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Show DARKNESS AND LIGHT. Dr. Cook in the Sun says: "The long polar night is one of the barriers to the success of every polar exp litlon. The night of months with its low temperature and high humidity drives men to the verge of desperation. It depresses the spirits spir-its and suppresses all the functions of the human body. Now one is melancholy; then one cusses onesself and companions; and again a wave of sleepy dullness covers every human effort. Indeed, In-deed, this hellish darkness brings out all the badness bad-ness of which a man Is capable." That description Is dismal enough surely, but It has its advantages. There are no political speeches to hear; no one has to read the subsidized subsi-dized newspaper that simulates independence; the perfect liberty which absolute obedience secures is never portrayed. There are darker things than the outer darkness which we read of in the Good Book or in tales of Arctic travel. The passion for going North can be compared to nothing save men's vices. They follow them at night; with the dawn they are all bowed down with remorse; they promise themselves that they will never again be so weak and wicked, but the mantle of night drives away all their resolutions. It seems to be the same with every man who has ever been on a polar expedition. When he returns he is like the politician who has been defeated for office. He says: "That fixes it. I will never be such a fool again," but he will be on hand when another election draws near. So the Arctic voyager, when on shore at home for a little while, becomes restless again. The spell of the great North Is again upon him, and draws him, like his vices, against his will, until he can no longer resist. That reminds one that only through light comes progress. The properties of light are not yet half understood, but every new development de-velopment brings out new wonders and new blessings in it. A scientist in the East the other day declared that already all surface diseases yield to the X-ray; that when better understood un-derstood it would banish disease from the world. When the first command was given, "Let there be light," the record reads: "And God saw the light that it was good." The significance generally as- ; ,,i m cribed to that has been that the good referred to ( j & i j was only the glory that followed when the new f f)fjfl world was revealed. But scientists are gravitat- 1 IflnTB Ing to the thought that the meaning that tho light I W f'f i Ifl was good was that from it all good was to cpme; I ? fr "ifl that when to the souls of men perfect light should I wrlH conie, they would be like those that dwell in tho I $r & 4 I H realm where light is born; that within light are f,j tfl all the properties, when understood, to drive away jp!,J . rH disease and dark thoughts and put mortals In ac- j ,' f ' '';fl cord with those that are immortal, and that when iji1', Jfl the Master said "I am the light of the world," he 1 ft J '- ;fl meant the perfection that succeeds when all that r 1 ' i lB is dark in thought or act or condition is driven ! p l4 t JH away, and the space between men and the angels Is i w h i, ' jB eliminated. " RM ' M.B |