The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-11-11
Accidents OF History.

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winch never took place and Lord Bea-
eonsheld father was the author of a
learned essay on history which might
nave been enacted. An equally curious
volume might be penned on the tribes
which have determined great events.
IL was but trif1e which gave Spain for
SO many generations the lordship of the
New World and enabled her by the
wealth which she derived from that
source to become the most powerful
nation in Europe. 1t is well known
that Columbus, dispirited with the re-
1usals which he met at so many courts,
dispatched his brother Bartolomeo to
ask aid from Henry VII. of England.
But on the way the messenger fell in
the hands of pirates and by the time he
reached London was so destitute that,
ne had totry and earn the money to
clothe himself in proper style before he
could be presented at court. But by
that time it was too late. Even the
fact that Ferdinand and Isabella sup
Piled the funds to equip the exhibition
was mainly due to the accident that
Juan Perez de Marchena, the Queens $
confessor, happened to be passing at
the moment when the weary mariner
was knocking at the door of La Rabida
monastery to beg little bread and
water for his boy Diego and was struck
with the noble face of the pedestrian.
Had Bartolomeo Colon reached London
In time, had Christoval been by auy
chance little later or little earlier at
the monastery door, the fate of Europe
might have been changed, and the des-
tiny of the Anglo-Saxon race altered.
Three centuries later it was again near
ly reyolutionized, for in 1906 the En-
gllsh held Buenos Ayres. and it is no
secret that Napoleon was almost per-
suaded to abandon Europe as a field
for his ambition and try what he could
accomplish in the way of carving out
an empire among the dissatisfied PROV
inces of South America. When Citizen
Bonaparte seemed little likely to sit on
the throne of Louis Caput he was on
the point of offering his. sword to the
Sultan as at a later period Won Moltke
actually did. 1t is curious now to spec
ulate what would have been the present
state OF the Eastern question had Ma
poleon carried his intentions into effect;
or, supposing that Moltke had remained
IN the Turkish service, whether the
Danish war would have been fought, or
Prussia's supremacy established at
Sadowa or Sedan.
The cropping of Louis Wis chin
brought on three centuries of blood
shed, and sarcastic remark of Freder-
lex the Great on Elizabeth Petrovna of
Russia, reused that virtuous Empress to
take such a vigorous part in the Seven
Years war that at one time Prussia
seemed well nigh stricken unto death.
Even Catherine u.-profoundly suspi-
cious of Potsdam after the scandal
about Queen Elizabeth carefully ex-
amined her husbands correspondence
before she concluded an alliance with
the royal letter writer. 1t is hardly
forty years since Louis Philippe threat
ened war against the Texan republic
because an irate citizen had shot the
trespassing pigs of the French ambas-
sador. As it was he prevented the
Lone Star sovereignty from floating
their European loan, and thus, the King
and the pigs combined, fastened the
annexation of Texas to the United
States. The Dutch are said to have
I" "jockeyed US out of Malacca in ex-
change for Java by representing on the
map, which our simple-minded ENJOYS
took for granted, the one territory as
large and the other as small; and among
the most firmly rooted traditions of
American diplomacyis is one which repre-
sents the English commissioner as agree
ing to the surrender of Oregon sbe-
cause country in which a salmon does
not rise to the fly cannot be worth
much.'' Laws have been altered
through accidents before the Queens
printers boy forgot to deliver Lord
amendment to bill.
But, if trihes have determ' ned the
fate of laws and nations, accidents
equally small have caused men to fol-
low pursuits the results of which have |
been not much less momentous to cult |
ure and civilization. Father Male |
branche devoted himself to philosophy |
after reading Descartes' "L' L'Hommel;,
Cowley became a poet owing to his
perusal of Spencer's "Fairy Queen"
and Sir Joshua Reynolds had never
thought of painting until Richard |
sons .'Treatise fell into his hands.
might have ended his |
life as prosperous wool-comber had he
been a prudent young tradesman; Cor
nellie showed no liking for any literature
except the law until he fell in love, and |
felt himself compelled to tell the lady
80 in poetry; and Moliere might have
remained making tapestry had not his
nettled his pride by wish
ng that he could be an actor like Mon
rose. Balboa might never have dis
covered the Pacific had he had not been
as a shopkeeper in His
)aniola, and found it necessary to flee
20 the mainland, concealed from his
in cask on board Encisco's
7essel; and it is certain that had Cortes
become wel-briefed lawyer in Sala-
nanca he would never have lived to
proudly tell Charles v. that he had
given him more provinces than his father
lad left him cities. Ignatius Loyola
vas soldier, and the order of Jesuits
night never have been founded had he
lot accidentally beguiled the tedium of
naction necesSitated by wound with
'eading ''The Lives of the Saints
1ibbon determined to write his famous