The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1914-06-12
POLAR CONTRASTS
The Arctic Is a Deep Cup, the
Antarctic a Huge Bulb.
FERNS OF LIFE DIFFER ALSO.
In the North Are the Eskimos, and
Plants and Animals Are Relatively
Abundant, While the South Has No
Human Beings and Little Vegetation.

Abundant, While the South Has No
Human Beings and Little Vegetation.
The earth whirls around an invisible
axle. one end of which turns the deep
cup of the Arctic ocean. while the 9TH
er spins the huge white button of the
antarctic continent.
In the north the ice floats on the sea
like a moving floor. In the south it
rests like n bossy shield on vast
dome of uplifted rock.
Close around the edges of the ice
world. both north and south and even
within il. animals and plants are found
! living. But in their species these in
habitants of the opposite poles are as
different as the poles themselves.
On and around the antarctic CONT
nent there are several species of birds,
notably albatrosses. petres and the
strange. upright walking penguins.
with their black coats. white waist
coats and ludicrously polite bearing.
There are also whales and seals. but
the human form Is absent. except so
far as il IL mimicked to the eye of
fancy by the stately penguins. The
plants are scanty in number, although
some bear flowers.
Within the arctic circle the scene is
more animated. There are many arc
tic plants. some bearing brilliant flow
ers. Yellow buttercups and arctic pop
pies warm the heart of the explorer.
The saxifrage puts out its starry
blossoms within ~ degrees of the pole.
There are so many other species that
very attractive bouquet of arctic
flowers may be formed. The animal
life of the arctic is also relatively abun-
whale. the walrus with his curious
tusks and the various species of seals.
On the land and snow and sometimes
on the icepacks are large and remarka
BILE animals often in abundance. The
great polar bear alone would suffice to
make the lands that he tenants famous.
Then there are reindeer. musk oxen.
foxes. wolves. hares and jennings.
Among birds are grouse, ptarmigans.
snow buntings. falcons. puffins and
auks. But man is there. too. in the
person Of the hut dwelling, fur clothed.
fish spearing Eskimo.
The reason why the life around the
two poles is so different and so con-
trasted in its forms is probably to be
found in the climatic differences.
which. in turn, are governed by the
elevation. The sea life Is similar in
both cases-whales and seals are the
characteristic animals that inha bit the
polar waters. But the great elevation
Of the antarctic continent. with its
eternal burden of snow and ice. thou
sands of feet in thickness, continually
sending down Unreasonable glaciers
that form vast platforms Of thick ice
all around the borders of the CONT
nent. keeps the mean temperature at
a low level and drives life away from
the snow buried land. The atmosphere
over the south pole manufactures snow
and ice without limit. As the burden
piles higher at the center 1t pushes out
ward on all sides down the slopes of
Tue Sohtiucht uhtiI ~ tcuCucS the UoI-
dering sea.
But things have not always been
thus. The recent explorers Of the ant
arctic have found remains of ancient
life. recalling the life of the temperate
zones and the tropics. The coal de-
posits of the antarctic continent are
believed TO be of vast extent They
could not have been formed under pres
ent conditions They consist of the
fOssilized remains of immense forests.
They could not have been transported
to their present location either by land
or water. They must have been form
ed where they are. Consequently the
antarctic regions must once have en-
joyed a mild climate and atmospheric
conditions very favorable to an abun-
dant vegetation.
But IL there was an abundance OF
vegetation there Is every reason to be-
lieve that there was an abundance Of
animal life also. At that time the south
pole, instead Of being elevated many
thousands of feet above the sea. may
have lain at a low level. That in it.
self, would raise the mean tempera-
ture. but II would not be sufficient to
produce all the difference between
present and past conditions Of antarc-
tic life.
Either the sun was hotter In that
distant time, or the composition Of the
atmosphere was such as to retain
more heat or the inclination Of the
carth's axis was different from what
II In today. or. as some have imagined.
the solar system was then passing
through a warmer region Of space.
Whatever the cause may have been.
there is no doubt that there was a
time when the lands around both the
poles were habitable by animals and
plants. most of which have since been
driven toward the equator.
As the antarctic continent rose. and
assumed its burden Of ice. the relics Of
its former splendid life were buried
almost beyond recovery. while In the
far north. where there has been no