LIEUTENANT SHACCLETON.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 610, 13 September 1909, Page 9

LIEUTENANT SHACCLETON.

; TALKS or; HIS EARLY LIFE TO WORKING MEN. Lieutenant. Shacltleton visited the Brown, ing Settlement, London, on. July 24, to distribute the prizes' to "tlio members of thoi'.S.A.. _ , \ During his speech ho produced a little* roan-covered boos—the littlo copy of Brown- ; ing's poems, which ho took- with liim oil through tho Antarctic ejcpeditwa. ;,lt was wet with perspiration, ho said, when ho and ' bis ; companions toiled , through .tho day, ; though they froze through: tho night; but the words inside it , woro of. use to them and' v helped, thorn through their dark arid weary ' hours. ■ 1 • .. .. ' Lieutenant Shackleton delivered .an ad-?, dross in returning thanks for tlio presontation:'to him, by Mademoiselle : Moutmort,:■of. : o-, a replica of tho;badge of the! Settlement, ■ hearing the motto: "Sudden tho worst turns., the best, for the. bravo,' 1 On, advancing-to •. tlio front of the platform ho was-received v with deafening cheers,. tho whole;audionco., . rising to thoir feet.., "Straight and honest," .' he said, ho had never, since his return, had ' such a reception. aS-ho had received there. He was present, he proceeded,for two reasons—first, anything that'had to ,do with .. Robert' Browuihg interestedliim : greatly j and, socondly,. he had nover had .an oppor. y ,tunity, to speak, since ho had-been back. to 'v" ( tho -working.mqn,of.:tiiat greatJcity.,(Ap»-'" : plause.) .lie claimed to belong to the : as . they . did, beeauso" since ho was' ,fifteen years and: three-quarters' old ,ho '. bad worked for his living—at' a shilling a •/: month to: begin with. (Laughter and applause.) He" was,a'little over, sixteen when-'",, -he was, shovelling, .coals 'at .that prico .off tho coast of South America,;and,ho:had not:. /. forgotten • it. (Laughter.) , : .. .. Ho had had much hard work todo sinco/and . these- years .spent in, toil' had' brought' l.im ■: faoo fapo with what;it : 'was t? _ho '•: working' man;; and liad' given him ! always and-'for;oy«r,:;aud; wborew ,ho steptVv'that,';,! 'greatest respect-and the gfeat<^kßpnpatay. !i4 ? with v those - who. were: tho hed|pcß"of .oui'i" - ' Empiro 'to-dayT.' ; > . • The' eh airman had', > referred ~ toßobert'" ' Browning : in "'Sneaking, 'of,, his (laeuteiia4it'.' , .,t ; expedition, andj ho' n)i§ht tell!; " -,' them that, when oil/tho, southern-jqtirney- .- during the days and nights of cold and hunger : and storm,' th<OT, wore .words: of. Brownirig'g - ' which' gavo ■ them .: courage' ■ '.and,.'comfort.'..' There were|lessons, they: Had .learned during.';,:' their expedition, and one,pf, them, was .thoydid look' ,to a. higher: Power when they 'were in the loneliness and _ danger' of, ;.ho' ,' Autarctio'. regions,'' and uri '~timers when' i;o ~'t . mortal leader-seemed likely to carry the. «&;.'• i pedition througl). (Applause.) . -.-, ■' > In' describing, a few of v . his'; .ciporionccfl, --: Lieutenant Shackleton narrated .how oil one occasion, 'after reaching'a, plateau''of 10,000 feet high',' thoy woro' overcomo" by 'a blizzard,' .- ilio temperature (although in. sumnicr-time) ! being . 40. degrees below zcrq.. They wero, mCToover, short'ofrfood,but owing to tho..j cold had to ihcrrase' their'rations from 10 :• ounces 'to'J!o'ounces per,'day." i , i .Durihg such a blizzard, lie they usodto lie in sleeping-bags,'-.and. if ono:of :thcm was danger of having • his feet' frost-bitten,' the .»• > sufferer, would put them into someone else's shirt. : So,','added, tho-speaker, humorous'y, 1 it;was always' a,question who' was. tho- most: . uncomfortable—tho man with tho frost-bitten' '■; ■ feet 'or. his obliging, companion. , ;Ih'..'Conolusicnl. Licutcnant iShackleton' said'/ " hd hoped beforo long to givo: thom a lecture' A: with a ■lantern - show, tho ohargoii for' admission to go to tho.benefit,.of tlio Sottldment.