Honors to Peary 



51 



he sets his hand to do he does, whether 

 it be in the frozen north, or in the heart 

 of Africa, but because he presents, as I 

 remarked on the occasion of the award 

 to him of the great gold medal of the 

 American Geographical Society in New 

 York, such a shining example to the 

 gilded youth of unbounded means in this 

 and other countries who have no higher 

 ambition than to possess the fastest auto- 

 mobile or to win the blue ribbon at some 

 fleeting horse or dog show, when they 

 might, like Abruzzi, devote their time, 

 their abilities, and their money to adding 

 to the sum of human knowledge. 



One thing have I envied him, and that 

 is the power that when he sees something 

 in the world of exploration which he 

 feels ought to be done he can put his 

 hands in his pocket and go and do it, 

 without wasting the greater portion of 

 his gray matter in raising the sinews of 

 war, and thus being compelled to enter 

 upon the work almost exhausted in mind 

 and body. I trust he may long continue 

 to win new honors for his country, and 

 should he or any other in the near future 

 better the record or reach the Pole itself, 

 our hands shall be extended in warmest 

 congratulation to one whom we shall 

 know is a man. 



ANNOUNCEMENT BY PRESIDENT MOORE OF 

 THE ELECTION OF GEORGE DEWEY, 

 ROALD AMUNDSEN, AND MORRIS K. 

 JESUP AS HONORARY MEMBERS 



The National Geographic Society has 

 for honorary members President Roose- 

 velt, Nansen, the Duke of Abruzzi, 

 Grover Cleveland, Robert E. Peary, and 

 Prince Roland Bonaparte, the latter di- 

 viding the honor of relationship with one 

 of the distinguished members of the Cab- 

 inet of the United States. The Board of 

 Managers of the National Geographic 

 Society has recently elected as honorary 

 members Admiral George Dewey, who 

 has had something to do with the geog- 

 raphy of the world; Roald Amundsen, 

 who has recently completed the North- 

 west Passage, and Morris K. Jesup, 

 President of the Peary Arctic Club. 



From Mr Morris K. Jesup, the Presi- 

 dent of the Peary Arctic Club who has 

 largely borne the expense, with some few 

 of his friends of the Arctic Club, of send- 

 ing this magnificent expedition, com- 

 manded by our august explorer. Com- 

 mander Peary, we have just received the 

 following telegram : 



"To the National Geographic Society, Wash- 

 ington, D. C: 



"Very much regret being unable to be pres- 

 ent this evening at your banquet for Peary. 

 He is worthy and entitled to all the honor that 

 his country can bestow. 



"MoKRis K. Jesup." 



The next toast is the "United States 

 Navy." What man is there whose breast 

 does not swell with pride when he thinks 

 of the achievements of the United States 

 Navy — from the flag that Paul Jones first 

 unfurled to the fighting breezes until we 

 come down to our own contemporary 

 men, Dewey, Sampson, and our own be- 

 loved Schley! The navy has had much 

 to do besides the manning of ships of 

 war. It has explored the ocean depths, 

 it has marked the boundary Hues of 

 islands, and it has sent great expeditions 

 into the north. So our navy has done 

 much that we can be proud of, and it is 

 highly appropriate that a toast should be 

 given tonight to the United States Navy ; 

 and who is more worthy to respond to 

 that toast, and who better illustrates in 

 his own light and his own achievements 

 the best that there is in American citi- 

 zenship than Charles J. Bonaparte. 



THE UNITED STATES NAVY, BY HON. 

 CHARLES J. BONAPARTE 



Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



Before speaking of the toast to which 

 I am asked to respond, I wish to express 

 our gratitude to our friend and special 

 guest this evening, not merely for not 

 having found, but having come pretty 

 near finding the Pole, but also for having 

 solved in his speech this evening one of 

 those problems which at present are per- 

 plexing the souls of the more thought- 

 ful among the American people. We 

 want to know what we shall do with our 



