Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-08-11

: Mrs. Frank Leslie, in writing o
popular fallacies, gives a bit O.
information about the discovery
, of America, which is not generally
known
: One of the most astonishing
facts in this very astonishing
world is the persistence shown by
: people Of every nation and every
tongue in perpetuating certain
platitudes, truisms and, stupidites
; Certain foolish proverbs are to be
found in nearly every language
and generation after generotior
repeats them with an owl-like
solemnity suitable to the first
enunciation of a profound and
newly discovered truth.
For instance, the proverb that
"a rolling stone gathers no moss
implies that no man should try to
improve his condition by seeking
new fields of effort. tits just as
t. to-day as it ever was, but if
in -o49 some millions of men hear
ing of gold in California had
announced to each other, a" rolling
stone gathers no moss" and
settled comfortably down in the
moss of New Englsnd farms, or in
Pennsylvania and New Jersey
swamps, the world would not have
been SO wealthy to-day as 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 adventures by,
land or sea. They are talking
largely now of celebrating the
discovery of America by Columbus
and I would suggest that over the
statue, sure to be elaborately dis
played, should be scroll with the
motto, "a rolling sotne gathers no
moss"
But speaking of Columbus.
reminds me of another peculiar
platitued grown into not a truism,
but falseism, if I may coin
word, and that is o. labit of
sentimentalizing over .ue 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 Colum-
bus was born, but made perman-
ent settlement in Greenland,
explored the coast line as far
south as Long Island, and named
it from it's abounding growth Of
wild grapes, Vinela
They furthermore wrote of their
discoveries and they were placed on
recordin 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 voyages of Eric
and Left. That he did thus visit
Iceland is proved by a 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 ouly is this letter publishad
IN various historical collections,
but the younger Columbus has |
it in the biography of
lis father, called "Vita dell ad-
niralia Christoforo Columbo." We ]
Ill have been taught that Colum
,us was an industrious student of
he travelas written by explorers
lis own and previous times, and
lis son especially mentions that
his searching mind sought out
he writings of Adam of Bremen" 9
Now Adam of Bremen's principal '
york treats largely of the Morse +
discoveries in the new world, and
specially of the tract called I
Jineland, known to us as New t
england; and it is almost certain s
hat C Christopher Columbus, having b
cad this account and intending S
o prosecuteothe search for riches t.
n the new world, went to Iceland n
0 study the records of former "
avigators and try to make more G
ut of the expedition than they \
ad done. Naturally he took all +
he glory that be could, and, as
eople have done ever since the :
'orld began, she built upon an r