The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-19
STORIES ABOUT HANSEN.
THE ExPLORER,s CHANCE OF BEING
:. COLLEGE PROFESSOR HERE.

6irNentnnn-ENhn NtpCnvethen ~ ptncr I1eInt
Th.p the Arctic-sone OF his Yents on the
Zee and snsr-nis New Ilpuns ut Christianin.
some interesting stories Of Fridtj Of Manson,
the Arctic explorer, are told by Richard Heard.
at is not generally known" says Mr.. Heard.
chat Sansen once came near rclinquishing his
North Pole project through the agency of a col
lego in Indiana. While we were travelling
through Indiana one day Manson said:
"'This Is the place where I nearly became n
college professor I asked him what ,he
meant. He said: They offered mo tho profcs.
sorsbip of ZOOLOGY in tho university here, and I
came very near accepting 1t. l was then con-
templating my first trip to Greenland. and 1t
was a question with me as to whether l should
20 to America and take this professorship Or
undertake my expedition to. Greenland. 1t re-
auired a great deal Of elaboration, but finally
/ declined the professorship.'
.'Nansen was as brilliant a boy as he is a
man. We started out the other day for n quiet
trip to Niagara to see the falls, and while in a
trolley,car hansen was talking of mathematics.
Whom ] was a boy he said, L solved some
problems which had never before been solved.
They thought they were going to make q mathe-
matician of me-
~ said that was news to me, and asked what
were the problems. Then he 'hemmed and
hawed, for no didn't remember the English
word for expressing his meaning; but finally
l asked him IL he could tell me in German.
.Kcgelschnitt,' he said-that is, comic sections.
1t seems that Nansen. as a boy, succeeded In
solving several problems in comic sections by
means of geometry, and some Of his solutions
arc still used In the colleges Of Norway. In his
leisure moments. he had a trial at squaring the
circle. In his youth he also studied to be an
artist, and carried his studies pretty far. He
did a good deal of sketching and painting.
This early practice is showing to good advan-
tage in the charts which he exhibits at ,lec-
lures and has led to the production of pictures
of Arctic scene and color such as have never
been equalled.
AFTER these early studies he went in for 20
ology and took up other scientific pursuits.
While at a banquet given hansen some time
ago Prof. Carl Lumholtz told me that before
he had known Nansen as an explorer he had
been studying a book on the nerve system of
animals. In this book the author printed a
new theory of the nervous system quite differ
emit from any previously held. Since that time
book was Napsen.. 4 few days after, the ban.
and asked him for an explanation Of his discov-
THAT was when I was curator of the Mu-
clal study of the animal brain and examined
thousands Of brains microsoopioalIy That
like to go back to it now. Wei, / discovered
that the seat of the soul in animals, contrary to
where it had been supposed to be. but at an:
other point of the brain He then went into
technical detail which would hardly be under;
to everything suggested or heard of before that
why did you do thatl' / asked. He ex.
planned that he preferred to write scientific
books in French, German or English, and said:
" Il know that IN / were tn write II in nny Of
these three languages every scientist of repute
must read it, inasmuch as any one failing to
times. But, written In Norwegian, Hungarian
or other Languages, scientific men would have
SO 1 wrote It in English
One time l said something about skating.
and Nensen exclaimed;
again. :Wei.' he SAID I am PROF proud DC Of my ssa T.
1 was 16 years old 1 devoted much time to the
art: defeated the champion OF Norway in q
l Df SBe Sissn sEa, %GSnse aaa 50 ] us %ss to %9 be Whit gSi!s ss fond ID
one Of the finest skaters in Norway.
Manson maintains that the NorwSeeian skates
and long distance. / didn't see how they were
adaP pied to figure skating. -, ..-nu
any curve on the blade. They were fiat as they
rested on the ground, but very wide in the
S%SPhs an y e%pe Fee that sSw Slsde t on the Beipi ee and and heel eel
over on the side you ! ave a curve; the skate
gives the curve when you lean over, and some
",Nahsen and his brother were born and lived
at Frozen. their fathers country place, in the out
there where they made their first attempt at
SKI running. Snowshoeing in those days was
almost entirely confined TO the peasants, The
t. get proficient and tried going down hills.
Ih,y found they could use them for going
the mountains. They. discovered. at the sug-
Eestion Of an expert from the rural districts.
generally had never jumped with them nor
fellows to take It up. In that way it became q
sport in Christiania, and the Nansens did all
they could to make it popular. Now the snow.
shoe meeting in February is the great ski meet
There is q very steep mountainside at Hol.
emkollen. with a sheer descent, Of about 45
up. and the snow. curves out to the edge Of the
wall; The snowshoers tski.lobner) come dow
the hill at full speed, and when they strike this
long;jump record 10 l40 feet. When they again
regain the ground there is no sudden jolt, but
the hillside. Both feet come down about fiat,
and tho knees are bent in order to land easily.
shoeTs in SorWay I0a and he eHs was nsS Very r,up pr OF shsMt
popular fete. The King always attends.
jumping, but the skilled riders go through tho
woods, among the trees, winding paths. and
were going uSfi to % dash ash1 out their f"a BRAIN brains . as they yn so
down a wild slope. In jumping down you i'm.
agine you are going to sink u foot in snow, but
the the long ski hold the weight, and you glide on.
He may land with his feet in the air. head fret
IN the r snow: These skiers become very, ex-
Tho ski should be the length of the height Of a
man with his hands extended to full length,
and are generally made Of ash or pine. Nan;
where dogs broke through tho surface.
Manson Is, building q new house. near the
ChFistlPnla; y Is E part Of the large estate
hill near the ford, and the place is only TWEEN
simply. His dwelling is q log house of the spe-
siaL Norwegian type. made Of small logs care.
finished d., Up inside with lining for two years
tie permanently. 1t Is surrounded by a pail
sade Of rough pine. There are always two or
three dogs barking around.
.Nansen's pecuniary returns from his books
and lectures. arc said to be large, yet he is n
most abstemious man and his way of living is
and keeps at II almost night and day. He is
not of a melancholy disposition ard tells hu-
morous stories on occasion. The other day he
told me the following: J
H. AZ AZ