128 THE UNIVERSE 



reckless persons, who wish to jeopardize their lives. 



Great efforts have been made, much money ex- 

 pended and many lives lost in futile attempts to 

 find the North Pole, which when discovered may 

 appear like any other ice field, mountain glacier, 

 or snowdrift of the Arctic Circle. But the thirst 

 for knowledge and the love of adventure and ex- 

 ploration where no financial reward can be expected 

 is creditable to humanity, and shows that the love of 

 knowledge is sometimes above that of sordid gain. 

 The struggle for two centuries has been to reach 

 the North Pole, and it has been approached as near 

 as 700 miles; but recent reports indicate that con- 

 ditions are more favorable for reaching the South 

 Pole; and a French expedition outfitted this year 

 for the North Pole have changed their destination 

 to the South Pole. One or both poles are likely to 

 be discovered in a few years. 



There have been many scientific expeditions to 

 various parts of our globe for astronomical obser- 

 vations. One recently sent to Chili from the Lick 

 Observatory should command especial interest since 

 its object is by the study of the southern stars to 

 ascertain where the earth and the solar system 

 is going. We know our sun system is moving swift- 

 ly towards the north, in the direction of the stars 

 Vega or Alpha Lyra, at the rate of more than 

 forty-three thousand miles an hour. Each year 

 we are more than three hundred million miles nearer 

 these stars, unless they also are in motion in the 

 same direction. The southern stars have been 

 studied much less than the northern stars, and the 

 testimony of both is desired to determine the di- 

 rection of the mysterious voyage of the sun and its 



