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Editorial
September 1, 1926
The Watchman And Southron
Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina
What is this article about?
Editorial praises Lincoln Ellsworth's poetic account of the 1926 Arctic flight with Amundsen and Nobile, highlighting the sense of solitude and wonder, and its enduring value in inspiring human imagination.
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ARCTIC IMAGINATION
Lincoln Ellsworth, the young sportsman-philanthropist who accompanied Amundsen and Nobile on their flight over the Pole, has kept modestly in the background since that exploit. Recently, however, he gave a little talk to some American newspaper men that is all the more worth recording because of the unseemly squabble that his associates have gotten into. Listen to this:
"As the snow-crowned peaks of Spitzbergen lost their identity in the deepening blue of the southern sky, civilization seemed to recede beyond recall, and we hung like a speck suspended at the heart of an oppressive mystery. A sense of utter solitude took possession of us.
"I found myself hanging over the side of the fuselage, lost in wonder and amazement at a world that God had seemingly forgotten.
"As to the value of the flight above its appeal to the imagination, only time can tell."
It is good to know that there was a man in that airship with the heart of a poet, and to have authentic expression of such a mood as may come to many of us hereafter, when Arctic flights become more common. If the Arctic is never good for anything else, it will serve to stir the human imagination.
Lincoln Ellsworth, the young sportsman-philanthropist who accompanied Amundsen and Nobile on their flight over the Pole, has kept modestly in the background since that exploit. Recently, however, he gave a little talk to some American newspaper men that is all the more worth recording because of the unseemly squabble that his associates have gotten into. Listen to this:
"As the snow-crowned peaks of Spitzbergen lost their identity in the deepening blue of the southern sky, civilization seemed to recede beyond recall, and we hung like a speck suspended at the heart of an oppressive mystery. A sense of utter solitude took possession of us.
"I found myself hanging over the side of the fuselage, lost in wonder and amazement at a world that God had seemingly forgotten.
"As to the value of the flight above its appeal to the imagination, only time can tell."
It is good to know that there was a man in that airship with the heart of a poet, and to have authentic expression of such a mood as may come to many of us hereafter, when Arctic flights become more common. If the Arctic is never good for anything else, it will serve to stir the human imagination.
What sub-type of article is it?
Science Or Medicine
What keywords are associated?
Arctic Imagination
Lincoln Ellsworth
Polar Flight
Human Solitude
Scientific Exploration
What entities or persons were involved?
Lincoln Ellsworth
Amundsen
Nobile
Spitzbergen
Editorial Details
Primary Topic
Imaginative Value Of Arctic Flight
Stance / Tone
Admiring And Inspirational
Key Figures
Lincoln Ellsworth
Amundsen
Nobile
Spitzbergen
Key Arguments
Ellsworth's Modest Background And Recent Talk To Newspaper Men
Description Of Receding Civilization And Sense Of Solitude Over The Arctic
Wonder At A Seemingly Forgotten World
Value Of The Flight Beyond Imagination To Be Determined By Time
Presence Of A Poetic Heart In The Expedition
Arctic Serves To Stir Human Imagination