Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-13
THE ORIGINAL CHRIS.
Our Proposed Worlds Fair Brings
Up Memories Of the
DIsCOYERER OF OUR CONTINENT
Historians Believe Columbus to be the
First European Visitor.
THE NATIVES GENTLE AND COURTEOUS
rwRrrrrr ron THE DrsrArcH.,

must and viii be immortalized. Human
society. like the human body, Is subject to
ep1demics. We have sentimental epidemics,
political epidemics and dramatized ro-
nance. At present certain dynamical con-
d1tions are arising where sentiment evolves
dogma and the country is resolved into a
vast debating club, and we find ourselves in
the age of polemical wrangling, and the
question, ''The site for the Worlds Fair?''
becomes the speculative epidemic. But,
leaving the decision of the important ques-
ton to the contending forces of Mammon
and sentiment, thoughts as to why we honor
the memory of Columbus obtrude them
selves. There is no achievement in the
worlds history SO worthy of glowing fame
as the great deed of Columbus. When be
set sail across an unknown sea, upon
the faith OF conviction, he did il with de-
liberate dignity of heroic purpose. What
hazardous undertaking. no telescope, nc
quadrant. The Copernican system undis.
covered. Ignorance and superstition ruled
the seamen. But on that fair October day in
1892 the first glimpse Of
AN UNKNOWN WORLD
appeared, sails were lowered, Columbus, In
crimson array, bore the Spanish flag, his
captains each a banner. and on bended
knees chanted the TIE Deum, and then with
courtly formality took possession of the new
country. It is a curious fact that the
island that made the new world a certainty
should itself remain uncertain of identified
ton for 400 years. Navarrete, Humboldt,
Irving, Bucher have each identified diff
ferent island, but of the glory of that first
entrance on the American continent there
can be no doubt.
Is it surprising that the simple natives
cried "Come and see the people from
heaven;" but were only too soon destined to
believe that their visitors were from q
scribed the innocent happiness of the
natives. 'They were no wild sayages,
shut were very gentle and courteous" he
says, without knowing what evil is, with
out killing, without stealing" These orig
inal owners gave to him a new world for
CASTLE and Leon. while in exchange he
gave to them "some glass beads and little
red caps" believing that they were more
easily made Christian through love than
fear, but the tragedy of the world began
when we find this same admiral writing to
the Spanish Majesties that he would be
able to furnish them with gold, cot
ton, spices, etc., etc., and slaves-"slavesl
As many Of them as their highness shall
command to be shipped" and thus this
land-a paradise of almost primeval beauty
and simplicity-was transformed into land
of cruel bondage, desolation and death. But
the past is forever gone, and in its stead
have come days of prosperity, highest civil
ization and nation, the noblest on the
broad globe.
Ub;1a ,aua, ,;t;,, J;,--k.l IT
being the birthplace of the divine Homer,
list Of ambitious places that as
pire to the glory of having given to the
world "ze great Christopher Columbo." In
his life, so full of illusions and strange vi
cissitudes, as philosopher, as Christian,
he belonged less to the age in which he
lived than any of his cotemporaries. He
shared the cruel prejudices of his age, but
ROSE ABOVE ITS IGNORANCE.
To him dream was revelation, and in
matters of religion he yielded blind, un-
faith. The sublime fervor of an
ardent Imagination never left him, The
son of wool comber, from desperate ad-
venturer he passed to successful discover
er, and emblazoned on his shield the royal
arms of CASTLE and Leon. He went out in
search of a new route-and found king
dom. The picturesque and romantic legends
of the "Wonderstrands" are resisted by
American antiquarians, who dislike any
thing vague or Legendary, and prefer to
think that no European visitors had come
to these shores before Columbus; but
shadowy romance does hover all around our
continent, despite the resistance of
Historians first shrank from
the innovation when the ponderous volume,
'sAntiquatates Americana" containing the
Morse legends of Vinlsnd made its appear
ance, and even yet George Bancroft will |
hardly allude to the subject and phrases the |
legends "mythological." But with Colum-
ous' discovery of America came the reyolu- |
ion OF the world, In science, in literature, |
Ind in Christianity.
For the first time the world commenced |
lsing its brains, the people awakened to the
dea of social improvement, and the dawn
IT literary activity began. Then came be-
ore the thinking Europeans the thought of
TOO MUCH OPPRESSION,
md to the free shores of America thew
anne. Savages, pestilence and poverty at
acked them. The weak yielded, but the
trong character resisted, and the result is
n uuprejudiced, independent, patriotic
)hristian nation. A review of scientific
from the time Columbus shouted
he eureka of new continent from
ne quarter deck Of the frail Pinta.
hallenges comparison with the
lost renowned genii of ancient
omance And in literature what strides
re have madel When Sidney Lanier wrote
America is going to give great new revo-
1tional democratic literature, which will
ear slouch hat and have its shirt open at
he bosom one generally riot in complete
dependence of form, ne American believed
i'm, but when Mr.. Gladstone recently pro-
aimed ''the right of America to be the
reat organ OF the powerful English tongue
very American with one voice shouts.
Viva Ia Gladstone"
Soon nations will unite with us in the
of Columbus discoveries.
trough the great navigator the Old and
le New World were linked together. "for
.tter, for worse" and as the panorama of
merican history passes before us, we see
,thing more picturesque than the period
Spanish Notwithstanding more |
agical than the pictures of the wrongs en-
lred by the native population. "a kino-
I'm as full of people as hives are of bees
here are they now? As we extend a vel
me to all nations of the globe, let us mot ;
rget the tribes we have dispossessed. wboss
has made room for our own
osperity and happiness. M. M
M. G. COHEN, diamond expert and lew.
er, formerly cor. Fifth ave. and Markst
j, now at 533 Smithfeld st.
NJ. g. COHEN, diamond expert and lew.
er formerly cor Fifth avn OIL lrSI | 4