The ancient Norseman’s desire to wander and to conquer still stirs
the blood of many of his modern descendants. Happily nowadays, the
wandering is done for the benefit of humanity and the conquests are
those of peace and not of the “Swan Path.” Sven Anders Hedin, explorer
and geographer, is a case in point. He was born at Stockholm, February
19, 1865, and is the son of Ludwig Hedin, official chief architect of
Stockholm. When a mere child he exhibited the traits that distinguished
his later years, and there are many stories told of how his parents
were kept on the alert to prevent their baby—for he was not much
more—from playing truant, which he did whenever the opportunity
offered. The boy was indeed father to the man, and his parents, on his
finishing his education, had the wisdom not to attempt to thwart his
expressed desire to become an explorer. Had they done so the world
would possess much less geographical knowledge than it now does. After
courses in the universities of Stockholm, Upsala, Berlin and Halle,
he began his travels. The Orient attracted him, and he made journeys
through Persia and Mesopotamia. In 1895 he was a member of King Oscar’s
embassy to the Shah of Persia. He is best known in connection with his
explorations in Asia, those of Khorasan, Turkestan and Thibet being
especially notable. Hedin is the author of many works on travel and
has contributed largely to those journals which are published in the
interest of science of geography.