Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-01-23
DIR. KANE.
A sKhrcH, BY DIR. WILLIAM BLDER.


SKETCH, BY DIR, WILLIAM ELDER.
WHEN mans life is heroic, and his name
passed into history, the world wants to know
HIM personally, intimately. The ''grare anil
reverend ehronieler, passing over his begin
nlngs, pres him abruptly in his fall-grown
greatness; men render the admiration earned.
but the sympathetic emulation awakened is
concerned to know how he grew into his
maturity'of excellence. This curiosity is not
an idene:s of the fancy, but personal inter
est IN the facts that springs out of those aspi-
rations which put every man upon the fulfill
ment OF his own destiny. How came this
man TO excel-what was in him-what hap
pened to develop him ssSome 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 proves US with
sueh queries as these: Biography answers
them.
DIR. Elisha Kent Kane is not quite thirty
four years old, yet he has done more than cir
cumnavigate the globe; he has visitt and
traversed India, Africa, Europe, South Amer
ica the islands of the Pacific, and twice pen
etrated the Arctic region TO the highest lati-
tude attained by civilized man. He Las en-
countered the EXTREMIST perils of sea and
discharged in turn the severest duties of the
soldier aud the seaman; attached to the Uni
ted States Navy as surgeon, he is, never
theless, engaged at one time in the coast sur
vey of the tropical ocean, and i'll month or
two, we lind him exploring the frigid zoi Ell;
and all the while that his personal expert
ences had the character OF romantic adeen-
ture, he was pushing them in the spirit OF sci
entlllc and phlanthropic enterprise.
As boy, his instructive bent inpelled him
to the indulgence and ENJOYMENT of such adj
ventures as " ere best fitted to train him Tor
tie work before him. HIS collegiate studies
suffered some postponement while his physi-
cal qualities pressed Tor Their NECESSARY Train.
Ing and discipline. II was almost in tie sir
it of truancy that he explored the Blue Noun.
tans of Virginia, as a student of geology. un-
der the guidance of Professor Rodgers, and
cultivated, at olce, his hard hood OF vital en-
ergy and those elements of natural science
which " ere TO, qualify him for his after SER
wees in the field OF physical geography
But, in due time he returned to the pursuit
of literature. and achieved the usual houors.
as well as though his college studies had suf
fered no diversion-his muscles and nerves
were educated, and his brain lost nothing by
the indirectness of it's deyelopmunt. hut was
lasnes ooi'o'or4teu 40, al the uses wnich IL
&c lie gteuuu'et az tne oAiNersi-
y " III us colle8ia'e ana
s,,oo"I 40 ,neioa' ms
J 5,is. Al ssuuy Inuicaeu ms hatural
in ire T,ost 90 uatuli sIie'ce
40 l''iinp'e ec' NeIse WIN substance
tom. He went out from his Alma 1L,Ier a
good classical scholar. a good chemist miner
alogi,t. astronomer and snrgeou R,,t he
lacked or thought he lacked. robustness of
frame and soundness of heath lie sol. cited
an appointment in The navy. and upon his adj
mission, demanded active service. He was
appointed upon the diplomatic staff as sur
geon to The first American Embassy to Chi
ma. This position rave him opyortunity to
explore the Philippine Islands. which he ef
fected mainly on foot. He was the fist man
who descended into the crater OF rae; low.
cred more than hundred feet by bami 90
rope from the yoverhanging CT fl, and Chamber
ing down some eeven bundled more through
the scoriae, he made Typographical sketch of
Il e interior Of this great volcano, collected
bottle Of ulphurous acid from the very mouth
Of the crater; aud, although he was drawn
up almost senseless, he brought with him his
portrait Of this hideous cavern, AMI she spec
linens which it afforded.
$50, al ~ t1.-i .-''--- ''',S - -
@Sooi'ue't sio as anu iran uia'eo
1To,. MI ~ io -.'u $50 loil' 'ne
y PPot NC a'iu an 'ne is'iioioSic ieSiou Oh
ACQUAINTANCE Of The learned Iensins, Who
was then pro,eeutino his orcbe6looicsl ra-
searches.
- ai q.l, nGn 'ne NagAi e Wa" va,
M ~, nc q'Neu " 'e ielno.Fu rom 'he
ma -.a'y al" 70 'ile neiu OF more
lonse''iai seiVi0e' ou' .ls sUIeriiinehl sem
~ o''F So"sS u Iteio ne .lsi'eu
D. %" I'm 'ioN"' " .Ite
g. ~. al'N 'is ilii8iro II ia
1891 q ~ ''le osi"oools VI pano-
~. 60 IL INC Go"o'
- S "a MN 'i0 A0s N0'ei
-
!, v''i .Aiiio@ nc ie'ui"eu Oeioie me etose oi
o.e ~ W., anu oeiieting Una. hIs con
eu."'lon was uiVNeN' anu nus hea'th rapioly
eolhS' ne c"iIe' upon resident Folk' ana de.
liiauuei ~ Upp"tVulli'y lot service tnat inlgnt
crowu lne lulo remnant OF ms me with
a az :, e,'s III Neepihs Win MS amo!tiohi
'he Hresiuehe' Just Iheh embarrassed oy
'e'upois'. op,lil, intercourse win oeneral ocott
S C 5eu tie Doo'ol WIZ ueSPatohes 10 the
oeneIui' % eIea' hl'ineht ana urgehcy'whlch
nus oe oa' et .i'iough region occupied oy
'ne e,.einy. ms embassy was marked ny an
a .o eil'ule ~ ionan'Ic ana so illustrative OF
.ne VI we man. 'a' we are 'elpteu
" ue'a'i w.
On his way to the Gulf he secured horse
IN Kentucky, such as knight Grant would
have chosen for the companion and sharer OF
his adventures. Landed at Vera Cruz, he
asked for an escort TO convey him to the CAPT
tai but the officer in command had no troop
ers TO spare-ne must wait or he must ac-