The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-11-12

Iueen to which q faYorab bic answers re-
;;ut,r,ned. Once more Columbus appears
b the Spanish court, once more he exs,l
plains his theory, once more he Please
lis cause and once more is denied assist
ance by the king. He turns his back |
upon the court. He viii leave Spain for
sver. But no. There cit upon lthat1i
throne two soveriRns The honor OF
Spain Is at stake. Ferdinand, the king,
may plead poverty but Isabella, the
queen, true woman that she Is, with all
the enthusiasm Of woman's heart. ex-
claims: .:Signor! Stay! I will pledge
my jewels as security for this enter
prise" From that hour Columbus had
no firmer friend than Isabella OF CASTLE,
the Catholic queen Of Spain. From that
hour be it said to the eternal honor OF
woman, the heart and soul Of the enter
prise was Isabella, the noblest woman
that ever wore crown.
In few days the eyes OF Spain were
turned upon the seaport town OF Palos.
There in the harbor rode the little fieet
that was to brave the dangers OF the mys-
ferrous ocean. Three small ships with
sails spread, colors flying, and bows
turned towards the west. From the
masthead floated gorgeous banner, EN-
blazoned With golden CROSS, symbol OF
the faith that inspired the venture.
It was a Catholic undertaking. For
if ever there was man whose heart was
a truly Catholic heart, whose nalnd was
truly Catholic mind, whose faith was
truly Catholic faith, that man was
Christopher Columbus. If ever there
was land discovered as result OF
Catholic instinct, Catholic inspiration,
Catholic enterprise, Catholic generosity,
that land is America. It was Catholic
faith that conceived the thought; twas
Catholic faith that inspired the courage;
twas Catholic faith that fired the ardor;;
twas Catholic faith that shaped the desn
tiny of that.the most sublime achievement
Of he human race. 1t is Catholic JOY that
beams from the face of Columbus, as
standing there on the deck Of the Santa
Maria gliding onward in the night, he
faucies that he sees in the distance the
fur.ive flashes of a moving light; and lis
Catholic prayer that bursts from has
lips as from the masthead rings out the
cry Of Via. !"
What tumultous feelings must have
swayed the heart of Columbus as he
waited there impatiently for the dawn.
At last his sublime mission has been ac-
complished. The land of which be has
dreamed from infancy, the land for
which he has suffered scorn, hunger
and contumely, lies there before him
yelled in darkness.
The feelings OF the great mariner DUR
ing the brief space OF time he stood there
on the deck Of his little vessel, conscious
of success and yet uncertain OF what the
morning light would reveal, must have
been intense; his heart must have been
on fire with JOY, hope, fear and uncer-
tainty. But morning came and what q
sublime picture was unveiled; sublime
id it's simplicity, the little island, nesting
there in the warm embrace Of q tropical
sea, the little island with it's verdant
slopes and singing birds, it's flowers, it's
trees and it's crystal streams, and there
upon the bright water gently careering
III the sunshine are the three, weird, bird
like ships. the message from another
world. #s<t
We hear the rafting of the chains and
the iron anchors for the first time plunge
into that glistening sand We, see the
naked savages filled with wonderment
and fear standing on the high ground;
we see the sailors man the boats and pull
for the shore; we see Columbus step
upon the land, we see him kneel and
bray, and kiss the sand upon the beach
ana plant a cross of wood. And then
orc, lee him draw his good old sword and
IL thg name Of SPAN and God and hui
manitysstrike 1t deep into that virgin
soil. 'Tsyas simple ceremony; but OF
what treu3sendous significance! To Fer
dinand ana Isabella was given an en-
piire. to the world 9 hemisphere, to Col
umbus Immortality and to mankind
America.
Oht coulI ia have been possible on
that bright October morning, Tor that
white haired malriner On the beach to
have realized the magnitude of the work
which he had Accomplished: to have
,,aarad into the fnttare and seen rising be-
fore h;s enrapturesi gaze, cities, states
and declarations Of free men; could ii have
been possible for ham TO witness ' ss = tnis
day; to see the repre1,, entatives OF an en-
lightened world con.szregating in the he
home OF freedom and Offering tribute to
his memory; to hear through the rum
bling echoes Of four hundred years, the
murmurs OF applause and benedictlon
L.xl.., e,o~o 49, in7VArGEi heart