The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1873-10-30
rRBurE TO &. ooLumnus.

l confess to have been deceived about
this Atlantic, the roughest and windiest
Of oceans. lfyou look at Il on the map,
Il doesen't appear to be much. and indeed
it is spoken OF as ferry, What with the
eight and nine days passage over Il, and
the laying Of the cable, which annihlatcs
distance, bad the impression that its to.
dious three thousand and odd miles have
been, somehow, partly done away with:
but they sro all there, When one has
sailed thousand miles due east and
finds that he is then nowhere In particn.
lar bat is still out, pitching about on an
uneasy sea, under IN inconstant sky, and
that thousand miles more will not make
any perceptible change, he begins to have
some conception Of the unconquerable
ocean Columbus rises in my estima.
ton.
was feeling uncomfortable that moth.
Ing had been done for the memory of
Christopher Columbus, when heard some
months ago that thirty-scyon guns had
been dIed of for him IN Boston. II Is to
be hoped that they were some satisfaction
to him. They were discharged by coun.
trymen of his, who are Justly proud that
he should have been able, after a search of
only a few weeks, to find land where
the hand organ had never been heard.
The Italians, as a people, have not profit.
ed much by this discovery: not 20 much,
indeed, as the Spaniards, who have got
reputation by 1t which eyen now gids
their decay. That Columbus was born in
Genoa entities the Italians TO celebrate
the great ach evmcnt OF bis life; though
why they should discharge exactly thirty.
seven guns do not know. Columbus
did not discover the United States; that
we partly found ourselves, and partly
bought and gouged the Me1icans out Of.
lie did not even appear TO know there
was a continent here. Tie discovered the
West Indies, which be thought were the
East, and ten guns would be enough for
them. II Is probable that he laid open
the way to discovery Of the New World.
II he had waited, however, somebody else
wonld have discovered II, perhaps some
Englishman; aud then We might have
been spared all the old French and Span.
ish wars. Columbus let the SpaniArds
into the New World; and their civiliEa-
ton has uniformly bcena curse to II.
II he had brought Italians, who neither at
that time showed nor since have shown,
much inclination to come, we should
have had the opera, and made IL paying
institution by this time. Columbus was eV-
identity person who liked 10 sail about,
and didn't care much for consequences.
Perhaps II is not an open question
whether Columbus did good thing In
first coming over here, ,--one that we ought
to celebrate with dinners. The Indi.
ans never thanked him, for one party.
The Africans had small grounds 10 be
gratilied for the market he opened for
them. Here are two continents that had
no use for him. lie led Spain into dance
OF great expectations, which ended IN her
gorgeous ruin. lie introduced tobacco
into Europe, and laid the foundation for
more tracts and nervous diseases than the
Romans had in a thousand years. lie in-
troduced tho potato into Ireland indi.
rectlyi and that caused such rapid iu-
crease Of population, that the great fam
Inc was the result, and an enormous EN-
| igration to New k,--heuce Tweed
aud the constituency Of tho Ring. Co.
lumbus is really responsible for New
York. lie is responsible for our whole
| tremendous experiment Of democracy,
open to all corners, the best three in five
to win. We cannot yet tell how IL Is
| coming out, what with the foreigners aud
| communists aud the women. On our
great stage we are playing a piece Of
mingled tradegy and comedy, with what
denoument We cannot yet say. Iii, comes
out well, we ought to erect a monument
to Christopher as high as the one at
Washington expects to be; and we pre-.
/ sumo Il is well to fire salute occasionly
TO keep the ancient mariner in mind while
VIC are trying our great experiment. And
this remisds me that be ought 70 have had
a naval salute.
| There is something almost heroic In the
/ idea Of firing on guns for a man who has
| been stoue-dead for about four centuries.
/ II must have had q lively and festive
sound in Boston, when the meaning was
explained. No one could hear those great
guns without quicker beating Of the
heart Ia gratitude TO the great dIscoyerer
wso had made Boston possible We are
trying to realize TO ourselves the impof-
lance Of the i2th Of October as an ami.
yezafy Of our potential exisanec.
II any one wsnts 70 see bow vivid IL the
gratitude 10 Columbus, let him start out
among our business houses. with a sub-
seription paper TO raise money for pow
der 10 be exploded IN his honor. Aud
yet Columbus was 3 well-neaning man;
aud, II he did not discover perfect con.
tiaent, be found the only one that wss
left.-~SaaHteriBgs by Chas. u. Var.
asr.