176 EUROPE GIVES HONOR TO DR. COOK 



ing, decided, after long and careful examination of the claims made 

 by Dr. Cook, and consultation with the greatest authorities on the 

 subject, to confer upon him the honorary degree of "Doctor of 

 Science." The occasion of September 9, 1909, was one never to be 

 forgotten by a witness. In the presence of the Crown Prince of 

 Denmark and many other people of high rank, the honorary degree 

 of doctor of science was conferred upon Dr. Cook in the handsome 

 hall of the university. The floor and gallery were packed. The 

 ceremony was of the simplest kind. No academic pomp was present, 

 and there was no sign of academic robes. 



At one o'clock the Crown Prince and Princess, accompanied by 

 Prince and Princess George of Greece, all in morning dress, entered 

 and took seats on the dais opposite the rector of the university's 

 tribunal and the professors. Dr. Cook, in evening dress, sat at the 

 other side beneath the tribunal. 



The rector ascended the tribunal and in a short address thanked 

 the Crown Prince for attending the ceremony. He then gave a brief 

 sketch of the rise and development of polar exploration, mentioning 

 the best known names, and said that the distinction of this degree 

 ought to be conferred on Dr. Cook not only for his achievements in 

 science and exploration, but as a natural expression of the univer- 

 sity's esteem for a man who one way and another through great 

 personal achievement had "given us something that makes us look 

 up to the doer as a man of thought and action, a true homo sapiens/' 



"Such a man," continued the rector, "is Dr. Cook. Soon after 

 we received the news of his achievement we learned that another 

 well known explorer had solved the same problem; but this can in 

 no way lower Dr. Cook's personal value or our own admiration for 

 his deeds. We are glad that it was an American who succeeded in 

 linking closer the old ties between the two countries." 



Addressing Dr. Cook personally, the rector added: "Whether 

 your scientific research will rank very highly or not the faculty gives 

 you this degree in recognition of your great achievements in explo- 

 ration and the qualities you have shown therein." 



