The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-03-28

From the Morgantown Chronicle.
The frozen north, the land around
which eternal winter has set ais bar
riers and has said to man, hitherto
shalt thou come, but no farther"
has always been tempting point Of
attack by the bold mariner who re-
fused to be shut away from any part
Of sea or coast. Around the world,
scattered over ragged and ioleful
coast ten thousand miles in the ag.
gregate extent, dwell the Esklmos,
just on the fringe of the eternal ice,
and oa shores forever frozen and
wrapped in the everlasting bleak
ness of the arctic winter. The Es-
Mmos. the dwarfed children of the
polar cold, have lived in their mar
row circle around the pole since the
earliest records of history. No con.
querer has ever invaded their coun.
try. No covetous eyes have ever
been set upon their -desolate coasts.
That is the only part of the inhab-
tied world which has never been
called upon to repel hostile inyas.
ion. They have been safe in the
Businesses of their frozen deserts.
The Eskimo strip extends entirely
round the world. Beyond them lies
the polar region with its ice. They
have nuyer been able to cross 1t, so
far as known; nor have they had any
occasion to do so. Possessing no
lps. and lacking in resources to
sustain long journey, the Eshmos
have contenied themselves to occu.
py their frozen shores, and leave
voyages toward the pole to others.
For hundreds of years explorers
have attempted the discovery of the
pole. Long before the invention of
steam, the sail ships pushed their
way through the ice, and year by
year, and generation after genera
tion, and century following century
the succeeding navigators and ex
plorers penetrated a little farther
The man who could set his foot one
mile beyond the limit reached by
those who had gone before him, had
won prize worth the struggle, al
though the great prize lay far be
yond his farthest footprint.
The story of polar explorations Is
one of the grandest yet most melan
choly in all the world. In popular
opinion 1t was more heroic to battle
against ice and cold and famine
than to dare the tropical jungles and
die of fever in the swamps Of the
torrid zone. The dangers Of the
arctic regions have always beer
greater than In any other part of the
world. For two hundred years brave
men have perished there, and have
left their bones on the Ice pack OF
on the frozen islands. But other.
have gene, and finding the mute ev
idence Of polar tragedies, have SCI
marks.
"o'er the cairns grim warder where
bold men sleep
Embalmed by frost till the crack Of
doom"
There seems always to have beer
a fascination in arctic exploration
and adventure which allured the ex
plorer over and over again. One at
tempt and one failure have not been
enough. They have been a class, OF
men who refused to accept defeat
as final; but each trial only raised
their hopes and courage to try
again. Some men, like Sir John
Franklin, would not give It up until
death among the ice fields put a
check to restless ambition.
Commencement hall was packed
Wednesday night to hear Lieutenant
Peary's account of his expedition to.
ward the north pole. 1t was one Of
the largest audiences ever in the
building. The total receipts exceeded
$500, 1t was an audience whica an,
'preciated the lecture, and the speak.
er pleased the audience.
The story Of the dash over the DO.
lar ice has been pretty extensively
published In newspapers. and Tho