The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-08-25
Popular Fallacles::

POPULAR FAllacleB.
Mrs. Frank Leslie, in writing of popu.
lar fallacies, gives bit of information
about the discovery of America, which is
not generally known:
One of the most astonishing facts in
this very astonishing world is the persis-
tence shown by people Of every nation
and every tongue in perpetusting certain
platitudes, truisms and stupidities. Ger
tain foolish proverbs are to be found in
nearly every language, and generation
after generation repeats them with an
owl-like solemnity suitable to the first
enunciation of a profound and newly dis.
covered truth.
For Instance, the proverb that "a roll.
ing stone gathers no moss" implies that
no man should try to improve his condi.
ton by seeking new fields Of effort. It
is just as true to-day as it ever was, but
if in 1S49 some millions Of men hearing
of gold in California had announced to
each other, "a rolling stone gathers no
moss" and settled comfortably down in
the moss of New England farms, or in
Pennsylvania and New Jersey swamps,
the world would not have been 80 veal
thy to-day w it has come by the rolling
of those enterprising stones. So with
Kimberly and its diamond fields, so with
Australia, and so with all explorers and
adventures by land OF sea. They are
talking largely now Of celebrating the
discovery of America by Columbus, and
would suggest that over the statue, sure
to be elaborately displayed, should be 3
scroll with the motto, "a rolling stone
gathers no moss.''
But speaking Of Columbus reminds me-
of another peculiar platitude grown into
not truism, but falseism, if I may
coin word, and that is our habit of sen.
timentalizing over the discovery of
America by Columbus, when in point of
fact it has been clearly and repeatedly
proven that the Norsemen, notably Red
Eric and his son Left, not only discovered
America 400 years before Columbus was
born, but made permanent settlement
in Greenland, explored the coast line as
far south as Long Island, and named it
from its abounding growth Of wild grapes,
Vineland.
They furthermore wrote of their dis.
coveries and they we're placed on record
in the famous Heimskringia, and the
veddas, those great Morse records to be
still seen in the library at Copenhagen,
and which doubtless were studied by
Christopher Columbus when he visited
Iceland, some 400 years after the record
of the voyages of Eric and Left. That
he did thus visit Iceland is proved by q
letter written by him to his son Fer
nando, mentioning in SO many words
that in February, 1477, his father visited
the Island and noted the great rise and
fall of the tides. Not only is this letter
published in various historical collec-
tions, but the younger Columbus has
embodied it in. the biography of his
father, called "vita dell admirylia Chris
toforo Colombo" We all have been
taught that Columbus was an industrious
student of the travels written by explor-
ers of his own and previous times, and
his son especially mentions that "his
searching mind sought out the writings
of Adam of Bremen"
Now Adam Of Bremen's principal work
treats largely of the Morse discoveries in
the new world, and especially of the
tract called Vineland, known to us as
New England; and tits almost certain
that Christopher Columbus, having read
this account and intending to prosecute
the search for riches in the new world,
went to Iceland to study the records OF
former navigators and try to make more
out of the expedition than they had done.
Naturally he took all the glory that he
could, and, as people have done ever
since the world began, che built upon
another mans foundation" without tax.
ing any especial pains to give him the
credit of it. The uncertainty of the
voyage was naturally very great, and we
can we'll imagine that with only the
vague and general directions left behind
by the Eries ss guides the great naviga'
tors anxiety was intense and his landfal
very uncertain.
Nobody objects to Christophers re-
ceivil,g all the glory and all the pcsthu-
NOUS honors which the Chicago exposi.
ton chooses to give him, but it is time
that the world left off asserting that h
MAS the discoverer of America, especially
as he never set ft X on tho continent
while Lett, the son of Eric, came t
stay" and was buried upon che coast o
Massachusetts,, With cross at his heat
and another at his feet.
But although the facts so briefly refer
red to are patent to all men who choose
to stop into q library and look them ~
for themselves, the world will go calml!
on for several hundred years more speak
ing of Columbus as the discoverer o
America merely because it has done 81
| for the 400 last years.
RelieYes In MadstOnes.