PART II
AIRWAYS AND ROADWAYS
The world is full of roads.
Roads of stone and roads of sand
Stretching barren 'cross the land;
Roads which are covered with needles of pine;
Ice roads and snow roads which glitter and shine;
Roads of dirt and roads of grass,
And roads which climb to the mountain pass;
Roads of iron and roads of steel
Down which thunder the iron wheel;
Roads of water and roads of air—
The roads of the world are everywhere.
"The Mail Must Go Through"
"The Mail Must Go Through!" That famous expression stands for the spirit of the men who have carried the United States Mail. No matter what the danger or hardship, nothing must stop the safe delivery of the messages that the people of our land are sending to each other. From the pony-express riders of long ago to the air-mail pilots of today the same spirit of determination has held true.
This faithfulness to duty has been the spirit of all those whose business it is to see that messages are sent or that people and things are carried from one place to another. The radio operator must stay at his key on the sinking vessel, flashing out calls for help. The captain and his crew are the last to leave the ship. The telephone operator stays at the switch-board, warning of the forest fire or the flood that is sweeping down upon the people. The railroad engineer must have a quick mind and a brave heart as he sits at the throttle of his engine.
Men have always wanted to travel speedily and to send messages swiftly from one place to another. They have invented powerful machines and delicate instruments to help them do so. But speed, alone, is not enough. There must be safety. The lives of passengers must be guarded, and the important message must go through. Always there has been this battle between speed and safety. The machines men make are not human. Skillful hands and courageous hearts must guide them.
The stories in this part of your book will tell you about some of the workers who send the messages and carry the people of the world swiftly and safely.