The Patea County Press, With which is incorporated The Patea Mail. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1913. A Polar Hero.

Patea Mail, Volume XXXVIII, 12 September 1913, Page 2

The Patea County Press, With which is incorporated The Patea Mail.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1913. A Polar Hero.

" Inherent Justiceis Eternal Right."

Ax the present time it would appear that one of the chief political subjects of the future will be one dealing with (he reform of the present education syllabus with a view to more attention being paid to character building than to the training of the children in many of the '.' fanoy " subjects that will be of little use to them in after life Ad .illustration of the value of an upbiing iDg at a school where character building is one of the main objects of gchool life is afforded by a glimpse at the life of the late Dr Edward Artrian Wilson who perished with Capt. Scott and his party on their return journey from the South Pole in January of last year, a full account of which is set out in a recent number of the Treasury magazine, and which is inepiriog reading for youDg and old. The late Dr Wilson was the son of a prominent Cheltenham doctor. Dr E T. Wilson, F.R.C.P., who in turn was a brother of M»jov General Sir Chas.' Wilson, RE , who did a great deal of pioneer and exploration work in Palestine and Asia Minor and finally led th'j forloru hope that sat out by steamer from Metemneh to rescue General Gordon at Khartoum. The /lata Dr Wilson was educated at Obi hen ham College, one of the best of England's Public Schools, where he received the training that was to mould his character and make him tho man he was in after life. At school he held his own intellectually and rapidly developed a taate for drawing and natural history, winning many prizi* for both subjects." Prom (JhelteohHm he went up to Cambridge as an exhibitioner of Caius College aud settled down to hard work, having decided upon a medical career. It wim here that the early training he had received began to assist itself and he begn.. to think deeply upon life and its problems, his .religious principles being more firmly rooted in him at thic time, thanks to the influence of Canon Knox Little, with whom he was brought into contact. A contemporary of hie j at Oaiua notes that he was a very j regular attendant at early Communion

in the College Chapel, and he con tinucd this practice throughout* the rest of his life. Even io (he Antarctic he would rise early on Sunday morn' ingfl to read the 6auie service, Io his many sided life bia love of nature and the wild things of the fields never flagged for an instant. At Cambridge, & friend states, he knew all that the neighbourhood had as regards bird* and natural history. His rooms resembled a Museum rather than a dwelling. On taking his degree he became a medical studeut in London, working at St. George's hospital and residing amongst tbo poor at the Caius College Mission settlement in Battersea. he devoted much of his time to helping in the clubs and classes of the Mission, His interest in the work continued unabated, and ten years' later on his return from the Discovery Expedition, hearit g that the Mission was in difficulties, he gave a aeries of three lectures which brought in a sum of £BO to their fundi. At the hospital his simple, straight forward character made him generally liked amoDg his fellow students and he made a few devoted friends who owed much to his personal influence, Io those days he gave most of his money to the Mission and dressed in old clothes, his boots being generally worn out. Later, in 1897, he developed j pulmonary tuberculosis and gave up r his hospital work going to Norway, where he spent some months in a hut on the hills, recruiting his health, Oq his return he rapidly recovered his health and with it the "wild joy of living," Io 1900 he took his M.B. degree at Cicnbridga and was then quite restored to health. Ic was at this time that he first met Captain Scott, who was just .then panning bis first expedition to the Antarctic. Captain Scott soon saw that Dr Wilson was just the man to be of use in such an expedition. He was an enthusiast) zoologist, an able all round naturalist, a skilled draughtsman and artist and above all a fully qualified medical man. Accordingly, ho wn3 appointed ziologist and second medical officer to ttie "Discovery" Expedition, re~ turning from that famous undertaking in 1904 Five years' later Captain Scott invited him to j )in the last memorable expedition to the Antarctic as chiof of the Scientific Staff, The " Terra Nova " sailed from Cardiff on Judo 15th, 1910, with what result to its Commander and his faithful band, the whole world knows. From the time when the heroic and faithful band started on their final dash to the Polo to the day when they lay down in the little tent to die together, Dr Wilson occupied the position of confidant and adviser to Captain Scott. Next to the Commander he was withou'doubt tho beat loved man of the whole expedi tion. With regard to his death wo shall probably learn some details when the full narrative of the dash for the Polo is written. In the meantime his friends in every, corner of the world will feel assured that he died as he had Jived, a modern Bayard " sans peur et sans repioche."