Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1865-06-29
Who Discovered America.

Gus Columbus of his we'll earned fame
as the discoverer Of America. His
name will descend to the latest ages
inseparably blended with the glory
of this magnificent continent. Hun
dreds of millions. in centuries yet to
come. will trace the beginnings Of
their untold greatness to the era Of
1892, and to the hero who, under
Providence, laid open to mankind
the most splendid Of earthly inheri-
tances a kind Cod has given us
They will pay profoundly grateful,
and a Justly deserved tribute to the
memory Of the great and the good
Columbus. The life Of this good
man is replete with lessons the chol-
cest and most suggestive to all men
and to all christians. 1t may seem a
startling statement that columbus
was not really the original discoverer
of the American continent, and that
the adventures and colonists of the
fifteenth and subsequent centuries,
were not the first Europeans who
formed establishments in America.
Yet such is the case. 1t appears
that the really original discoveries Of
this continent were those famous old
Scandinavian Sea Kings, whose an
cestors so often carried CONSERVATION
to the shores Of our Saxon forefath-
ers. The Morse Saga Of Iceland
have revealed important, and most
interesting facts regarding these ear
" discoveries.
It seems, as early as 1901, the
Icelanders visited the shore Of this
continent, and for as much as two
centuries afterwards continued their
explorations, and carried on COM
merce with the native aborigincs.-
The first European said to have ever
beheld America was Bjorn Harrol-
son. one of these Icelanders. The
reports Of bis voyages induced Left,
the son of Eric the discoyerer Of
Greenland, to make further adven-
ture in the unknown land, and the
result was the discovery and settle
ment of strip Of coast correspond
ing to portions OF the present States
of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and
Connecticut. This territory was
named Vinland from the great album
dance of wild vines which the coun-
try produced. SO greatly interested
did these Icelanders become in the
new found territories, that attempts
were actually made to christianize
the natives, and christian bishop,
Eric Upsi, undertook to go to Vim
land for this purpose. This was in
the year 1l21. After this period an
impenetrable mystery hangs over the
Vinland colony. The fate Of the
brave adventurers cannot be even
coniectured, as no trace Of their otter
history is on record. Soon, the very
existence Of Yinland and the Amer
lean continent passed away from the
knowledge Of man. The old Morse
Saga, which chronicle these remark
able and interesting facts have lain
undiscovered and unexamined for
long centuries, until recent research
es have brought them to light.
Had the people of these times pos
sessed our modern facilities for in
ter communications, such as the
press and the telegraph, the news of
a new continent would have spread
over the world, and could never
have been forgotten. 1t would, no
doubt, have FASTENED the opening up
and settlement Of this continent by
several centuries. How grateful we
should be for the advantages we en-
Joy over those days. Any new dis
covery made in the most distant part
of the world is within a few days
brought to our door. The winds
and waters, steam and lightning,an
above all, the press, combine to watt
the news to the ends Of the earth,
and at a cost within reach of all.
Better news than the discovery of
America might have been lost or
never known in many places on the
earth, but for the same means. The
knowledge of salvation through the
Saviour's name the knowledge of
heaven, the swc ONE of the right
eous, the know - of our Heavenly
Father as contained in the blessed
Bible, and the personal knowledge
or a Saviour's love, have all been
mainly owing, in many cases, to
modern facilities for preserving and
circulating the truth of God. Were
all our Bibles and religious books
now written out with the hand, as
they used to be. what millions woulp
remain n.rhrant of God who now sit