﻿A 
  MEMORIAL 
  TO 
  PEARY 
  

  

  645 
  

  

  called, 
  whom 
  Peary 
  describes 
  as 
  'tireless, 
  

   faithful, 
  and 
  enthusiastic' 
  and 
  'true 
  as 
  the 
  

   compass.' 
  

  

  "The 
  question 
  of 
  money 
  to 
  equip 
  and 
  

   furnish 
  men 
  and 
  food 
  was 
  a 
  serious 
  one, 
  

   and 
  the 
  Stars 
  and 
  Stripes 
  would 
  not 
  have 
  

   been 
  nailed 
  to 
  the 
  Pole 
  by 
  an 
  American 
  

   except 
  for 
  generous 
  aid 
  from 
  the 
  Peary 
  

   Arctic 
  Club. 
  The 
  President, 
  Morris 
  K. 
  

   Jessup 
  ; 
  the 
  Secretary, 
  Herbert 
  L. 
  Bridg- 
  

   man; 
  General 
  Thomas 
  H. 
  Hubbard, 
  and 
  

   others 
  contributed 
  large 
  amounts. 
  

  

  "The 
  scientific 
  societies 
  and 
  authorities 
  

   of 
  the 
  world, 
  without 
  exception 
  or 
  reser- 
  

   vation, 
  have 
  recognized 
  the 
  high 
  and 
  au- 
  

   thentic 
  value 
  of 
  Peary's 
  work, 
  and 
  few 
  

   men 
  have 
  received 
  such 
  unanimous 
  ac- 
  

   claim 
  and 
  reward 
  of 
  merit. 
  More 
  than 
  a 
  

   score 
  of 
  medals 
  have 
  been 
  presented 
  to 
  

   him 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  geographical 
  and 
  ex- 
  

   ploring 
  societies 
  of 
  Europe 
  and 
  America. 
  

  

  "It 
  is 
  often 
  said 
  that 
  republics 
  are 
  

   proverbially 
  ungrateful. 
  This 
  is 
  not 
  true 
  

   in 
  regard 
  to 
  Peary. 
  The 
  President 
  of 
  

   the 
  United 
  States, 
  William 
  Howard 
  Taft, 
  

   and 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Navy, 
  with 
  just 
  

   pride 
  that 
  the 
  honor 
  had 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  

   United 
  States, 
  requested 
  of 
  Congress 
  that 
  

   fitting 
  recognition 
  be 
  accorded 
  to 
  Peary 
  

   for 
  his 
  great 
  achievement. 
  

  

  "Congress, 
  on 
  March 
  4, 
  191 
  1, 
  author- 
  

   ized 
  that 
  Civil 
  Engineer 
  Robert 
  E. 
  Peary, 
  

   U. 
  S. 
  N., 
  be 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  retired 
  list 
  of 
  

   the 
  Navy 
  with 
  the 
  rank 
  and 
  highest 
  pay 
  

   of 
  a 
  rear-admiral, 
  dating 
  from 
  April 
  16, 
  

   1909; 
  also 
  giving 
  him 
  the 
  thanks 
  of 
  Con- 
  

   gress 
  for 
  his 
  Arctic 
  explorations 
  result- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Pole. 
  

  

  "Previously 
  the 
  thanks 
  of 
  Congress 
  

   had 
  been 
  bestowed 
  only 
  upon 
  those 
  who 
  

   had 
  won 
  battles 
  on 
  land 
  or 
  sea 
  to 
  the 
  

   glory 
  of 
  their 
  country. 
  

  

  "So, 
  in 
  this 
  hallowed 
  Westminster 
  

   Abbey 
  of 
  America; 
  here, 
  surrounded 
  by 
  

   the 
  noble 
  men 
  of 
  the 
  Navy 
  and 
  Army 
  

   who 
  gave 
  their 
  lives, 
  but 
  left 
  behind 
  them 
  

   immortal 
  glory, 
  and 
  who 
  won 
  the 
  never- 
  

   ceasing 
  gratitude 
  of 
  their 
  country 
  — 
  here 
  

   we 
  come, 
  like 
  the 
  Egyptians 
  of 
  old, 
  to 
  

   erect 
  a 
  monument 
  on 
  which 
  to 
  carve 
  a 
  

   record 
  of 
  Robert 
  Edwin 
  Peary's 
  wonder- 
  

   ful 
  deeds 
  of 
  bravery." 
  

