Under Thirty Page
SAFETY FIRST ?-I
By EDWARD SHACKLETON
[The writer is the son of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the famous Antarctic explorer, and has himself been a member of expeditions in Borneo and Greenland] SAFETY first ? Does the phrase ever express more than a half-truth, merely a matter of degree? The over- cautious is never the truly wise ; on the other hand the success- ful adventurer is the man or woman who never takes pointless risks. But God forbid that one should lead a life in which all risk has been calculated away, for that indeed would be to live dangerously. Is adventure a good thing, particularly for the young ? Stripped of its romantic associations adventure in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred means little more than a change from the usual way of life to a different one, set quite by chance beyond the borders of the non-adventurous.
It is not now possible to deal with the countless aspects of adventure, its meaning and its value, but let us at any rate assume that it fulfils a useful function, that it stimulates the lethargic, quickens the moribund, and generally forces oxygen and pep not into the body but into the mind of the individual. The dull glow of the intellect can be fanned into greater activity by the breath of adventure. Let us first see whether today there is as much adventure, in the conventional sense, amongst the Under Thirty. Surely never in history have those under thirty been more handicapped by the tyranny of economics, the necessity of earning a living as soon as possible, although indeed they are to some extent freed from the tyranny of compulsory limitation of ideas. On the other hand such opportunities as there are, though more circumscribed, present themselves to a wider class than ever before ; but are those opportunities taken ?
The correspondent who suggested in The Spectator that the earth and its atmosphere are more full of young adventurers than ever before is right. " Decadent " youth has reacted, sometimes too far, from the vulgarity and taste- lessness of some of the past generations' way of living. What of the opportunities ? Let it be frankly admitted that in this article the opportunities that present themselves to the " educated " classes are alone considered, but only because there is not space for a wider survey. It may come as a surprise to some people to learn that even from Oxford, often decried as decadent, as many if not more expeditions go out than from any other University in the world. Since 1927 16 expeditions have sallied forth under the auspices of the Exploration Club, an institution of which little is ever heard for it has shunned the false face of adventure, the tarnished substitute afforded by cheap publicity, and every member of a Club expedition in fact binds himself to "no publicity," thereby proving the bona fides of his scientific desire or of his spirit of adventure.
Many of these expeditions involve no special complications of time and schedule, since they take place in the summer Long Vacation, nor is much money necessarily required. A summer trip to Greenland, with the usual amount of backing from the University and other interested parties, need not cost more than Lso per head for a period of three months, which is within the reach of a good proportion of University students. From Cambridge, too, a number of expeditions large and small have emanated, while mountaineering and ski clubs flourish. One thing is certain, that either mountain- eering or exploring is available to many who would take the opportunity if they realised their implications and if they were not often thwarted by circumstances ; for the adven- turousness of Under Thirty is most often frustrated by the good but unimaginative intentions of Over Thirty. It is natural that mothers should not want their sons to take part in enterprises which by tradition are associated with danger, and the demands of examinations and of preparing to earn a living can be as suffocating as a system which dis- courages escape into adventure. Yet in spite of this a hundred schoolboys every year go, with Murray Levick's Exploring Society, to the wilder parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, usually in the summer holidays from school, or between school and the university or a job.
For that is the crucial period when adventure must be seized with both hands. We in this country are not cursed by the burden of compulsory military service, yet it must be borne in mind that military service seems to do little harm to the Danes or the Swedes. Admittedly with them the period is short, but it certainly fulfils a function in that it brings everyone in touch with the simplicities of life and shakes everyone up so that something valuable results. The chief disadvantage is that it over-emphasises the importance of discipline and inevitably inculcates it blindly at a time when the adolescent mind should be assessing dispassionately the real value of ideas and ideals. Nevertheless something should be put in its place, and that can be found in free and voluntary adventure, within the wider meaning of the word.
For those who cannot produce the ready cash there are many means of outlet. Labrador and its Grenfell stations require volunteer helpers to hew wood and carry water in adventurous surroundings. Adventure is not necessarily compounded by latitude or remoteness. Expeditions are merely the most obvious and most effective means of meeting the need. Travel, a bicycle-ride across Europe, a trip as a stoker on a tramp, even a job as a harvester in Canada are all, when adventure is analysed into its separate components, shown to be made up of the same parts, though the molecular arrangement is slightly different. An example of what can be done has been shown recently by a well-known co-educa- tional school, which announced a scholarship of L20 to be used in travelling as far as possible across the world, the only condition being that an adequate report be made of the trip.
Adventure can be and surely is indulged in more than ever by today's "Under Thirtys." Their thoughts do not necessarily turn to South American revolutions, though we must not forget the Spanish Civil War. Warfare is at last coming to be regarded as generally unpermissible, and better and perhaps more useful substitutes are being discovered. To nearly all, a period of adventure can be set aside, certainly to all classes, and other contributors who follow can no doubt discuss wider forms of adventure in which conceivably the mind only is involved.
One thing should be remembered : for adventure to give its maximum benefit it must provide a change of environment and way of life, so that the adventurer may suddenly find himself transported in mind to a position of observer, away from the petty distractions which make up our daily life, where mere " importance " shrinks to its true size, where honesty takes its rightful place, and where the individual can learn to know himself.
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