Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-05-15
House Of Commons, were 10 ride IL cosn.
mon every day omnibus such q they have
IL I<nndon
SMASHING AN IDOL.
Histerians say that Columbus YVES Hss
Of Many HUMAN Fraiities.
f(hf,noo TrihunA.l

OF Many HUMAN Fraiisiss
(Chicsso Tnbune.I
The determination Of the United States
10 celebrate the Tooth anniversary OF the
discovery of America has reawakened pup,
lio interest IN the life Of It's discoverer ana
has led to the publication OF mass OF
Columbian literature. One OF the moet
valuable contributions Il the recent Ire OF
Columbus by Justin Winsor. which - re-
viewed in the April No. OF the Dsdf oy
William r. Poole. The reviewer eeems 70
accept the conclusions OF the sutnor.
which are in substance that Ooiumous
was an exceedingly overrated man. a..
bad points in the life OF the Admiral, fol.
LOVING the example of the. pious son OK
Noah The tendency Of modern historians
cstsn n 10 co TO the other extreme-to
sxratista ON all the evil actions OF the
man and Judge them by the standard ot
fo-day. though his contemporaries might
have viewed them With much piacidity.
n appears. for instance. that Columbus
deserted the wife he married In Portugal
and the children be had " her ana TOOK
up with Spanish woman. oy WHOM ne
had an illegitimate son. In the life OF
Columbus alleged TO DO written by the son
IT is stated before he was discoverer ne
was a pirate, proving upon Venetian com.
meree But these things have nothing TO
do with Coiumbus's merits as discoverer.
MIR. Poole. commenting on Mr.. Winsor.
says Turner:
I" II had been we'll for the reputation OF
Columbus il he had died in 1893. when ne
returned from his first voyage. he nad
found pathway to u land beyond the
Western Ocean and although he had no
concept,op of what be had discovered IT
was the most important event IN the his
tory of the fifteenth century. His three
later voyages were miserable failures pitt
fnl record of misiortunes, blunders. cruel
ties. moral delinquences, quarreis, ana iii-
potent complainings. They added nothing
to the fund Of human knowledge OF 10 his
own" =, 40. L.. A..
c,nsIt,es and moral delinquencies of CO.
lumbus were largely those OF ms Time.
which was not an angelic one. IL Is also
true. as stated by the reviewer. that the
leaning of Columbus has been greatly
oyerrsted.n The fact that the world was q
snhere was known TO the most enlightened
OF the ancients. and many intelligent men
believed in its sphericlty at the tiine 20
lumbus sailed. The Church, however,
taught otherwise, and the mass OF the
people sided with the Church. Mr. fooie
says; Ala he,;evs that the earth was
A
a sphere. and that by sailing west he could
reach Asia. This was @ common Deiief iong
before Columbus sailed, but NOBODY mao
the courage or foolhardiness 10 attempt
the voyage, ,or;s,to mali
t,es was needed 10 test the theory, ana ne
was found in Columbus.
TIE discovery of a new world was most
fortunate accident. 1t was the outcome
Il nd an1ae1fV taking
unknown risks and perils rather tban OF
reconciliation, scientific insight, and ratio
dinaton."
lie would be equally correct to say that
Columbus saw the great commercial al
yantages which would result from the dls-
coverv of a western route to ASIA, which
was feasible one if the theories OF the
scientists were true. and that he mad sui
ficient faith in their truth to make the at
tempt. With him 1t was matter Oh
money making. If be succeeded ne eA-
nacted 70 oct rich reward. Many Others
s,nce him have wagered their lives and
fortunes on the truth OF theories. Inc
rough-and-ready rule. and perhaps the
hest one, is to praise them when they sue
coed and laugh at them when they fail,
and not to ascribe their trlumphs to goou
luck or their defeats to bad.
II ia certain that if Columbus had not
discovered America IN l49Z ~ wouiu nave
been discovered soon after by. some one
else. II is reasonably certain that, owing
to the defective geographical knowledge
of the period, whoever first sighted
America would have thought he had
reached Asia. 1t may be SAID also with
equal truth that If Vasco da Cana bad
not sailed to India some other
Portuguese would. Nevertheless, the
fact remains that Columbus was to
all intents and purposes the dis-
coverer of America, and that he
made his voyage not because he loved
perils. not to verify in the interests OF ao-
stract truth the theories of philosophers,
but because he believed on deliberate re-
Election that it would be money-making
enterprise.
His morals were shocking, his cruelty
deplorable, his motives selfish, his igno-
rance great. his greed profound, and yet II
cannot be denied that the permanent set
Element Of this hemisphere by white men
was begun by Columbus.