﻿A 
  MEMORIAL 
  TO 
  PEARY 
  

  

  643 
  

  

  efforts 
  to 
  promote 
  international 
  acquaint- 
  

   ance 
  and 
  friendship 
  by 
  making 
  geographic 
  

   knowledge 
  intelligible 
  and 
  attractive 
  to 
  all 
  

   persons. 
  No 
  member 
  was 
  more 
  enthusi- 
  

   astic 
  than 
  he, 
  nor 
  pushed 
  harder 
  to 
  in- 
  

   crease 
  its 
  numbers, 
  nor 
  took 
  greater 
  

   happiness 
  in 
  helping 
  it 
  grow 
  to 
  more 
  

   than 
  700,000 
  members. 
  

  

  "When 
  he 
  retired 
  from 
  active 
  explora- 
  

   tion 
  he 
  accepted 
  election 
  to 
  The 
  Society's 
  

   Board 
  of 
  Trustees. 
  

  

  "We 
  may 
  recall 
  in 
  humble 
  pride 
  that 
  

   The 
  Society, 
  in 
  Peary's 
  kind 
  estimation, 
  

   did 
  all 
  that 
  it 
  could 
  to 
  advance 
  his 
  work 
  

   and 
  sustain 
  his 
  efforts. 
  Every 
  honor 
  that 
  

   The 
  Society 
  could 
  bestow 
  was 
  also 
  his. 
  

   He 
  was 
  elected 
  one 
  of 
  its 
  six 
  honorary 
  

   members 
  in 
  1903 
  ; 
  the 
  Hubbard 
  Gold 
  

   Medal 
  was 
  presented 
  to 
  him 
  on 
  behalf 
  of 
  

   The 
  Society 
  by 
  President 
  Roosevelt 
  in 
  

   1906 
  for 
  his 
  Farthest 
  North, 
  and 
  in 
  1909 
  

   a 
  Special 
  Gold 
  Medal, 
  four 
  inches 
  in 
  

   diameter, 
  celebrating 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  

   North 
  Pole, 
  was 
  struck 
  off 
  in 
  his 
  honor 
  

   and 
  presented 
  to 
  him. 
  

  

  "I 
  voice 
  the 
  feeling 
  of 
  every 
  member 
  

   of 
  this 
  great 
  organization 
  when 
  I 
  say 
  to 
  

   Mrs. 
  Peary 
  that 
  our 
  hearts 
  are 
  filled 
  with 
  

   inexpressible 
  tenderness 
  and 
  gratitude 
  

   that 
  the 
  precious 
  privilege 
  of 
  placing 
  this 
  

   monument 
  at 
  his 
  resting-place 
  has 
  been 
  

   granted 
  by 
  her 
  to 
  the 
  National 
  Geographic 
  

   Society, 
  which 
  loved 
  him 
  so 
  well, 
  and 
  

   which 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  world 
  rejoices 
  that 
  he 
  

   'made 
  good 
  at 
  last,' 
  and 
  that 
  an 
  American 
  

   has 
  become 
  the 
  equal 
  of 
  Hudson, 
  Magel- 
  

   lan, 
  and 
  Columbus." 
  

  

  THE 
  SECRETARY 
  OE 
  THE 
  NAVY'S 
  ADDRESS 
  

  

  The 
  Hon. 
  Edwin 
  Denby, 
  Secretary 
  of 
  

   the 
  Navy, 
  spoke 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  "The 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Pole 
  by 
  

   Civil 
  Engineer 
  Robert 
  E. 
  Peary, 
  U. 
  S. 
  N., 
  

   on 
  April 
  6, 
  1909, 
  was 
  a 
  supreme 
  achieve- 
  

   ment 
  in 
  courage, 
  endurance, 
  and 
  tenacity 
  

   of 
  purpose. 
  His 
  victory 
  will 
  stand 
  for- 
  

   ever 
  as 
  a 
  paramount 
  example 
  of 
  the 
  con- 
  

   quest 
  of 
  spirit 
  over 
  matter. 
  

  

  "When 
  the 
  dispatch, 
  'Stars 
  and 
  Stripes 
  

   nailed 
  to 
  the 
  North 
  Pole,' 
  went 
  flashing 
  

   through 
  the 
  crisp 
  Labrador 
  air 
  from 
  the 
  

   wireless 
  station 
  at 
  Indian 
  Harbor, 
  all 
  the 
  

   civilized 
  nations 
  were 
  thrilled 
  with 
  sur- 
  

   prise 
  and 
  interest 
  by 
  the 
  wonderful 
  news 
  ; 
  

   but 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  studied 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  

   Arctic 
  exploration 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  three 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  years, 
  and 
  had 
  followed 
  Peary 
  in 
  his 
  

  

  twenty-three 
  years 
  of 
  brutal 
  hard 
  labor, 
  

   with 
  cold, 
  hunger, 
  and 
  darkness, 
  blinding 
  

   snow 
  and 
  dazzling 
  Arctic 
  light, 
  with 
  ter- 
  

   rific 
  wind 
  and 
  impassable 
  water 
  and 
  prob- 
  

   able 
  death 
  before 
  him, 
  thanked 
  God 
  that 
  

   the 
  will 
  of 
  this 
  man 
  had 
  proved 
  stronger 
  

   than 
  the 
  forces 
  of 
  nature. 
  

