Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-10-28

inefficient rays over a century Of darkness There
are difficulties in the way Of our forming Just
estimate of the real greatness of Columbus our
extensive and intimate knowledge of the greater
part of the habitable world, facilities of tray
81 from one quarter of il to another, constitute
one of these difficulties. We must 20 back In i'm
! agination to the time when this knowledge and
these facilities did not exist if we would do just
/ ice to the unwayeriBg faith and iudomtabe reso
! luton Of columbus. We must conceive of the
civilized world as it was when the of the wool
! cpmber of Genoa first sailed as a boy on the wa
| ters of the Mediterranean, whose waves had
washed the borders of the greatest empires Of the
world, which, in succession, caused their power 10
| be felt in countries limited by that sea. But
scarcely any knowledge Of the countries beyond
! 1t had been acquired during the many centuries in
! which these empires had been rising and passing
| away. Almost nothing was known OF Africa, aO-
! solutely nothing was known OF the earth's west
! ern hemisphere. European merchant ships
| brought from India their most important CargOcs,
and the attention Of Europe was thereby di.
rected to those regions of the East The century.
| too, was an awakening age OF enterprise; It had
| foTebodings of coming events of great signiti-
canoe. It's hopes ana expectations had been
| stimulated into quicker action by the reports OF
| mariners and navigators, who brought back from
eastern countries great possessions aud tales Of
| magnificent cities of untold wealth there. The
| discovery of the mariners compass and the ap.
plication Of the astrolabe to the purposes Of nav
igation supplied fresh facilities for the solution Of
the problem of Il passage to this rich Storehouse
of the East. The adventurous subjects of Henry
". of Portugal sailed along the western coast OF
| Africa to its furthest southern prOmontory. But
| while this and similar expeditions were in prog
| reSS the thought OF reaching ludd IN an opposite
direction by the passage of the Atlantic westward
had filed the mind of Christopher Columbus. and
| before the tidln Is were brought back to Europe
that Nasco de Cana had found the course to In
| dia bv tine Cape of Good Hope, Columbus had un-
! furled the flag of Spain to wave upon the shores
| of the western hemisphere The purpose 10 prove
! his belief that the earth was gloNe, which II was
/ possible to journey round, aud To- find the new
! route haunted HIM like mighty passion, and ev-
/ prythiug was made TO bend tOlts accomplishment.
For Il years this man of superlative genius this in
tGepld soul, inspired by great and original idea,
| was compelled To wander from city 10 city, and
country to ecu try, and court 10 court, 70 offer
the certain greatness and wealth, of which he was
| confident, to any country that would foster the
enterprise. As We see him, through these years,
ridicued and neglected and disappointed, and yet
with ever increasing faith in his cause, utterly un-
comparable though opposed 10y all the world, We
feel that he is the most persistent man Of enter
prise of whom history has preserved the record
The speaker alluded briefly in passing to visits
to various courts and palaces to lay before kings
and mobiles his plans, the wearsOme years Of
waiting. the disappointments and rebutfs, the
Couragements and cheer, including the dramatic
incident Of the queen Offering to pawn her jewels
to equip the hero an incident which furnished to
our own larkin Mead the subject for his statue of
the Queen and upon which Harriet Hosmcr Is
now working for statue TO be erected in Chicago
his final success and the hitting out and setting
sail of his little fleet his successful journey and
his subsequent trips, going ON TO say: His great
ness IL illustrated throughout the entire history
cheCkered AS his career of glory and suffering
was through II all. The first and only recogni-
ton, at once commensurate with his greatness
accorded to him on his return from the first voy
age. Upon his arrival at Palos he had sent report
to the king and queen. When the answer came
back he could read in the inscription what a gra-
cous reception awaited him, for it read. ITO Don
Christopher Columbus, our admiral on the seas
and ycerOy and governor of the islands discover
ed in the Indies" His journey to the court at
Barcelona was like that Of a conQueror upon his
march of triumph. He came into the presence Of
the sOvereigus, their mobiles and courers, all fell
on their knees and joined IN the eNulting strains
| of ''Ie Deum laudamus.' II was at this meeting
that the coat of arms upon the badges We are
wearing today was assigned 10 Columbus. In
this coat Of arms the honor was conferred upon
him of quartering the royal arms, by putting in
the tEo upper fields the castle of CASTLE and the
lion Of Leon, while below to the right "A sea
full of islands and to the left five anchors, ndicat-
ing that he was admiral of the five seas. Above
was the globe and cross on the helmet, and
across il the legend, Columbus found new
world for CASTLE and Leon - Sadly turn
from this to the experience of his later life, when
as victim 10 the jealouses and intrigues of the
disappointed hidalgoes who had sail with him, he
suffered every indignlty, being twice sent back in
dlshOnOr to Spain, where, broken In health but
unsubdued in spirit and uncUnqucrable of will
he had still great hopes for the future Rest
finally came to him at Nalladolid on Ascension
day Of 1906
Lamartine has justly said: All the Characters
tics of the truly great man are united In Colum
BUS genius, labor, patience, o6scurity OF origin
overcome by energy of Will, mild but persistent
trmness, long conception of the idea in solitude,
heroic execution of II in action, intrepidity and
GOODNESS in storm, life risked without hesitation
or retrospect in venturing out into the unknown
and phantom-Teopled ocean on which the first
step no more allowed of second thought than
CAESARS passage of the Rubicon, untiring study,
knowledge as extensive as the science of his own
day skilu but honorable management of courts
to persuade them to truth, nobleneSs and dignity
in outward bearing, language adapted to the
grandeur of his thoughts, eloquence which could
J convince kings and quell the mutinY of his crews
and natural poetry S1style which placed his
narrative ON par with the wonders of his dis
coveries and the marvels of nature they revealed
His influence on civilization was unreasonable
He completed the world and realized the physical
unity OF the race His work was too great to have
been wOrthily rewarded even by affixing his name
l to the continent NE discovered. But though the
fourth continent perpetuates the name of the Ita
ian Amergo, yet will the race, drawn together
and cemented by the discovery of Columbus
! spread his renown over the face of the whole
earth, and his praises viii be sung 10y earths last
, born generations.
. Mr.. G. A. Hines was next introduced
, and read an original poem, a columbian
? lyric which we give herewith in full. He
.. too, gave his word of appreciation and
praise of the days exercises, saying that in
all the days he has spent here, in the town