Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-08


never so proud as when on that
biting sunllt Arctic day saw
the Stars and Stripes waving ut the
apex of the earth. and told myself
that an American had set old Glory
there"
Thus. in 4 simple. yet touchingly pa
trlotlc spirit. Commander Robert L.
Peary begins his much -heraldcd dollar
and twenty word story OF the
conquest OF the north pole In the jan
uary number OF Hampton's Magazine.
"As | watched it iiutterlng in the
crisp air OF the pole Peary writes,
Il thought of the 23 years of my own
life which had been spent in laborins
toward that goal. and realized that at
last / had made good; that l could
now lay at the feet of my coun-
try a trophy which the greatest nations
of the world had been struggling to
attain for nearly 400 years.
There have been times during the
last 10 years when l feared that l
might never achieve the purpose which
bad become the dominating idea of my
existence. But on the 9Th day OF April.
1909 all memory of those moments OF
depression disappeared in the fierce
surge OF emotion with which l recog-
niZcd that at last. at last! | had won
the peerless prize. and justified myself
To those who had believed In me all
these years-those who had helped me
not only with their money but with
their answering faith and loyalty.
Though l could not take them with
me to the pole, the thought of them
was in my heart that day"
Just what ones sensations must be
at that most -northerly point of the
Garth. on the very roof of the planet
n Is hoo
been a subject of much interest and
discussion. Since Commander Peary re-
turned from the north last September
there has been an increasing interest
in his own account Of his journey to
the north pole. Until his records had
been examined and his claims verified
by the National Geographic society
Pcary refused to lecture or do any
writing whatever. That done. and a
gold medal awarded him, Peary con-
sidercd offers for his story. accepting
that of "Hampton's." His articles
will continue in that magazine
throughout 1910, and much that is now
mystery concerning the conquest of the
pole will be made clear during tho
progress of the account of the Pcary
expedition.
WHAT PEARY FELT AT THE POLE,
IF il were possible for man To ar,
rive at 80 degrees north latitude with
out being utterly exhausted, body and
brain" Peary declares, "a series OF
unique sensations and thoughts would
no doubt be experienced; but the at
tainment Of the pole was the culmina-
tion of days ana weeks of forced
marches. physical discomfort INSULT
Client sleep, and racking anxiety. There
is a wise provision of nature that the
human consciousness can grasp only
such degrees of intense feeling as the
brain can endure; and the grim guar
dians of the earth's remotest place VIII
accept no man as u guest until he has
been tried and tested by the scvercst
ordeals.
My most overpowcring desire" tho
commander continues to relate, "whon
l knew for a certainty. that ] had
reached my goal was for a little rest,
but after two or three hours of alb
solutely fatigue-impclled sleep a state
of mental eXaltation made further rest
Impossible"
Rarely has the achievement of an eX-
plorer equaled In Importance and dra-
matte interest that of Commander
Peary when he placed the Stars and
Stripes at the north pole. The full
significance and historic value of this
feat, which. eX-PrcsIdent Roosevelt has |
declared one OF the great fcats of the
ages, cap hardly be fully appreciated |
by the people OF an age In which Peary
IS living. Yer one can fairly gage
the thrilling import of Pearys work.
and the account of it when he con- 1,
siders what the world would give today |
for Columbuss own story of his dis |
covery. When we contemplate with |
what interest we should read that ex-
Dlorer's own narrative OF his voyage. |
his amazing discovery. with the novel |
Impressions the new land with Its cop
per-hued depizens made upon him. !
and when we further estimate how |
much more difficult was Pearys quar-
ter century OF labor toward his goal,
how much more fraught with danger.
hardship, suffering. and brlstllng ad-
venture were his Journeys into the arc
tic. then. probably. we can measure in
some way the historic discovery the