The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-05-26
Tho Equator and tho Polo.

tAo PoAos Lucy heEFo W 6AClC0 LuRO
curiosity and stimulate his daring. with
out yielding any satisfactory equivalent
for the dangers which environ them
It is even questionable whether there
could be compensating result if we
knew everything about them. But that
is notithe point. If we had assurance
that the internal regions were located
somewhere on this mundane sphere,
there are plenty of men who would
plunge into their depths without mo-
ment's hesitation, just to see who was
there and what they were doing. Sol
ence would make pretext, and offer up
1ts voluntary victims to rake the floors
aud examine tho eternal fires, and should
they never return-as we are assured
they could not-others would 60 to see
what became of the first. We suppose
this sort of suicide cannot be helped,
under the present constitution Of man.
Polar explorers appear to go mad on the
subject Of glaciers and open seas as soon
as they get sniff of far North air.
Their insanity is Of the most singular
sort. They glory il leo water and whale
oil as the most delicate subsistence of
man, and seem to long for opportunity
to endure the most incredible hardships.
and finally freeze to death. Ono thing
is oertain-a polar explorer was never
yet quite happy until he failed to come
back, or contracted some fatal disease
that soon finished him. This is the ne.
cessary end of polar madness.
The equatorial explorers have beeu
somewhat more successful, but no less
determined to make death business of
it. The equator is an easier thing to
find than the role. It will do to cross
pretty rapidly, and get away from as
quickly as possible, but it is dangerous
line to travel on. A rope.danoer, thou
sand feet up in the air, without balance
pole, has better chance to come down
all right. than man who chooses the
equator for his path of life. Some Of
the latter have come back terribly
scorched, but they have always returned
to get completely roasted. Nature or
the cannibals soon cook their goose, and
then they are perfectly satisfied. Africa
Seems to be the favorite summer resort
for this class Of diecontented men, who
are lot only always in hot water them
selves, but keep up most feverish ex-
citement among their friends at homo.
For several years, we have been hearing
of DIR. Livingstone dead and alive. He
has departed this life and re-appeared on
the earth 30 often, that nobody believes
anything they hear about him any more.
Many even suppose him to be an out
and-ont myth, whose only purpose was
and is to test the credulity of the world,
and laugh at the nonsense which it will
believe. II this were 30, there would be
something practical in the design. But,
unfortunately, DR.. Livingstone is or was
living, breathing parsonage. He went
to equatorial Africa years ago. in the
spirit of adventure, and in 1867 he
ceased corresponding with any of his
friends at home. This involved great
mystery. and the English Government
sent sort of picnic exploring expedi-
tion after him, which returned with the
information That they had penetrated the
deserts to the spot where Livingstone
had been last seen. This was the only
report they could make to the gaping
world. Then there came rumors that
Livingstone was safe ut Ujiji, but nobody
could find Ujiji. That became as great
Q mystery as the fate OF Livingstone.
From this fact, it was evident he was
perfectly safe at Ujiji; why not let him
remain there? He was evidently con-
tented with the place, and probably
meant to settle down and become use
1t was certainly nobody's business if
he wanted to stay there. There was
never any doubt about Ujiii being safe
place fot him. Well. after all the world
had apparently become satisfied as to
Lvingstone.'s safety, the New York He
raid seat out an expedition in the person
OF Herbert Stanley and attendants, to
hunt him up and drag him away from
his happy African home. This expedi-
tion was organized in 1871. It appears
to hsyerbeen necessary that Herbert
Stanley should be seized with fevers,
fought by savages, reduced to q skeleton.
and finally starved to death, although
he wAs taking food and other supplies to
DR.. Livingstone. The programme re-
quiIedt that he should die .[by report)
and ,afterward be restored to perfect
health. All This happened, and now
comes letter from him, stating that he
has fcana Livingstone. When, where
and how, the letter does not explicitly
inform u.s.. The intelligence. however,
is generally believed to be authentic.
DR.. Livingstone has been gone seven
years from England, and it is not likely
he will go back there to live. If it is
true that he has been found after 80 long
n 4,