Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1907-06-29

/ known all over the world, and whose
residence in that far north country
has afforded him opportunities of
| studying this peculiar phase of arctic
explorations, says that there won't be
an Esquimau living in a few years
| unless the sending of expeditions into
the far north ceases. 1T is not the
white mans burden. 1t is that of the
Esquimau. l can prove that explor-
ing parties commit awful sins against
the northern natives. The Esquimau
as a race is doomed. Those that went
to Buffalo and Chicago and the fairs
of the white man returned to Hebron
with disease.
Il hate to see the obliteration of
any race. The EsQuimau is going
many times faster than your Ameri-
can Indian, and when the white mans
sins are not killing him he is dying of
tuberculosis"
DR.. Grenfell took pains to say that
he referred to no particular explorer,
saying that while the explorer himself
may not commit peculiar crimes the
men under film do. This statement
does not apply however, to the Peary
expedition, for the high character of
the men concerned in it and the rigid
rule enforced by the commander
leaves no ground for criticism. Dr.
Grenfells criticism, therefore, does
not have to do with the Peary Esqui-
maux. They are the last of their Line,
now numbering about 207, and are
pure children of nature innocent of
the vices and immoralities of civiliza-
ton, and $50 miles of ice separate
them from the rest Of the world. They
inhabit the Greenland northwest coast
line from Cape York, following along
Smith sound to Lady Franklin bay
| and never have been known to cross
to the American side. They are in
every way quite dissimilar to their
degenerate brothers, the Labrador
coast Esquimaux.
81 have published census of the
Whale Sound Esquimaux in my last
book, Nearest the Pole,'" said MIR.
Peary, few days ago. There were
119 males, IS females and three in
fants, sex unlearned, making a total
of 2O7. On August 81, 1905, this tribe
numbered 253-14O males and 113 fe-
males.
"The number was reduced to 40
in 1902, when an epidemic attacked
them. The affection was the white
mans affection, brought to them, am
confident, over thousands of miles, by
the wind 1t was like a fahn, storm
in the Alps and it blew heavily from
the southeast, sweeping from the
northeast Of Europe over the ice cape
| of Greenland to The Whale sound dis
trict. l experienced one in February,
| 1892 The temperature was As or so
degrees below zero when the storm
began, and in "a hours the mercury
rose to 45 above, with warm rain. We
were at Red Cliff House at the time,
and every one of the party, including
the Esquimaux, was attacked with the
real European grip.
In the fall and winter of 1895 there
was an epidemic of bronchial ma
/ luIe, 50 ltdIHGu the lOllOWluB sum
mer, in which about ~ people of the
tribe died Then again in 19O1-O2
there was a visitation of digestive
trouble.
These Whale sound Esquimaux are
radically different from other aborig.
inals. They are purer and healthier.
There are no mongrels among them,
There is no intemperance, because
they have neither malt nor alcoholic
drinks, lacking the conditions and the
material with which to make them
Though their beverage is water they
have evinced a fondness for tea and
coffee. They care nothing for person
al adornment and do not mutilate
themselves or their animals. Not be
Ing immune through heredity to the
diseases of the white man, they mus
quickly perish II compelled to live
among civilized environment"