  

  "For 
  twenty-three 
  years, 
  through 
  dis- 
  

   couragement 
  and 
  opposition, 
  and 
  by 
  labor 
  

   superhuman 
  that 
  would 
  have 
  worn 
  out 
  the 
  

   courage 
  of 
  most 
  men, 
  he 
  fitted 
  out 
  expe- 
  

   dition 
  after 
  expedition, 
  and 
  hurled 
  his 
  

   money, 
  time, 
  and 
  energy 
  against 
  the 
  al- 
  

   most 
  impregnable 
  fortress 
  of 
  the 
  North. 
  

   The 
  result 
  was 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  Melville 
  

   and 
  Heilprin 
  Land 
  ; 
  and 
  a 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  

   long-disputed 
  question 
  whether 
  Green- 
  

   land 
  was 
  an 
  island 
  ; 
  much 
  new 
  knowledge 
  

   of 
  the 
  Arctic 
  Highlanders 
  was 
  obtained; 
  

   the 
  greatest 
  meteorites 
  known 
  were 
  found 
  

   and 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  and, 
  

   at 
  last, 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  53, 
  he 
  reached 
  the 
  

   North 
  Pole, 
  the 
  goal 
  for 
  three 
  hundred 
  

   years 
  of 
  daring 
  dreamers. 
  The 
  discov- 
  

   ery 
  of 
  the 
  Pole' 
  proved 
  that 
  the 
  spirit 
  of 
  

   man 
  is 
  indomitable 
  in 
  its 
  struggle 
  with 
  

   physical 
  obstacles 
  and 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  im- 
  

   mortality 
  is 
  pain. 
  

  

  "In 
  the 
  first 
  years 
  of 
  his 
  service 
  in 
  the 
  

   Navy, 
  Peary 
  had 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  most 
  

   Navy 
  men 
  — 
  he 
  was 
  called 
  upon 
  to 
  accom- 
  

   plish 
  what 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  impossi- 
  

   ble. 
  The 
  young 
  engineer 
  was 
  directed 
  to 
  

   make 
  plans 
  for 
  a 
  new 
  pier 
  at 
  Key 
  West, 
  

   Florida, 
  which 
  the 
  contractors 
  said 
  could 
  

   not 
  be 
  built. 
  Peary 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  build 
  it. 
  

   He 
  did 
  build 
  it, 
  and 
  at 
  a 
  saving 
  of 
  $30,000 
  

   on 
  the 
  estimated 
  cost. 
  

  

  "Later 
  the 
  department 
  ordered 
  him 
  to 
  

   Nicaragua 
  as 
  Chief 
  of 
  the 
  Interocean 
  

   Ship 
  Canal 
  Survey. 
  Here 
  he 
  acquired 
  

   experience 
  of 
  the 
  utmost 
  value 
  in 
  his 
  fu- 
  

   ture 
  Arctic 
  work 
  — 
  he 
  learned 
  to 
  manage 
  

   men, 
  gained 
  experience 
  in 
  equipping 
  ex- 
  

   peditions, 
  in 
  making 
  camp 
  under 
  adverse 
  

   conditions, 
  and 
  in 
  traversing 
  wild 
  and 
  un- 
  

   explored 
  countries. 
  His 
  motto 
  was, 
  'Find 
  

   a 
  way 
  or 
  make 
  one' 
  — 
  'Invcnicim 
  viaui 
  ant 
  

   faciam/ 
  

  

  "Robert 
  Edwin 
  Peary, 
  son 
  of 
  Charles 
  

   N. 
  and 
  Mary 
  Wiley 
  Peary, 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  

   Cresson, 
  Pennsylvania, 
  where 
  his 
  parents 
  

   were 
  living 
  at 
  that 
  time. 
  May 
  6, 
  1856. 
  

  

  "He 
  came 
  from 
  an 
  old 
  family 
  of 
  Maine 
  

   lumbermen. 
  He 
  was 
  of 
  French 
  and 
  

   Saxon 
  blood 
  and 
  he 
  numbered 
  among 
  his 
  

   ancestors 
  many 
  seamen, 
  soldiers, 
  and 
  pio- 
  

  

  