  

  tribute: 
  by 
  assistant 
  secretary 
  of 
  the 
  

   navy, 
  coeonee 
  theodore 
  roosevelt 
  

  

  "It 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  real 
  privilege 
  to 
  be 
  per- 
  

   mitted 
  to 
  speak 
  here 
  at 
  the 
  Admiral 
  

  

  Peary 
  Memorial. 
  To 
  our 
  family 
  Admiral 
  

   Peary 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  name 
  and 
  an 
  

   achievement. 
  He 
  was 
  a 
  personality. 
  

   Again 
  and 
  again 
  I 
  have 
  heard 
  my 
  father 
  

   discuss 
  him, 
  and 
  always 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  high 
  

   admiration. 
  

  

  "The 
  march 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  civilization 
  

   of 
  man 
  has 
  been 
  predicated 
  largely 
  on 
  

   the 
  impulse 
  for 
  inquiry. 
  From 
  the 
  7th 
  

   century 
  B. 
  C, 
  when 
  the 
  Phoenicians 
  

   sailed, 
  by 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  Pharaohs, 
  

   down 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Africa; 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  

   when 
  Hanno, 
  the 
  Carthaginian, 
  skirted 
  

   the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  that 
  continent, 
  down 
  to 
  

   the 
  voyages 
  and 
  explorations 
  of 
  the 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  day, 
  man 
  has 
  ceaselessly 
  struggled 
  

   for 
  knowledge, 
  development, 
  and 
  do- 
  

   minion. 
  Admiral 
  Peary 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  figure 
  

   in 
  this 
  advance 
  of 
  man. 
  

  

  "Our 
  own 
  country 
  is 
  built 
  by 
  the 
  toil 
  

   and 
  hardships 
  of 
  the 
  pioneers, 
  who 
  

   pushed 
  their 
  way 
  ever 
  west 
  through 
  the 
  

   then 
  trackless 
  wilderness. 
  It 
  is 
  this 
  spirit, 
  

   transmuted, 
  which 
  forms 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  our 
  

   American 
  Government 
  and 
  ideals. 
  Should 
  

   the 
  steel 
  of 
  our 
  national 
  fiber 
  lose 
  the 
  

   temper 
  which 
  made 
  such 
  achievements 
  

   possible, 
  our 
  nation 
  will 
  be 
  on 
  the 
  decline. 
  

  

  "In 
  the 
  nation-builders 
  of 
  all 
  times 
  and 
  

   countries, 
  there 
  was 
  the 
  ceaseless 
  urge 
  to 
  

   achievement. 
  Every 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  heard 
  

   constantly 
  the 
  whisper, 
  

  

  " 
  'Something 
  lost 
  behind 
  the 
  ranges, 
  

   Lost 
  and 
  waiting 
  — 
  go.' 
  

  

  From 
  Columbus 
  to 
  Peary, 
  with 
  farsee- 
  

   ing 
  eyes, 
  they 
  pressed 
  on 
  their 
  quests. 
  

   Their 
  triumphs 
  were 
  not 
  triumphs 
  easily 
  

   obtained, 
  in 
  soft 
  circumstances. 
  From 
  

   Columbus 
  to 
  Peary 
  they 
  met 
  and 
  over- 
  

   came, 
  by 
  their 
  character 
  and 
  ability, 
  ob- 
  

   stacle 
  piled 
  on 
  obstacle. 
  

  

  "Admiral 
  Peary 
  will 
  stand 
  to 
  the 
  gen- 
  

   erations 
  of 
  Americans 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  as 
  

   an 
  incentive 
  to 
  high 
  endeavor. 
  To 
  me, 
  

   Admiral 
  Peary's 
  life 
  is 
  epitomized 
  in 
  the 
  

   splendid 
  lines 
  from 
  Tennyson's 
  'Ulysses' 
  : 
  

  

  " 
  'To 
  strive, 
  to 
  seek, 
  to 
  find, 
  and 
  not 
  to 
  yield.' 
  " 
  

   INSCRIPTIONS 
  ON 
  THE 
  MONUMENT 
  

  

  The 
  great 
  globe 
  rests 
  upon 
  a 
  massive 
  

   base, 
  also 
  made 
  of 
  white 
  granite 
  from 
  the 
  

   quarries 
  of 
  Maine, 
  the 
  State 
  that 
  Peary 
  

   loved. 
  Upon 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  base 
  is 
  the 
  

   Latin 
  motto, 
  "Inveniam 
  viam 
  ant 
  faciam" 
  

   (I 
  will 
  find 
  a 
  way 
  or 
  make 
  one) 
  , 
  which 
  the 
  

   explorer 
  often 
  quoted 
  and 
  which 
  seems 
  a 
  

   fitting 
  epitome 
  of 
  his 
  notable 
  career. 
  

  

  