Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-02-21
DIR. KANE.
A SKETCH By DR.. WM. ELDER.

wants to know him personally. intimately
The grave and reverend chronicler.' pass
ing over his beginnings, presents him alb
ruptly in his full-grown greatness; men
render the admiration earned, but the SYM
pathetic emulation awakened is concerned
to know how he grew into his maturity Of
excellence. This curiosity is not an idle
ness of the fancy, but personal interest
in the facts that springs out of those aspi-
rations which put every man upon the full
fillment of his own destiny. How came
this man to excel-what was in him; what
happened to develop it? Some men are
born great; some achieve greatness; some
have greatness thrust upon Them" How
came this man by it? Is it within my
reach also? and, by what means? History
provokes us with such queries as these:
Biogl answers them.
Doctor Elisha Kent Kane is not quite
thirty four years old, yet he has done more
than circumnavigate the globe; he has Wis
tied and traversed India, Africa, Europe,
and twice penetrated the Arctic region to
the highest latitude attained by civilized
pcrils of sea and land in every climate of
the globe; he has discharged in turn the
covoroSt Jut;oc Of tho -o1lior apJ tba
man; attached TO the United States Navy
as a surgeon, he is, nevertheless, engaged
at one time in the coast survey of the trop-
ical ocean, and in a month or two, we find
him exploring the frigid zone; and all the
while that his personal experience had the
character of romantic adventure, he was
pushing them in The spirit of scientific and
philanthropic enterprise.
y Il boy his instructive ben, impelled
hm 10 the Indulgence and enjoyment of
such adventures us were bcst fitted to train
hiln or the work before him. His cole
sia.c studies suffered some postponement
while his physical qualities pressed for
their necessary training and discipline
1t was almost in the spirit Of truancy that
he explored the Blue Mountains of Virgin
ia, as student Of geology, under the gui-
danes of Professor Rodgers, and cultiva-
ted, at once, his hardihood of vital energy
and those elements of natural science
which were to qualify him for his after SER
vices of the field of physical geography.
But in due time he returned to the pursuit
of literature, and achieved the usual hon
ors: as well as though his college studies
had suffered no diversion-his muscles
and nerves were educated, and his brain
lost nothing by the indirectncss of its de-
velopement, but WAS rather corroborated
for all the uses which it has served since
He graduated at the University of Penn
svlvania--frst, in its collegiate, and afer-
wards, in Its medical department. His
special reishes in study indicated his nat
ural drift; chemistry and surgery; natural
science in its most intimate converse with
substance, and the remedial art in its most
heroic function. He went out from his
1lma Mater good classical scholar, a
good chemist, mincralogist, astronomer,
and surgeon But he lacked, or thought
he lacked, robustness of frame and sound
ness of health. He solicited an appoint
ment in the navy, and upon his admission,
demanded active service. He was appoin-
ted upon the diplomatic staff as surgeon
to the first American Embassy to China.
The position gave him opportunity to ex-
plore the Philippine Islands, which he eff
fected mainly on foot. He was the first
man who descended into the crater of Tael
lowered more than hundred feet bv a
bamboo rope from overhanging cliff, and
clambering down some seven hundred
more through the scoir;e, he made typo
graphical sketch of the interior of this
great volcano, collected bottle of sur
phurous acid from the very mouth of the
crater; and, although he was drawn up al
most senseless, he brought with him his
portrait Of this hi1eous cavern, and the
specimens which it afforded
Before he returned from this trip he ha !
ascendcd the Himalayas, and triangulatcd
Greece. on foot; he had visited Cclon,
the Upper Nile, and all 'he Hydrologic re-
gion of Egypt; traversed the route and
f making the acquaintance Of the learned
Lepsius; who was then prosecuting his ar
+ theological researches.
At home again when the Mexican war
broke ont, he asked TO be removed from
the Philadelphia Navy Yard to a field Of
more congenial service, but the Govern
ment sent him to the coast of Africa. Here
he visited the slave factories, from Cape
Mount to the river Bonny and through the
Infamous Da Souza got across to the bar
racoons of Dahemey, and contracted, be
| o;dao tho Coast Fovar from tho aifacts a,