The Washington critic., 1888-03-09
OUR FOURTH CENTENARY.

OUR FOURTH CENTENARY.
THE Right Celebration" is the
title of an entertaining article in the
New York independent of March s, by
pr William F. Warren, president of
Boston University, upon the proposed
commemoration at Washington of
the four r-hundredth anniversary of the
Discovery of America, in which, as
the writer suggests, "eyery civilized
people is likely to bear some part"
DIR. Warren reviews the action that
has been taken in and out of Con-
gress towards promoting this great
project, and speaks of the Worlds
Exposition bill, introduced in the SEN
ate by Mr.. Hoar on the 9TH Of January,
as one which is almost certain to be-
come a law.
So enthusiastic is he in the cause
that he thinks it the duty of the Gov
ernment not only to celebrate this
memorable anniversary in the manner
proposed, but, if possible, to signalize
it by finishing the explorations that
Columbus so auspiciously inaugura-
ted.
It's more than likely that equatorial
Africa will be penetrated and its mys-
teries disclosed before 1892; Great
Britain will have completed her re-
searches in the Antarctic, and it should
devolve upon the United States to
make in the meantime some definite
Reconnaissance of the highest
North" thus leaving no new conti-
nents or parts of continents to discover
OF explore.
We must confess that we cannot
fully sympathize with DIR. Warren's
zeal on the question of Arctic explora-
ton or its relations TO the Columbus
Celebration, nor should we deem it
wise, in view of the labor and legisla-
ton that will be required to make the
exposition q success, to complicate the
undertaking with extraneous PROPOSE
tions that, in the present state of
public feeling relative to the North
Pole, would be certain to provoke
nnfriendly opposition to the original
plan, and be voted down at last as un-
called for and impracticable.
The country that Columbus dis
covered has achieved greatness and
glory enough in its own progress
from primeval barbarism to the high
est forms of civilization, to do full
amplitude of honor to the memory Of
the illustrious Genoese. 1t would add
nothing to the impressiveness Of the
occasion, to have pushed our way
one hundred or five hundred miles
farther into the ice-bound and unin-
habitable Arctic-nothing at least
commensurate with the cost and
hazard and probable sacrifice in
volved-and while we might agree
with Dr. Warren as to the desira-
bility of such an eXpeditionary ven
ture in the interest of science or even
in the qualification of our craving fol-
the marvellous, we can certainly not
approve its association in any way
with the contemplated exposition Of
what four hundred years have done
iOI AntIlCd anu Iuc WOIlu III llliJcTlu
and enlightened advancement.
What has been done and what is be
ing done in this direction is of prac
teal and practicable character.
II is not to celebrate the discoveries
of Left Erikson, with which our friend
Miss Brown, is so enamored; it is not t.
celebrate the discoveries of Stanley il
Africa, or future possibilities in thu
frozen zone, but to honor the Quadri
centennial of the discoveries by Colum
bus, in which the upbuilding of tn
continent germinated. This may b.
most fittingly done in the manner sug
gested by the Senate bill, and to tn
successful contamination of that un
dertaking, should the undivided enel
gies of the country be from this time OF
directed without divergence into tin
realms of the unreal, the sentimental
or the unattainable.