Evening star., 1928-10-25
Science, Romance and Adventure
All Factors in Byrd Expedition

Romantic and adventurous as is thC
Byrd expedition to the South Pole
these features, for all their enthrallins
interest. must not be allowed to obscure
the fact that it is a pilgrimage in the
interest of science. This is the con-
sensus of American press opinion a;
the whaler Larsen plowS through ths
waters of the Pacific on its long voyage
Surrounded though this group may
be by the glamour of an adventurou:
quest. they seek in the Antarctic ice
exactly the same element that many a
prosaic scholar tolls after in the labora-
tory or the Study-truth, says the New
York Sun, holding that knowledge
wrested from the ice will be doubly
welcome, as it testifies to the gallantry
of those who won it and to the more
fundamental virtue of seeking it where
soever it is to be found"
Similarly. the Nashville Banner de-
clares: 1T should be emphasized that
there is nothing foolhardy about Comdr
Byrd's plans. 1t is scientific expe-
dition first and an adventure second"
The Duluth Herald adds in the same
vein: This man who made a dash to
the North Pole and who flew across the
Atlantic to Europe is not now making
a dash to the South Pole. He will Nv
to the pole, no doubt: but more inn
portant than that are his plans to
study the Antarctic wastes and bring
back to us news of what it has to re-
veal OF its composition, of it's weather,
OF Its biology and botany and of its
mineralogy and geography"
':The South Pole is the last challenge
to the explorer" exclaimS the Man.
chester Union, and concludes that man
would never rest until that challenge
was accepted The Toledo Blade
finds something strikingly appropriate.
whether intended or not. in fixing the
date of departure on the anniversary of
the discovery OF America by Columbus. -
y Il \
To the Worcester Evening Gazette
the expressed sentiments of Americans
as they have said farewell to Comdr,
Byrd and his comuanions have had in
them not little of awe" as they have
tried to grasp the magnitude of the
preparations for the expedition and the
results that 1t Is hoped will be at
tanned. Calling attention to the fact
that "the whaler G. A. Larsen, with
the commander on board. is the third
ship of the exploring party" the bark
City of New York and the steamer
Eleanor Boiling, supply ships of the ex-
pedition, having "long been at sea-"
the Worcester paper continues: "Comdr
Byrd has marshaled a fleet to assault
the icebound fastnesSes of the South
Pole"
Paving a tribute to the foresight of
Comdr. Byrd. the st. Louis Times notes
that mo preparation previously made
for polar expedition has been half as
thorough as that of this one" and
thinks that. II this is worth anything,
Byrd should be able to fly home on
exultant wings"
The length of time that the leader
and his band of fellow scientists will
spend in the South is considered further
evidence of the serious nature of the
undertaking 1T may be 18 months
it may be three years-before the party
returns" says the Pasadena Star-News.
and to those who may question the
value and Importance of an expedi-
ton like this the Star-News replies:
There should be no such questioning.
The expedition and the daring adven.
lures are justified. The additions that
will be made by this expedition to the
sum total of human knowledge Of sci
ence will more than compensate the
time, the perils and the cost of the
intensely interesting Journey. The i'm
pulse to explogf should not be repressed."
1t concludes.