



For H:!S ANTARCTIC !^'^^^ 



the; spe;ciaIv gold medal awarded to 

 amundsen by the national 

 geographic society 



you who have not yet grasped clearly the 

 striking contrast in almost every physical 

 condition at those two points. As a 

 matter of fact, the conditions at the two 

 poles are as far apart as the poles them- 

 selves. 



Yet, though every one of my 

 auditors knows that the last of the 

 poles has been attained, I have no 

 doubt that some of us have not 

 grasped clearly the striking con- 

 trast of physical conditions exist- 

 ing at those two points. 



Conditions at the two poles are 

 as unlike as the poles are far 

 apart. The North Pole is situated 

 at the center of the hemisphere of 

 the land, yet is itself located in an 

 ocean. 



The South Pole is situated at 

 the center of the hemisphere of 

 water, yet is itself located in a 

 continent. 



An explorer at the North Pole 

 stands up on the frozen surface 

 of an ocean two miles or more in 

 depth. 



An explorer at the South Pole 

 stands on the surface of a great 

 interior snow cap two miles or 

 more above sea level. 



The most northery North Polar 

 lands possess a comparative abun- 

 dance of animal life — musk-ox, 

 reindeer, Polar bear, wolf, fox, 

 arctic hare, ermine, lemming, and 

 land birds, as well as forms of 

 insect life — and during a few short 

 weeks in summer numbers of bril- 

 liant flowers. 



On the Antarctic continent there 

 is absolutely no form of animal 

 or vegetable life, though two or 

 three species of sea birds breed 

 during a few weeks in summer at 

 several localities on the coast. 



Human life is found within 

 some 700 miles of the North Pole. 



The nearest human life is some 

 2,000 miles from the South Pole. 



Efforts to attain the North Pole 

 have been going on for nearly 400 

 years. 



Efforts to reach the South Pole 

 date back 140 years. 



The history of North Polar ex- 

 ploration is studded with crushed 

 foundering ships and the deaths of 

 hundreds of brave men. 



The history of South Polar exploration 

 shows the loss of but one ship and the 

 loss of two or three men. 



In one respect the two poles are alike. 



ROALD 



and 



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