the 1N ere to lose their faith in prayer, day on December 12, 1901. world, and has received honorary t he greatest comforter of all. An operator in a primitive degrees from many universities, W ithout faith, without the great e ireless transmitting station at including Oxford, Cambridge, help of prayer and belief, 1 might Poldhu, on the Cornish coast, Aberdeen, Liverpool, Bologna, perhaps have lost many of the sent out a Morse signal—the let- Louisiana, Philadelphi, Buenos battles which I have won. M an v ter "S." The signal flashed over Ayres, and Pisa. He has received times I have thought that God— the ocean at the speed of light, scores of gold medals and in allowing me to attain what I and was picked up by Marconi a wards. Some of these—like the have done—has made of me himself in a shanty at St. John's, Nobel Prize and the Royal Aca- merely an instrument of His own N ewfoundland. demy of Turin Gold Medal— ‘vill, merely an instrument of reH ere was the supreme triumph carry substantial sums of money velation of His own divine o f ;Marconi's life, the complete with them; but that side of the power." justification of his cherished the- award has not interested him. The Pope's Blessing. 0y that the curvature of the "The money does not matter," A memorable event in Marearth could nut prevent the trans- he said, when making reference coni's life was occasion when the mission of electric waves over to these awards. "Naturally I His Holiness the Pope made him l,,ng distances. Many eminent look after my interests as best as a member of the Pontifical Acas cientists of those days had ex- 1 can—that is the duty of every demy of Science. That was in pressed the opposite view ; but man—and I have never professed 1931, after the Pope's first histhe great Italian held stubbornly to despise money; but there are toric broadcast from the Vatican. to his own conviction. Now he hundreds of things which money "Yes." said Marconi, "I shall had proved it; Cornwall called cannot buy. Health, for innever forget a single moment of t o Newfoundland, and Newfoundstance . . ." he paused and add- that event in my life. I trealand heard. ed slowly, ". . . and faith." sure the Grand Cross of the Or,The long struggle for the theory "Faith alone, faith in the Su- der of Pius IN., which His Holiof wireless was over and one of preme Being Whose rule we must ness conferred on me after he the sublimest feats of human obey, can alone help us face with had made his broadcast." genius achieved. courage and strength the great It is interesting to recall the f t must not be assumed, .howmystery of life. There is too words that passed between the ever, that the idea of wireless much atheism to-day; there are Holy Father and himself after telegraphy originated in the too many people just drifting the Pope had spoken into his brain of Marconi. Before his along without any aim or ideal or microphone . to the world. "With time, Hertz and Clerk Maxwell, b elief. To these people I would sincere and deep emotion." Marfor instance, had discovered the like to give some advice, the ad- coni had said, ".1: speak in your electro-magnetic waves and exvice that there is no happiness august presence, Most Blessed perimented with them in the field where there is no faith, that Father. The joy given me by of pure science, but it took the there is no peace where there is the truly historic moment when genius of Marconi to apply the discoveries .of earlier research to no religious feeling of some kind. Your Holiness deigned to make It is a mistake to believe that use for the first time of electric Practical telegraphy. He had a faith and science can never exist waves to send across the spaces , great store of data ready to hand, Science cannot kill of the world words of peace and together. but his inventions were his own, faith. The two things can stand benediction to the faithful of and far ahead of all others. side by side, for there are boun- every 'nation. and the thought of A list of Marconi's honours ocdaries beyond which, faith alone having obtained for all believers cupies two closely typed pages of can sustain and comfort us. the consolation which they exfoolscap. Ife is a Knight of the am proud of saying that I am a perienced to-day. are the greatest Grand Cross of the Royal Vic- Christian and a believer. Again r eward I can ask for my labours." torian . Order, which he received from the hands of King George himself. There are only two Italians to hold this English title. His Italian orders are legion, but first among them he treasures the Neal of the Catholic Faini1y Page 7 Grand Cross of St. Mauritius and St. Lazarus. which is one of the Factors in Divorce Pa4e 8 Spain most coveted in Italy. .41i/stria from, Within, PCIge 9 gave him the Order of Alfonso XIII.; Japan the Order of the .Ittrenile Deb nquen,cy Page 14 Rising Sun; and the Pope one of Vatithe highest orders of the C(Ireer of Eileen Joyce Page Marconi is president of can. many scientific societies. he has •
OF SPECIAL INTEREST
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THE MARCHESE MARCONI. Then the Pope spoke: "God is the giver of perfect gifts of which this little State is so fortunate in having the most perfect example of radio telephony installed by the Marchese Marconi himself. We thank you and all your collaborators and invoke the blessing of God on all who have done so much for your welfare." " When the Pope spoke afterwards," related Marconi, "I felt a deep emotion which was differ cut from anything I had ever exMany welperienced before. come experiences have brightened my life, but few can be compared with hearing His Holiness speak by Wireless to the Catholics throughout the world, bestowing on them His blessing in 'lie name of Christ." There are two wireless stations in the Vatican State, one at the atican itself and the other at the Pope's summer villa at Castel Gandolfo, about 12 miles away. They were both erected by Marconi, and they are equipped with the most modern machinery. Marconi has experimented with short waves _between these two stations, and His Holiness has expressed great interest in the work. The little station at the Vatican is often visited by Pius XI_ and it forms one of the ( maintest sights in the beautiful grounds of the newly built Vatican City. Success to Come. That success will he the outcome of Marconi's further researches and that we mav soon hear of some dramatic and astonishing development of his w ork there is little doubt. It is in the nature of things that Marconi's researches, or the researches inspired by his work, should result in success. He prophesies little, but works a lot, and says little when he has sue. ceeded. 1-411. 41,4.
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