Demoine courier., 1856-02-28

SKETCH, BY DR.. WILLIAM ELDER.
When q mau's life is heroic. and hi,
name has passed into history, the world
wants TO know him personally. intimate.
ly. The grave and rev erenG chronic
ler.' passing over his beginnings, pre-.
sen,s him abfup.ly in his full grown
greatness; men render the admiration
earneu, but the sympathetic emulation
awakened 10 concerned 10 know how be
grew into his maturity Of excellence -
This curiosity is no, an idleness of the
fancy, bu, a personal in,eres, in The facts
tina, springs out Of those aspirations
which put every man upon the fulfil
ment oil his own destiny. How cane
this man to excel-whal was in him
what happened TO develop il! Some
neu are born greats soIae achieve great.
ness; some have greatness thrust upon
lhem.' How cams this man by iR IL
i, within my reach alsoa and, ty what
meahsi History provokes us with such
queries as ,hese. Biography answers
them.
Doctor Elisha Kent Kane 10 not quits
lhir.y,four years old, yet he has done
more than ci~rcumnavigate the globe; he
has vili,ed and iraversed India. Africa,
Europe, South America, the Islands oil
the Pacific, and twice penetrated the Arc
ZIG region 10 the highes,s latitude attain
ed by civilized man. He has encoun
tered Tho exrsmest perils OF sea and
land, in every climate Of the globe; he
has discharged in turn the seseres' du
nss Of the soldier and ,he seaman; al
,ached to the Y. s. Navy az a surgeon,
he 10, nevertheless, engaged at one time
in The coast survey Of HE tropical ocean,
and in a month or TWO, we Gnd him ex
pIoring the f,igid gone: and all the while
inn. his personal experiences he'd The
character Of romantic adventure. he was
pushing them 10 the spirit Of scientific
and philaushropic enterprise.
As a boy. his instructive bent impel'ed
him to the IND ulgence and enjoyment, o.
such adventures as were best ftled to
train hum for the work before him. His
collegiate studies suffered some post
ponemen, while his physical qualities
pressed for their necessary training and
discipline. II wns slmos, IN the spiril
.! upancy that he explored the blue
mounlains Of Virginia, az o student ol
geology, under lhe guidance Of Profess'
" Rodgers, and cultivated, al once. his
hardlhood Of vital energy and those ele,
menis Of natural science which were Il
qualify bin TO. his alter services 10 The
field Of physical geography. But. in
due time he returned 10 the pursuit Of lit.
era,ure. and achieved the usual hoaors
AZ well - though his college studies had
suffered no dissrsioa-Lis muscles and
nerves we're educated. and his brain los
nothing by the indireclness Of lie devel
0pmen., but was ra'her ~cOrroborated III
all The uses it has servea since. HI
graduated al the University OF Pennsyl
vaaia-6rs, in It's collegiate, aud AFTER
wards in it's medical, department. Hit
special relishes in study indicated hi
natural drift; ctemisIry and surgery.
natural science in ito mos. intimate con
verse with substance, and The remedia
ar. in iis mos, heroic function. He wen
GU, from bic Alma Mater a good classi
cal scholar, . good chemist, mineralo
gis,. as.ronog er, and surgeon. Blu. h
lacked. or ,haugh. hs lacked. robustness
oil frame and ~soundness Of health. HI
solicited an appoin;men, in The navy
and upon his admission, demanded &C
ire service. He WA s~2poinsed upol
The diplomatic siaf a. surgeon 10 lh'
fret American Embaasy 70 China
This position gave him opportunity I
explore the Philippine lslands. which b,
effected mainly on foot. He was ia
first man who descended into the crate
Of Taei; lowered more than a hundre,
feet by 4 bamboo rope from tie over
hanging cliff, and clambering down som
seven hundred moro through the scoria
he made . typographical sketch Of III
interior Of this great volcano. collected
bottle Of sulphOTous acid from .hs YER,
mouth of the crater; and. although b
was drawn up almost ssnsslsss. brough
silh him ais portrait Of this hideous cav
sSn. aadshs specimens whish it afforded
Before he returned from .his Trip, b