HUNGARY SCIENTISTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 789, 12 April 1910, Page 3

HUNGARY SCIENTISTS.

•An "at home" • in aid of London fairs' and Strays was recently held- in. i Kensington drawing-room,'when , variaas distinguished men begged for funds. ~-. . An expert on starvation .was Sir '..Ernest {Shackleton, the man who had starved his way to.fame, and had been' ';. ionoured by his country for an enter- •'.:■ -prise which involved months of foodkss agony.,. Sir, Ernest .no longer looked a hungry man, but he could speak about hunger with an- intenseness of concentration .and. conviction which brought : smiles and laughter to the lips of those who listened to him. For it seemed elmost ludicrous that any beings could have made food their predominating topic and thought, amidst the strange, compelling : fascination of exploration.; Yet-.Sir Ernest told them it was so. He' . and his-, companions thought only of • food. and • talked solely of ■ food. . .-They . lay awake at night thinking of food, .... they- .went-to , sleep,' thinking-, of food, . . /they, dreamed of food,- and .they awoke .:'to talk, again.'.of food. ■;-?..- V,Sir ; Ernest has.lectured b'efore scientists, geographers, and fellow explorers '.. of' Uolar regions, . but he has never shown the deep absorption in his topic he displayed when ne',; took the theme of food to teach the lesson' of starvation to those in a .crowded London draw- /-'■ ing-room. ■-.•.'•'■ '.. .-■ ■'.■•' 'Every morning,, he said, he arid his f companions in starvation used to - dis- .,< cass ■ how .much.they would-eat. when ■'...■ the ; opportunity' came' once more. One . resolution was'/ always passed unani- ■• ■ ' mouely... When. they ;■.awoke; it was agreed, they'-would stretch out their hands, from iheif beds for chocolate ■ end'biscuits 'to eat while they' dressed. For .breakfast they would have eggs, .;■ hain, fish, bacon, kidneys, chops,"steaks, -cutlets,-' steak' pudding, :tea, coffee,- and .'cocoa.' ; Then their thoughts would he, "Nothing mbre-till.eleven'o'clock!"- At eleven/they would eat treacle-tart, jain- .... . rolls—anything clinging , and stodgy. V Then,,{.'Nothing more till one!" for luncheon,' a tremendous meal;" Then, . "Nothing more till tea I" For tea; bread, butter, jam, cake, potted meat and fruit.- Then, "Nothing more till six.!" 'For dinner a banquet.. Then, ■' "Nothing -more.till nine!" -For sup-per,-":'one long,; satisfying, ■ would go on till;'breakfastl- fe!'.—"f. . ,Th_e. audience' laughed.' 1 The. idea', was .irresistibly "funny. - But 'they,- felt' ; the vtragedy.ibehind it;,' Sij f Ernest'went on • to talk about' cmralis. ,The-man who .letvfall .a'crcimb, became an. object' of the keenest interest, and observation. '■If he .did not notice'the..fact, which was'rare indeed, they called hV^at- : teitioa ■ to..the loss. Then-he iwpula , ■ moisten, the tip of his linger,, and'with ..e'very'eye fixed on him, convey the mor- ... Bel ; to his lips. Those who listened'and ~ patched the nian who .knew--the, true value of a-crumb of biscuit,, began to understand what starvation. m«aht. Sir -Ernest' Shackleton": had , ' travelled all . thronghrthe preceding night to pleac' the cause.of the "Waifs and Strays," .. ■•• and when the silver salvers went round .' the drawing-room, many must have had thatxrumb of biscuit still before them as. they let their,gold and silver fall ■ wnong,the; jingling coins. .' '.-■"'