Norwich bulletin., 1910-12-26

Peary's statements, says Dr. Cook, con- tradict these assertions.
 Eskimos Believe Earth Is Flat.
 The Eskimos believe ill flat earth continues pr. Cook. and they cannot understand a map of the mid polar basin where all meridians meet. They are good nap-mdkers of familiar hunting grounds of small areas, but that is all. The statement continues:
 NOW we leave the land and go north. The last land sinks under the horizon. The Eskimo out of sight of land becomes panic-stricken and talks Of deserting. Fortunately, nature sometimes favors Arctic explorers. The native has lost his sense of direc- ton. On the polar sea there are few days indeed when seemingly land clouds, mirageS or other signs of land do not deceive the eye, a s l have ex plained more fully in my magazine articles now being pubulished. Thus, no sooner had we lost Heiberg land than signs of land appeared to the west. To me these were generally H. lUstive signs, but the boys were young and | encouraged their belief ih a near ness to land at all times, to keep up their courage. I know that the boys always thought themselves near land; the long drive over the hopeless desert of moving ice could not be forced oth- erWise than by Eskimo help when | was alone. It is rather strange that both men, Peary and Rasmussen, should use this as card against me, when both must know the necessity for enCoura giuS such belief All of the arguments of not being out of sight of land are based on this arti- ticial belief in a nearness to land.
 The Meanest Sur.
 "The meanest slur which Rasmus- sen throws is that of cheating the boys They were promised a knife and gun. They were paid before we started. Therefore RasmusSen's S charge is as false as the whole fabric of his mission Weaving-but instead of keeping to my promise, 1 gave them many more things and instructed MT. Whitney to turn over all my belong ings to them when he left. It is there fore in the power of Whitney to say whether I cheated the Eskinlos or not And if Rasmussen is wrong on this baseless charge. can he be believed in anything eise?'
 Half Breed Missionaries as Cross Ex-
 aniners.
 Dr. Cook. turning his attention to the missionaries through whom, it is alleged, Rasmussen secured the Eski- mo boys statement, tells how they were sent by the people of Denmark in 1908 to Christianize this most north ern tribe. 1t was eventually learned, he says, that the missionaries, who were half-breed Eskimo Christians, were quite unable to make them selves understood by the Eskimos to whom they preached, and yet thesa same missionaries are credited with sufficient intelligence to cross exam inc the Eskimo boys about something which they themselves do not under stand
 Abused Pesry for Years.
 Dr. Cook says in conclusion: Dur ing all of last winter Rasmussen trav- eled through Denmark on a lecture tour and in his discourse he has wig orously defended Peary. For years Rasmussen has heaped al kinds of abuse on Pcary, most of it not fit t3 print. Why. now. when the public is excited, did Rasmussen distribute Peary bouquets? Again, if his hypoc- risy is shown here, why does he few months later try to defame Peary? There is something irrational about Rasmussen's public utterances"