The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-10-28


But for the first, Columbus would never have
sailed. but for the second, there would have
! been no place for the planting. the nurture and
the expansion of civil and religious liberty.
The anarchy and chaos which followed tbs
/ breaking up Of the Roman empire necessarily
produced the feudal system. The people pre-
J ferring slavery TO humiliation by rcbber chiefs
/ became the vassals of territorial lords. The
! reign of physical force is one Of perpetual
! struggle for the mastery. Power which rests
upon the sword neither shares nor limits its
| authority. The king destroyed the lords, and
! the monarchy succeeded feudalism- Neither OF
! these institutions considered or consulted the
I people They had no part, but TO suffer or die
! in this mighty strife Of masters for the mas
! terry. But the throne, by its broader view and
! greater resources, made possible the construc
ton of the highways of freedom. Under its
! banner races could unite and petty principali
/ ties be merged, law substituted for brute force
/ and right for might l. founded and endowed
/ universities, and encouraged commerce. Il
! conceded no political privileges, but uncon
4 sciously prepared its subjects TO demand them
/ Absolutism in the state, and bigoted intoler-
/ ance in the church, shackled popular unrest
\ and imprisoned thought and enterprise in the
! fifteenth century The divine right of kinCs
| stamped out the faintest glimmer Of revolt
! against tyranny; and the problems OF science
whether of the skies or of the earth, whether OF
1
merged by ecclesiastical DEGREES. The dungeon
was ready fo- the philosopher who proclaimed
the truths OF the solar system, or the navigator
who would prove the sphercity Of the earth.
An English Gladstone, or a French Gambetta,
or a German Bismarck. or an Italian Garibaldi,
or Spanish CASTELAR, would have been thought
monsters, and their deaths at the stoke, or on
the scaffold, and under the anathcrnas OF the
church would have received the praise and ap
proval of kings and mobiles of priests and PEG
pies. Reason had no seat in spiritual or tenn
poral realms. Punishment was the incentive
TO patriotism. and piety was held possible by
torture. Confessions OF faith extorted from
the writhing victim on the rack we're believed
ef1ieaciOus in saving his soul from fires eternal
beyond the grave For all that humanity to-
day cherishes as its best heritage and choicest
gifts, there was neither thought nor hope
Neither realism nor romance furnishes a
more striking and picturesque figure than that
of Christopher Columbus. The mystery about
his origin heightens the charm of his story.
That he came from among the toilers of his
time is in harmony with the struggles of our
period.
The perils of the sea in his youth upon the
rich argosies Of Genoa, or in the service of the
licensed rovers who made them their prey, had
developed skillful navigator and intrepid
mariner. They had given him glimpse of the
possibilities OF the unknown. beyond the high
ways Of travel, which reused an uncomfortable
thirst for adventure and research. The study
OF the narratives of previous explorers, and
diligent queStiouings of the daring spirits who
had ventured far toward the tabled west. grad
ually evolved n theory, which became in his
mind SO fixed a fact, that he could inspire
others with his passionate beliefs The words,
that is lie,' written by him on the margin of
nearly every page of a volume OF the travels OF
Marco Polo, which is still 10 be found in a
Genoese library, illustrate the skepticism Of
his beginning, and the first vision of the new
world the fulfilment Of his faith
To secure the means to test the truth Of his
speculaiOns, this poor unknown dreamer. must
win the support of kings and overcome the hos
tility Of the church He never doubted his
ability TO do both, though he knew of no man
living who was so great IN power, OF lineage, or
learning that he could accomplish either. After
I'm years of disappointment and poverty, sub
sisting most OF the time upon the charity Of the
enlightened monk Of the convent OF Ribida who
was his urfaItering friend. he stood before the
throne OF Ferdinand and Isabella His unshak-
able faith, that Christopher Columbus was
commissioned from Heaven both bv his name
ana oy Divine command 10 carry Christ across
the sea- to new continents and pagan peoples,
lifted him so far above the discCuragements OF
an empty purse and contemptuous court that
he was proof against the rebuHs Of fortune or
OF friends. To conquer the prejudices Of the
clergy. to win the approval and financial sup
port of the state, TO venture upon that unknown
ocean, which. according 10 the teliefs of the
age, was peOplCd with demons and savage
beasts of frightful shape. and from which there
was no possibility OF return. required the zeal
Of Peter the Hermit, the chivalric courage OF
the Cid and the imagination Of Dante Column
bus belonged to that high order Of cranks, who
confidently walk where angels fear to tread"
and often become the benefactors Of their coun-
try, or their kind
The mighty soul of the great Columbus was
undNunted by the ingratitude OF princes, and
tn. hostility Of the people. By Imprisonment
and neglect He died "a he was securing means
and preparing campaign for the rescue of the
holy sepulchre at Jerusalem from the inddeL
He did not know what time has revealed, that
while the mission Of the cruSades of Godfrey
OF Bouillon and Richard OF the Lion Heart was
bloody and fruitless romance. the discovery
OF America WAS the salvation Of the world. The
one was the symbol. the other the spirit: the
one DEATH the other life The town OF the
Saviour was a narrow ana empty vault precious
only for its memories OF the supreme tragedy
of the centuries but tbs new continent was 10
be the home aud temple OF the living GOD
The development Of tn. eolonialse1periment
in English domain makes this day m emorsble
II is due TO the wisdom and courage. tho faith
and virtue of the inhz bitants Of this territory
that government of tbs people, fer the people and
BY The people Was inaugurztsd. and has become q
triumphant success Tbs Puritan settled in
New England and the Cavalier In the south
Tasy represented the eppos;tes Of spiritual aud
temporal life and opinions. The processes Of
liberty liberalizcd tbs ons asa elevated the
other. Washington ana Adams vere the new
types Their union in common cause gave
the world a republic both stable sad free. II
possessed conservatism without bigotry, and
liberty without license 1t founded institutions
strong enough TO resist rsvslutioH and elastic
enough for indefinite extension to meet the re-
quirements in eovernRsns of ever enIarSing
areas Of population ana the needs Of progress
and growth
The Msyiower. with the Pilgrims, and
Dutch ship laden with African Slaves. we're on
the ocean AZ the same time, the enc ailing for
Massachusetts, and the other for Virginia This
company OF saints, and first cargo OF slaves,
the forces which were TO peril and
rescue free government The SLAYER was the
product OF the commercial spirit Of Great Brit
ain. and the greed OF the times to stimulate
production in the colonies The men who wrote
IN the cabin OF the nayfover the FIRST charter
Of freedom. D government OF just and equal
laws. were a little band of Protestsnts against
every form Of injustice and tyranny. The |
leaven OF their principles made possible the |
OF independence, liberated the |
slaves, and founded the free commonwealths |
which form the republic of the United States
The time has arrived for both a closer union. |
and a greater distance between the old world |
and the new. The former indiscriminate vel |
come TO our prairies, and the present invitation /
TO these palaces Of art and industry, mark the |
passing period Unmatched ana unhealthy i'm /
can no longer be permitted TO our |
shores. We must have i national Quarantine |
against disease. pauperism and crime. We do /
s.zs.s..
houses or our Jlils. We cannot admit those 4
who come to undermine our institutions, and /