Page:Polar Exploration - Bruce - 1911.djvu/242

238 Was there ever a more madcap expedition than that one? A veritable nutshell was to sail westward into the unknown and was to face dangers beyond all the powers of human conception.

If there is not wealth equal to that of the New World of Christopher Columbus, there is no reason to suppose that very great wealth does not exist in the Polar Regions, considering the increased power given to man by the advancement of science, which is constantly showing new ways and means for discovering and making use of Nature's resources.

So far I have been trying to answer the question which the Polar explorer constantly gets asked him by the business man who has not had any scientific training, viz.: What is the use of these Polar expeditions? If the sole aim is to reach the North or the South Pole, or to get nearer to it than any one has been before, the answer must be that it is of little value either to science or commerce. That is the accomplishment of an athletic feat only to be carried out by those who have splendid physical development. But if it refers to expeditions well equipped with every means for the scientific survey of a definite section of the world—be it land or sea—then the answer is different. To add to the store of human knowledge means increased power of adding to human