Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-10-26

tion to the old world. 1t is certain
that Columbus, if he landed at all dur
ing his voyages on the coast on the
continent of America, did so without
knowledge of its importance, and at
place On the coast of British Hondur-
as, which has been for centuries asso-
ciated, by local tradition, with his
visit. He, however, to his last day, was
under the impression that he had only
touched upon the outlying islands
which he supposed skirted the East
Indies.
The triumphant return to Spain ano
the splendid reception accorded the
illustrIous man and his followers by
Ferdinand and Isabella at Granada, and
in the fairyl like palace of ths recently
conquered Moorish Kings, is an event
too well known to need recapitulstion.
It is enough to say that, whereas the
crafty father Of Katherine of Ara
gon figures most unenvisbly in the
story of Columbus. the generosity of
his Consort, Queen Isabella, has i'm
mortalized her name and associated 1t
forever with that of the great GenOese
who, kneeling at her feet, besought
her to accept the newly found 'Indies"
as gift worthy of her magnanimity.
The end of Columbus life was in
expressibly sad he was still in the
vigor of his lie when, worn out by IA
tigue, weighed down with sorrow,
abandoned by friends and even by foes
alike, he fell into languishing sick
ness at Nalladolid in house still
pointed ont as the scene of his death.
Tha crafty Ferdinand beheld with
calculating coldness this generous
man, sinking into premature grave,
the victim of that deferred hope which
''maketh the heart sick" A little
more disappointment, little more
neglect, a little more insolence. the
evil king seems to have thought, and
this strong man will be broken like 3
poor reed.
Yet even on his deaih-pallet COlum
bus was worthy of himself. He re-
ceIved with angelic meekness the les
son of his life. He turned with sub
lime confidence from men who treated
him with contumely, to God, to Christ,
and passed away murmurlng the very
words, ain manus tuas, commendo
spiritum, meum," which Christ spoke
in agony on His Cross.
HIS viii is a monument TO his char
acter Every item speaks for his dis.
interestedness, humility, sweetness of
nature and charity. Each line is preg-
Daut with the spirit of resignation and
justice. No one is forGotten-even the
poor jew of Lisbon, from whom yesrs
before he had borrowed a silver mark.
After very minute study of the
existing portraits of Columbus, l am of
opinion that no likeness of him, paint
ed from life exists; unless, indeed, 1t
be the faded little picture in the Cluny
Museum, which was painted, 1t Is said,
for Francis l. The reason for my max
ing this perhaps startling statement Is
that not one of these portraits, and L
have seen the greater number of them,
is in the style of contemporary art.
Moreover, the early years of Colum-
bus we're passed in Obscurity, and fe
was only for few months in a sufii-
ciently promin Mt position to warrant
his portrait being taken by any artist
Of distinction. There is no mention III
the contemporary documents of any
| portrait ever having been painted of
him. Still a number of pictures exist
Of HIM, which were possibly painted
soon after his death, and these are dis
| tiu ugUished by certain features which
are unmistakable. We are assured by
his contemporaries that he was a tall,
| well shaped man, with good features,
red hair, fair complexion, and blue
eyes.