Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-02-01

THE EOBLEMAN AT NYE'S HOUSE.
Reading carefully the biography of
Columbus we find that no one in his age
or generation could have been better
fitted for the mighty job of opening up
and booming western world than
Christopher Columbus, for he is said to
have been one Of the brightest young
liars of his time. Columbus took pre-
varication in its infancy, it is said, and
put it on its feet and made an industry
of it. He had a talent Of deceit" says
his biographer, land sometimes boosted
of it, or at least counted it a merit"
And this Is the gentleman whose name
we give to the worlds great exposition
400 years after he found US while look
ing for some one else! hate to seem
pessimisuc or speak lightly of a great
man. believe that | should speak of
Columbus with respect. as would have
wished him to refer to me if our places
had been reversed; but Oh, how sad it is
TO know that the land of Washington
George Washington. the man who would
not lie even about his circulation-that
such land, | say. should have been dis
covered by liar who represented the
pauper labor of Europe, This. | say,
pains and grieves me.
The bIographer Of Columbus also pro-
duces good evidence to show that Chris
was not by a long, long distance the
pioneer 10 the theory of the earths
spherlcity It was an idea taught by
the Pytla soreans in the Sixth century
before Christ, which was, as the ready
mathematician VIII see at once. about
1000 years before Christopher Columbus
got bis lunch put up for his great jour
ney west Two hundred years before
Christ. Crates Is said to have constructed
globe map over ten feet in diameter
and offered It rs a premium with his pa
per, SO that even in the time of our
Saviour the sphericity of the earth was
not a new thing Religious matters of
course cugrosSed the attention at that
time SO much that geography was yet in
Its infancy, but it was common talk in
Jerusalem, especially on the west side,
tuat the earth was round like ball and
composed of land and water.
IOScanelh had much to do with firing
mp Columbus to make the voyage of dis
coYery. We hear very little of Tosca-
nelll, and yet he Taught Columbus that
the earth was round like ball and fiat
tened at the poles. Toscaneli had fig
uTed ont by means of logarithms and
piece OF chalk that the circumference of
tue earth was $4,000 miles This slight
error OF 1000 miles. considering what
disadvantages he had to deal with and
also that one astronomer az late as the
sixteenth century made an error of
''OJOOJD miles IN figuring out the dis
lance Of the earth from the sun, not
even discovering the mistake till years
"lerward, when he accidentally paced
VII the distance out OF curiositv-l say
aA error Of 900 miles, ut time when
There We're so few barns upon which to
make geometrical calculations. is not
surprising
Let us now pass on rapidly to speak of
NIH- Ferdinand and Queen Isabella,
viewed IN tine light of more careful re-
search 10y the biographer of Columbus.
Is III not too bad to learn after years of
lalh and trust in Isabella, that she was
really one Of our coarsest and jayest of
lueeusa
On, what can be sadder than to catch
'cFoWned head in a mean act? What
can be more depressing than to know
luat your favorite monarch is a chump
OF jay: Oh, it is terrible! never had
Dut one such experience myself.
Our house used to be quite rendez-
yoDS Tor people of title when | was
enid Wealthy mobiles used to come to
ou' house and bring their dinners with
.ueA' We were very popular with that
SET hen they came | slept with my
parents. So did the other boys. 1 held
'nese titled people in great esteem, and
gave them my pie. But one day duke
VINO was at our place shooting grouse,
prairie chickens and cows, sat at table
ana combed his red, red whiskers with
HIS fork. That settled it with him. |
oouid not respect him after that. He
also put his teeth on the table while
speaking Of his ancestors hate that.
\ man who cannot speak freely of his
ancestors without removing his teeth at
"'o'e Is no friend of mine.
isabella, it has been said, pawned her
Jewels that Columbus might go to the
west and find new world. The his
.p''an says she did not do that. SO in
Tue woman's department of the great ex-