Arctic Myths are Exploded

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 184, 21 August 1937, Page 16

Arctic Myths are Exploded

NEW- YOEK. — Civilization is moving north, in the opinion of Vilhjalmar Stefansson, the Arctie explorer, and man must ehange his thought about heat and cold, he holds. In the Arctic- there is a "great university of unlearning," he. told the graduating class at Hunter College, adding that in the Far North he had found that 40 to 60 per cent of what he had been taught about that region was incorrect. Mr Stefansson then proceeded to cnumerate some of these fallacies. The Eskimos are not habitual dri'nkers of oil, and although some . of them have snow houses, most of theia- never heard of such abodes until they wero told of them by European travollers, he said. Still another myth of greater importance wras ■ exploded' by TJnited' States Weather Bureau reports - showing that the temperature went as high as 100 degrees (Fahrenheit) in the shade in the Arctic Circle. Mr Stefansson paid tribute to " tli-e Eussian fliers who have established an airplane base ,at the " North Pole. He stressed that the shortest routc from San Francisco to Europe wras through the Arctic.

At a nursery tea a small boy had de- i clined prunes so voeiferously as to raise tho wliole matter to ouo of disciplino | rather than a pardonable foible. His mother was old-fashioned, and told him that God would probably be displeased at his display of disobedience. Later in the evening there came a hcavy thunderstorm, and mother grasped this opportunity of going upstairs to heal the breach. She found the mutineer standing in front of the window in •an attitudo of disgust. "Iluh! " he said, defiantly, as a terrilie p^al of thunder shook the house, "all that xuss about four prunes." & g» S> ' A London coroncr is tclling the story of a death cert'iiicato which reached him rccently. In the column reservcd for "caus' of death" thc doctor had signed his own name. The coroner returned the certificate with a note whieh said: "That may be true, but don't you thinjc wo had better have some seientilie reason as well!" ' S> J> $> ' • A liim company was shooting one oi' thosc epics'W'hich contain so mu.cli lo\ o interest. The principal love scene was being shot at the timo, and Ihe leuding man was showing a great deal of ardour — carrying realisni a little too far, tho director thought. "Hey!" sliouted the director. "Rteady on! A'ou can't do that! The Censor won't pass that stull!" "O.K.!" said tho leading man, still clutching the beautiful star in his arms. "Savo the liim and switch off thc Tights."