Robert E. Peary

“ The successes of Scott and Shackleton still further stimulated interest in the Antarctic problem, and in 1910 and 1911 Great Britain, Norway, Germany, Australia, and Japan sent expeditions into the field; the United States unfortunately, as in the past, being unrepresented. Four of these expeditions—the Japanese, Australian, Norwegian, and British—selected the Ross Sea region south of New Zealand and Australia7 for their work; while the German expedition selected the Weddell Sea region southeast of Cape Horn, the most promising of all points of attack upon the Antarctic continent. ”

“ When Captain Scott and his party reached the South Pole they found that Amundsen had been there before them. Captain Scott is peering into the tent left by Amundsen’s expedition.
THE FUTURE OF POLAR EXPLORATION
The efforts and successes of the last fifteen years in the Antarctic regions ought to, and I hope will, spur us as individuals, as societies, and as a nation to do all in our power to enable the United States to take its proper part and share in the great work yet to be done in that field. ”

“ Ernest Henry Shackleton was born in Ireland in 1874. His education was never completed, as he followed a natural inclination to go to sea before graduating from college. He sailed round the world four times, and during the Boer War took part in the transportation of troops. In 1901 he was a member of Scott’s expedition, which reached “farthest south” at that time. After running for Parliament in 1906 and failing to be elected, he organized the expedition of 1908–09.
He was knighted by the British government for his services as an explorer, and has received many medals and other high honors. ”

“ Captain Amundsen’s whole career has been characterized by that unconquerable courage, perseverance, and patience which the fierce sea rovers of old had. Born at Borje, Norway, in 1872, he was educated for the naval service of Norway-Sweden, and became a second lieutenant. He was a born sailor. At the age of twenty-five he sailed with the Belgica expedition to the Antarctic. He was first officer of this ship, which in 1897–99 explored the region west of Graham Land. In 1901 he made observations on the East Greenland Current which were considered very valuable. ”

“ Permanent human life exists within some seven hundred miles of the North Pole; none is found within twenty-three hundred miles of the South Pole. The history of Arctic explo­ra­tion goes back nearly four hundred years. The history of Antarctic efforts covers one hundred and forty years. The record of Arctic explo­ra­tion is studded with crushed and foundering ships, and the deaths of hundreds of brave men. The record of Antarctic explo­ra­tion shows the loss of but one ship, and the death of a dozen men. ”

“ A letter like that from every reader of The Mentor would mean an aggregate membership for The Mentor Association that would make it unique among the educational institutions of the world. There is a prospect that we hold fondly before us—that of every reader showing The Mentor to every friend that might be interested. ”

“ Another is to inaugurate and carry out, in a special ship, with a corps of experts, through a period of several seasons, a complete and systematic survey and study of the entire circumference of the Antarctic continent with its adjacent oceans, with up to date equipment and methods. This plan would probably be the most attractive to scientists, as it would secure a large harvest of new and valuable material to enrich our museums and keep our specialists busy for years. ”

“ FRIDTJOF NANSEN · SIR ERNEST H. SHACKLETON
DUKE OF THE ABRUZZI · ROALD AMUNDSEN
ROBERT E. PEARY · ROBERT FALCON SCOTT
Ten years ago many, perhaps the majority, of intelligent people doubted if the Poles of the earth would ever be reached by man. From east to west, and west to east, the world seemed small. Jules Verne’s “Round the World in Eighty Days” dream of not so many years ago had been cut in two; but from north to south the world still stretched in apparently unattainable infinity. ”

“ And then, when all of these friends have seen The Mentor, they will want the numbers from the beginning. We say they “will want” them, for that is what most of our subscribers demand. A teacher in Kansas writes, “The Mentor is a delight, and its value is beyond expression. ”

“ Then the lead came to the United States with Lockwood and Brainard’s 83° 24 ́. In 1895 Norway went to the front in a great leap in Nansen’s 86° 14 ́, and in 1900 Italy grasped the blue ribbon with Abruzzi’s 86° 33 ́. In 1906 the United States took the lead again with Peary’s 87° 6 ́, and finally closed the record with his attainment of the Pole on April 6 and 7, 1909.
ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION
The explo­ra­tion of the Antarctic regions dates back much less far than that of the Arctic. In 1772 Captain James Cook first crossed the Antarctic Circle and penetrated the Antarctic regions. ”

“ It is not simply a magazine. Subscribers do not send for all back numbers of the ordinary magazine from the beginning of its existence. Every number of The Mentor is part of an interesting educational plan. The members of The Mentor Association want all parts of that plan.
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FRIDTJOF NANSEN Fridtjof Nansen
ONE “Death or the west coast of Greenland!” A tall, fair Norwegian made this resolution in November, 1887, and one year later the great ice-bound continent of Greenland, the “Sahara of the North,” was crossed for the first time. ”