Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-22
PITTsBURG. SATURDAY. OCT. -, 1892.
TWELVE PAGES
DISCOVERY DAY DISCOVERED.

The celebration of Discovery Day in
Pittsburg and Allegheny yesterday pro
duced the largest parade ever drawn
from purely local sources, and at
tracted the attention of crowd of on
lockers of corresponding magnitude.
Great credit is due to the organizers, man
ayers and participants in the display,
especially when the shortneSs of the time
allowed for preparation is taken into con-
sideration. The whole OF the two cities
was practically. given up to jubilation
throughout the entire day and far into
the night Business was relinquished
wherever possible, and almost forgotten
for the time being. Quiet, staid-looking
buildings Haunted themselves in brilliant
ribbons, and wore a holiday garb in keep
ing with all the other outward and visible
signs of the prevalent spirit of rejoicing.
Pittsburg's demonstration of pride in
country and thankfulness for the pos
session of prosperous homes and free in
stitutions takes a high place among the
national celebrations which are the out
come of four hundred years of being.
Other men of more or less enterprise
and civilization touched az various points
on this hemisphere, but it was left to
Columbus to prove himself the practical
discoverer by exploiting and developing
what he found. In the expressive COLO
quialism of modern times, Christopher
Columbus may be not inaptly described
as the first of the progressive class of
"boomers" which since his time has done
so much to set forth and open up the ca
pabilities and resources of this country.
There was quite good deal of that prac-
tical enterprising spirit in Columbus,
knowing and making the most of good
thing when it sees it, that is
so striking characteristic of the
American race to-day. 1t is four
hundred years ago since the far
sighted italian navigator landed
after his hazardous and perilous voyage
The anniversary fell on the 18th of this
month by the old style of reckoning, and
on the 21st if calculated by the modern
calendar. New York chose to recognize
the former date as the conventional four
hundredth birthday of the country, while
Pittsburg, Chicago, Baltimore and other
cities made their celebrations culminate
yesterday.
1t is not merely the fame of Columbus
that is the object of the jubilations of this
time; it is also the enormous growth of
these lands which has transpired since the
day of his discovery. Slowly at first with
arduous effort the influx of civilization
began, and slowly it continued for many
years. But the speed of progress has in
creased at a constantly acceierating rate,
until this country is not only the
acme of all that is best and highest in the
life of to-day, but is moving on more
quickly than any of its competitors to-
ward the perfection that is still far enough
away to leave vast room for improvement
in the conditions of the human race.
Chicago's commemoration reached its
climax yesterday in the dedicatorv exer-
cises at Jackson Park. The speeches of
Vice President Morton, Henry Watterson,
Chauncey Depew and Archbishop Ireland
were filled with noble sentiment, ex-
pressed in lofty oratory best befitting the
occasion. Yesterday was formally inaug-
urated the Worlds Columbian Exposition
which is-over and above its being the most
magnificent enterprise of the kind ever
undertaken-to afford unsurpassable IA
cilities for examining and comparing the
products of this and all nations. A con-
centration of the results of mans efforts
in all the arts and industries up and down :.
the world, from the crude, primitive
struggles of the barbarian to the most
finished achievements of cultured and en-
lightened science, such as will be before
the people at Chicago next year, is the
nearest approach which can be made to
an adequate illustration of the accom-
plishments of four centuries.