HONORS FOR AMUNDSEN 



THE principal feature of the an- 

 nual banquet of the National 

 Geographic Society, December 

 14, was the presentation of the Hubbard 

 Gold Medal of the Society to Captain 

 Roald Amundsen by the Vice-President, 

 Hon. Charles W. Fairbanks. Several 

 hundred guests and members attended the 

 dinner, including representatives from 

 Argentine, Belgium, Bolivia, Denmark, 

 France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, 

 Japan, Mexico, Norway, and Switzer- 

 land, and from all parts of the United 

 States. Toasts were responded to by 

 Hon. J. J. Jusserand, the French Am- 

 bassador ; Hon. James Bryce, the British 

 Ambassador ; Representative Theodore 

 Burton, of Ohio ; Hon. Harvey D. 

 Goulder, of Cleveland, and Representa- 

 tive J. Hampton Moore, of Pennsylvania. 

 The President of the National Geo- 

 graphic Society, Dr. Willis L. Moore, 

 acted as toastmaster. The speeches fol- 

 low. 



INTRODUCTION BY THE TOASTMASTER, THE 

 PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL GEO- 

 GRAPHIC SOCIETY. 



On January 13,1908, the National Geo- 

 graphic Society will be twenty years old. 



This organization, which is of such 

 comparatively recent inauguration, today 

 numbers a membership of over thirty 

 thousand thinking, educated, working 

 people. Its income is spent entirely in 

 the collection and the dissemination of 

 knowledge that we believe will work for 

 the betterment of humanity. We en- 

 deavor to treat of the earth, the waters 

 that cover it, the air that is above it, 

 the configuration of the earth, the bound- 

 aries of land and water ; and then to 

 teach of the peoples that inhabit the 

 earth — their economic, their political, and 

 their social conditions. From our ros- 

 trum speak men who are masters of their 

 subjects. Through our Magazine we dis- 

 seminate their views throughout the 

 large membership of the Society. Our 

 object is to aid research and diffuse 

 knowledge. 



As in warfare "it is the man behind 

 the gun," likewise in every peaceful en- 

 deavor it is still the man behind the gun ; 

 and, apropos of that, our Society takes 

 pleasure in the fact that among those who 

 direct the operations of this institution 

 there are found such names as Alexander 

 Graham Bell, Robert E. Peary, General 

 Greely, Admiral Chester, of the Navy, 

 Gen. John M. Wilson, of the Army, the 

 former Chief of Engineers. But the list 

 is long. I only refer to a few, so that you 

 may know who are your hosts tonight. 

 We, the members of the Board of Man- 

 agers and the members of the Society, 

 greet you and extend to you our hos- 

 pitality. 



The first condition requisite to great 

 success in a man is a clear mind and a 

 strong body. Such a condition produces 

 as nearly as may be the perfect com- 

 posite of the man. We are here tonight 

 first to do honor to one who possesses 

 the strong body and the clear mind, and 

 an acute intellect. We wish to confer the 

 honor of this Society upon him. By 

 unanimous vote its Board of Managers 

 has directed that a medal shall be pre- 

 sented to Captain Roald Amundsen for 

 achieving the Northwest Passage and de- 

 finitely locating the Magnetic North 

 Pole ; and to still further do him honor 

 we are favored with the presence of one 

 who also represents the clear mind in 

 the strong body ; for no man could rise 

 to the dignity of Vice-President of these 

 United States who does not possess those 

 qualities. Therefore our Society feels 

 honored by the presence of the Vice- 

 President, and I will introduce him to 

 present the medal to Captain Amundsen. 



THE VICE-PRESIDENT, HON. CHARGES W. 

 FAIRBANKS 



Mr President, Members of the Na- 

 tional Geographic Society, Ladies and 

 Gentlemen : I want to congratulate this 

 great Society upon what it has so 

 splendidly accomplished, upon the work 

 it is doing with such high intelligence 

 and such devotion. The field of its en- 



