New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-13
I DAY or PAGEANIS.

4 DAY or PAGEANTS.
If anything had been lacking in the previous
festal days of New Yorks gala week, the meas
ure of public rejoicing and holiday revclry
was brimming full when the most splendid
military and civic parade ever witnessed IN
this country III peace times was followed by
a night pageant of tlanScendcnt brlllancy.
Elaborate professions have been frequently
PLANNED in this town, but never before have
there been 20. 600 men i'll line marching from
10 o'clock until SundoWn. 1t was Il unique
demonstration, unriyalled in the magnitude OF
the forces concentrated in marching order, III
the concOuIse of natonalitieS represented IN
the long column, in the range and variety OF
spectacular effects and in the hundreds OF thou
sands of spectators maSScd along the route.
The night pageant while less impressive in the
length Of The column and in the number of
men in line, was radiant in color, artistic and
essentially original IN design, luminous with
electric fire and myriad lights and altogether
gorgeous and bewildcring in picturesque effects
Newly Ork made a laborcd, and not who'll!
successful attempt in 1883 to introduce ale
gorica floats in a street pageant, but III this
Columbus carnival il has surpassed the MardI
Gras of New Orleans and the best town shows
of st. Louis. With perfect weather from be
ginning to end, the most taStciully executed
the bcst-organzed and the most enjoyable
series Of pagcants and holiday rcyolS ever
known OH this continent has been brought To a
close.
At the end of festival such Staid, psoSaic
Knckcrbocker New-YoIk has never before
witnessed, one incongruouS feature of the pop
uar rejocngs is to be noted. BY naval, nil
itary, civic and religious parades and by dense
~ crowded streets brilliantly adorned. flooded
with electric LIGHT and illuminated with gilt
tcring pageants have been celebrated the
achievements of hero who, while he lived, was
without honor in his OWN country. and whose
triumphs in Spain were tran>it0Iy and unreal.
The career Of Columbus was deeply Swallowed
with adye >jy. and crowned after mlny yici>>i-
tudes with obloquy and neglect. One brief
period of triumph there was when PalOs re-
ceivCd him with accamationS after his return
from the first voyage, and when he entered
Barcelona like a Roman conqueror escorted 10
the court by a cayalcade OF Spanish hidalgocS
and accompanied by troop of Indians bear
ING the fruits and treasures Of the New World.
So caprc!ouS was fortune that this was the
only popular greeting which he ever received.
From his second voyage Columbus returned
clad As penitcnt, giIdlcd with the cord OF the
Franci,canS and bearing tidings Of disaster.
From his third voyage he arrived at Cadiz a
prisoner in chains, and with the iron entering
into his soul. After his fourth voyage along
the Central American Coast, and his >hpwrccIl
in Jamaica he landed almost without notice and
Ia ;,..t L
hi, remaining days in ObScurilF and neglect.
His death in Nallldolid was unnoticCd so com
plctcy had his services 10 the Spanish Crown
passed out Of mind Even while he was writ
ing reproacnfu letters to his soyereigns the
honor of naming the New World was wrcsted
from him by Amcrigo Vospucc the lucltiest
newspaper reporter who ever lived.
Time at last makes all things evcn' The
Spanish Court has honored at lluelva and
Madrid the memory Of the great GenocSe
whose begging letters four hundred years ago
were not even opened. The Catholic world, by
order Of the Pope, has commcmorated with
solemn services and festal rejoicing the work
of the luckcS> navigator who was buried with
out stately ceremonial or religious pomp Tho
tomb Of Columbus at Havana is enriched with
new sculpture NOIlu. "a HIS ldInt. y w uIIh :
Fair, of uneNamplcd architectural splcndors,
and representing the industrial progress Of tho
continent which ought to have borne his name,
i, about 10 be dedicated to his memory. The
l 9th OF October has found in The metropolis Of
the New World a population recruited from
ncar and far, and holding high revel in honor
of San Salvador and all the miracles of prog
rcss Of which the sighting Of the new Indies
was the sign. so true is it that history brings
it's rcadjuStmcnt of the narrow judgments and
caplicious Injustice Of Il falliblc, preoccupicd
generation; and that in the perspective Of
centuries events and characters are seen in
their true proportions, so that the storm tossed
Cabral discovering Brazil by sheer accident
becomes an insignificant figure, and Amsrigo
Vespucci is shown to be a reed shaken by the
wind Of fantastic fortune, and the immortal
fame Of Columbus looms up in modern history
like Tencriife above the lOwlying reefs Of the
Canaries when the three caravclS set their
course westward over a dark, unknown sea-