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The National Geographic Magazine 



may have no cloak to hide them. Let 

 there be light that the hidden things may- 

 be made plain. Let there be light that 

 the rocks and shoals which threaten 

 our ship of state may be uncovered. 

 Let there be light that we may walk 

 without stumbling in the pathway that 

 leads through civic righteousness and 

 honest administration to prosperity and 

 tranquillity at home, to dignity and 

 honor among the nations of the earth. 

 Let there be light, the first great com- 

 mandment which Omnipotence itself 

 must make before order could be 

 brought out of primeval chaos. Let 

 there be light, the last great command- 

 ment which the wisdom of man has at 

 length evolved as the surest solvent of 

 the hard problems which confront a 

 nation whose highest ambition is 

 orderly liberty under the law. Let there 

 be light — and the clearest and steadiest 

 light, the most searching and insistent 

 light, the most persistent and relentless 

 light, the light that will most surely 

 and safely and steadfastly guide the 

 American people in the paths of probity 

 and prosperity and peace, is the light 

 that shines through the free and fear- 

 less columns of the American press. 

 (Applause.) 



The Toastmaster 



I fully agree with everything that 

 Mr Scott has said in regard to the 

 American press. I believe that it is 

 better that individuals at times should 

 suffer from the license of individual 

 members of the press than that the 

 press as a whole should be restricted in 

 a free discussion and criticism of men 

 and events. We know that the sunlight 

 destroys the microbes of disease ; like- 

 wise the uncovering of official, and per- 

 sonal, and business actions by the press 

 is, I believe, a greater deterrent to crime 

 than most of the laws on the statute 

 books. One of the crowning achieve- 

 ments of this American civilization I 

 believe to be the freedom of speech and 



the freedom of the press. But I would 

 take issue with my distinguished friend 

 with regard to his criticism of our map- 

 makers. We do not need to be told 

 that Kansas is a great state. We know 

 it, and take pride in it; but, once when 

 one of our map-makers was traveling in 

 Kansas, in the western part of the 

 state, he met a man coming along with 

 a lumber wagon filled with barrels. Our 

 geographer asked him what he had in 

 the barrels, and he said, "Water." 

 "Where did you get it?"our representa- 

 tive asked, and the Kansan replied, "Up 

 the road about seven miles," and our 

 eastern man, who makes maps, said, 

 "Why don't you dig a well?" The other 

 replied, "Well, stranger, it is about as 

 far to water in one direction as it is in 

 the other." (Laughter and applause.) 



So long as there is anything to chal- 

 lenge human courage there will be men 

 to accept battle. The inhabitant of the 

 north temperate zone, especially, goes 

 against that which opposes, whether it 

 be man or natural conditions. 



We have with us tonight the leader 

 of the Ziegler Polar Expedition. He 

 was the second in command of the first 

 Ziegler Polar Expedition, which was 

 compelled to return. He then was 

 placed in command of the second expe- 

 dition. Our Mr Peters, of the National 

 Geographic Society, was second in com- 

 mand and took charge of all scientific 

 work. The second expedition stayed in 

 the Arctic over two years, and after 

 many hardships — fighting with climatic 

 conditions that no human power could 

 successfully combat — was rescued by 

 our friend Mr Champ, the representa- 

 tive of Mr Ziegler. Mr Anthony Fiala 

 will respond to the toast "The Arctic." 



The; Arctic — Mr Fiala 



Mr President, Honored Guest, Ladies 

 and Gentlemen: 

 I feel deeply the honor conferred 

 in calling me before such a distin- 

 guished gathering. I think I ought 



