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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



edited or prepared. I had the oppor- 

 tunity to meet with the committee and 

 see the original data, and am satisfied 

 that there was not an "i" dotted or a 

 "t" crossed from the time the record was 

 made, far away there in the cold fast- 

 nesses of the north. And so the decision 

 was rendered in accordance with your 

 claims. 



And now, in presenting you with the 

 medal of the National Geographic Soci- 

 ety — which is votev^ to you by the repre- 

 sentatives of more than fifty thousand 

 people, thinking, active working people 

 in the world, through its Board of Man- 

 agers of twenty-four, representing nearly 

 every type of scientific knowledge — I 

 wish to say, sir, that in honoring you as 

 the man we honor not only our Society, 

 but — I speak for our guests — honor our- 

 selves, 



RESPONSE BY COMMANDER PEARY 



President Moore, ladies and gentlemen 

 of the National Geographic Society : I 

 cannot tell you how deeply I appreciate 

 the words of your President, how deeply 

 I have appreciated the chivalrous, mag- 

 nanimous speeches of those distinguished 

 representatives of two great nations 

 whose own men have done magnificent 

 work in the Arctic regions, and who have 

 kindly spoken here tonight ; how much 

 I have appreciated those clear, concise 

 remarks of our greatest philanthropist; 

 how much I have appreciated the friendly 

 words of Admiral Chester. 



Far deeper than words is my apprecia- 

 tion of this magnificent trophy, conveying 

 the faith and approval of this great 

 Geographical Society, and awarded in 

 connection with the most extraordinary 

 state of affairs that has ever happened 

 in the entire history of exploration and 

 discovery. 



It is particularly appropriate that the 

 greatest Geographical Society in the 

 Western Hemisphere should be the first 

 to officially recognize the winning of the 

 last great geographical prize which the 

 world had to offer, an accomplishment 

 characterized by your distinguished com- 



mittee as "the greatest which the Society 

 can ever have opportunity to honor." 



But mine is only a portion of the credit 

 for which this trophy stands. Had it not 

 been for the unswerving faith and back- 

 ing (both moral and financial) of Morris 

 K. Jesup, organizer and first President of 

 the Peary Arctic Club ; had it not been 

 for the equally unswerving faith and 

 backing of General Thomas H. Hubbard, 

 the present President of the Club, and 

 the members and friends of the Club who 

 have furnished all the funds for the 

 work ; had it not been for the splendid 

 loyalty, enthusiasm, energy, and endur- 

 ance of the members of my party, from 

 Captain Bartlett down, we should not 

 have the North Pole here with us tonight. 



As copartner with and representative 

 and proxy for those whom I have men- 

 tioned, I accept your magnificent medal 

 with feelings of the liveliest pride and 

 gratification. 



Permit me to convey to the Board of 

 Managers of the Society, and through 

 them to the Society itself, my own and 

 my friends' acknowledgments for its in- 

 stant perception and acceptance of the 

 duties of its position, and its definite and 

 courageous stand at a time when a stand 

 for the truth meant becoming a target 

 for the most virulent attacks from the 

 ignorant, the vicious, and the deluded. 



I wish also to convey the thanks of my 

 friends and myself to that brother officer 

 of superb personal and professional repu- 

 tation, whose clear insight, constitutional 

 hatred of a lie, and unanswerable argu- 

 ments have done so much toward clearing 

 the atmosphere, Admiral Chester. 



Thinking men and officers accustomed 

 to questions of personal and public duty 

 and responsibility have understood mat- 

 ters from the first, and the public now 

 appears to be grasping the fact that a 

 navy officer does not often shirk a duty, 

 and, when an officer of the United States 

 Navy makes a deliberate statement con- 

 cerning matters of which he has cogni- 

 zance, that statement is, at all times and 

 under all circumstances, to be taken abso- 

 lutely at par. 



