New-York tribune., 1919-04-13

ti1isOO1h JHe HeQlum OF the
q American Scandinavian Re-
0- view" the reader is presented
with an interesting pen portrait
of Vilhjalmur Stefansson, the famous
Arctic explorer, who is acknowledged to
be the foremost sc;cntlst-explorer Of the
world. The writer. John Holmes, pref
aces his sketch of the explorers life and
personality as revealed to him in a re-
cent interview by few Introductory re-
marks, in which he refers to the affinity
between the ancient Morse Vikings and
the modern exporer-both possessing in
an unusual degree Fundamental desire
for travel and adventure. Although bv
parentage an Icelander, Stefansson is bv
birth a Canadian and by residence an
American, The famous explorer Mr..
holmes found to be "a modest, soft
spoken person with the mild and un-
affected manner often characteristic of
men who have accomplished big things
Continuing he says:
There is a touch of the acadericiar n
his speech and gestures and the only scars
patterns Of burrows around the ewes. such as
you might find adding good humor to the
countenance of any Western rancher who
mas ilved much in the open where the winds
are never still. He is of good. medium
height with we'll knit frame and the fair
complexion and light colored hair charac-
terlstlc OF the lceanders, perhaps the fair
est of the Scandinavian peoples
He gives no such impression of dynamic
force or physical vigor as his great fellow
explorers, Amundsen. Shackleton or Pearv.
when the North Pole discoverer was In his
prime Yet believe that Stefansson has
commanded large expeditions as any of
these men, and he has undoubtedly tranned
greater distances around the top of the
earth than any other man. wondered at
first wherein lay his strength, and almost
before knew it I had my answer
In the course of our talk l thoughtesslv
questioned the literalness of something he J
had SAID about his polar experiences Well.
struck flint at once He thought, of course.
that | doubted his word and I am glad he
did I caught a glimpse Of his reserve
strength when he was rolled, of the steel
under the velvet
"Stefansson belongs by right to the select
log cabin class of famous men. now becorn-
ing almost as rare buffalo fur coats He
was born in 1879 in an immigrants cabin on
the shore OF Lake Winnipeg, north of the
Canadian city of that name His parents
were among the first Icelanders to venture
from their native island to try their fortunes
IN the New World They moved in a nrairie
schooner across the line into what was then
the Territory of Dakota, when the future ex
plorer was eighteen months DID, and settled
IN farming colony of Icelandic immigrants
near the hamlet of Mountain, Pembina Coun-
ty. Here Stefansson grew up on his fathers
farm twenty miles from railroad. The
country was wild enough to harbor q few
indian bands, and every now and then the
colony was stirred by reports of impending
raids. Sitting Bull was still alive and +o ,
the lcelanders he was sort of American
troll, which never materialized. however IN
their midst
The environments of Stefansson's ear,r
youth were those characteristic of Western
frontier community, bare in comfort. abound
ing in hard work and almost str;nned 80
cultural advantages, except such as NAV he
found on the bookshelves of the most novar,v
stricken lcelander, the saga classics. few
epic ballads, rimur-and. Of course the yca-
apdic poets.
Does any nation owe as much to it's clas-
sizes and its poets as the Icelanders? With
out the sagas to kindle their spiritual life
hey would have reverted to semi-be rbarism
ago. Stefansson devoured his faith
'rs little library and the Libraries Of his
,eighbors, attended country school, worked
IN the farm and put in four summers as
'ow puncher on the Dakota plains. He lost
lis father when he was fifteen, and the addi-
lonal responsibilities thrown on his shoul-
iers by this bereavement caused him to take
plunge into business the following year.
lie made brave attempt to clean up a small
ortune in hay. The farmers Of the COM
nunlty had gone wheat mad, he explained.
They would raise nothing but wheat and
hey gladly gave young Stefansson liberal
riders for hay to feed their horses and milch
ows through the winter Stefansson hired
men to put up enormous quantities of hay
N the range adjoining the farm community.
'ut before he could deliver ton North
Dakota was swept by blizzard that has
lever been equalled in the history of the
Northwest. Not wisp of hay could be de-
lvered, and Stefansson went broke.
"Stefansson considers his failure narrow