Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-11-15
80 d ArstIe fzploratLon.


There is so an out,ry from lot Of
newspapers that exploration Of the
Arctic regions must stop, that the re-
suits Of the explorations do not justify
the cost in money and life But the
eX plOratiOns VIII not STOP, and the gem
tlemen who are demanding that they
shall are taking counsel Of their hearts
rather than their heads-they are more
sympathetic than sensible. There has,
indeed, been great sacrifice OF lie IN
the ice region. But has there not also
been great sacrifice of life at homer G5
IS asked: What sort Of a return for the
suffering and death in tbs Greedy party
is the Information he obtained? In
reply: What sort of q return for the
death Of the one hundred and twenty
men who were shut mp in the fiery fur
mace Of the POca hontas mine was al
che coal ever taken Out.Of It? Shall the
life Of man and the tears and cries Of
widows and orphans be weighed in the
balance with some tons Of coal, and
shall no account be made of the dis
plays of herOism and their value in the
formation of National character? MAY
men perish by scores digging coal and
the fact be accepted as an incident in
National progress, aRd others perish in
some Of the most important problems
of natural science, and the fact be set
down as a waste merely? If the fate
Of those with Greedy and De Long
was a waste of life and limb, what
was the fate of the thousands
who lost life or limbs in minesP Ii is
important 70 have exact knowledge Of
the world we live in, as well as TO have
coal 10 keep Us warm or cook our food.
Those who cry out against Arctic sX-
plOratiOn do not seem to know that the
scientific world is looking to the Arctic
regions for a solution of difficulties en-
eOuntered in the study of the laws Of
storms. and upon a correct knowledge
Of those laws depend the life and safety
OF adj who 90 to sea, to mention only
one part of the multitudes who would
be benefited by such knowledge. If
The laws Of storms were thoroughly I'M
derstOOd, does anyone suppose that
charlatan like Virgins could succeed
In frightening thousands Ofmariners by
his prediction Of a coming storm on the
ocean? To say nothing about the effect
Of that scare upon the character Of the
people, the delays TO shipping by it
caused directly and indirectly the loss
of a greater sum of money than the
Government ever expended in an Arc
tic expedition. Recall the great disas-
bers at sea. and how many of them
might have been avoided had the laws
Of storms been understood? How many
ships, have sailed right into the vortex
because no one knew that a distant
stOrm was forming the vortex? Or look
at the matter on the other side. How
many ships have been saved, with all
their crews, IN late years, by a short
teIegraphic dispatch announcing
changes of weather, and reporting the
alterations in the thermometer aud
baron lterP Read the stories of the
storms on the coasts Of all civilized
nations now, and an answer to the Ques-
ton m. 81 be had. In the stormy season
no rep, vrts in the papers are much more
connie n than reports Of how fleets of
merch; mt vessels ran to shelter when
word vas received, from across the
ocean : terhaps, that there was peril in
being abroad Is it q waste OF money
and lii to send brave men 10 regions
where they can obtain facts TO verify
and nplify such important knOwl-
edge And what has the loss of life
amut q ted TO? The statistics Of Arctic
cxpbOr stiOns show that the number of
deaths an all the expeditions from the
one 1t out in search Of Sir John
Franlzl IN down to recent time has
amOun ted to only two per cent. of the
whole Humber of explorers. These are,
indeed. perilous expeditions. There
are ais o coal mines known 10 be spe-
s.ia6y berilOus-the fire damp mines.
wiz OF the statistics Of these mines
show as high a death rate? Then, to
be consistent, the gentlemen who cry
again st Arctic exploration ought to de-
IL. al. Is
the CT y is nonsense. and only to be en-
duredr because OF the kindness Of heart
which inspires it. For centuries the
most enterprising nations of the world,
beginning with the Dutch in their he
roic sRe, have been vieing with each
other in their endeavOrs to solve the
probl ems Of the great North. Every
expedition has drawn nearer to the so
iUtiOns and the last one, the nearest Of
all 1t is sheer folly to suppose that
the problem viii be abandoned now.
The suffering of the Greedy party is not
thong ht of by scores of men who are i'm
patient to start on an expedition over the
grOun he covered, because they think
that they viii be able to 90 still further
and learn more. When adventures in
Vited death BY penetrating the heart Of
Africa there were plenty Of persons
who asked what good could come Of it.
They 10 not ask that question now.
The light that has been thrown on the
dark continent shows what good these
adven urOus men did in exposing the
horrors of the slave trade and opening
the country TO civilization. What good
did Livingstone do, wearing his heroic
life ont IN AfrieaP Ask the Interna-
tiOnaI Association which is planting
the seeds of a great State on the fertile
banks Of the C0Ago. Pittsburgh ChTOS-
ieIs.
A Story With a Moral.