Los Angeles herald., 1892-10-19
wn1rrrN BY JAMES J. Ayers.

Four centuries backward let us turn our gaze
To one OF Andalusla's sheltered bays,
And there behold the touching opening scene
u hon drama whcn since then has been
The wonder of the world-a step sublime
Whose echoes ring along the shores OF me-
Before thy convent gates, oh Rabidal there
A suppiiant figure who'e deep sorrow lends
An added lustre to his teal dim med yes
As he recount is how his grand enterprise
Was made from court TO court the scoff and jeer
OF parasites that guard a monsrch's ear.
To Father Ju,u Indignant he relates
How ali hi efforts, foiied by these iugrates,
Had come to naught, and here, In desp'rate
He. wi, h his boy, begs shelter for the night;
At msrn. refreshed, he'll take parting glance,
long, last LOOK at Spain, then ho for Francel
The ho,v man shows keenly his distress
That failed the suit he'd urged his friend to
On CASTLES queen, for hs-good friar,he
Was wise ID charts and close In syn pathy
With Colon's che ish'd plan to ha Fly gain
Anew and peopled world for Church and 5pain
He struggled with his friend TO bresk the spell
That bade him qnickly shake The Spanish dust
From off his shoes and in his powers to trust
That mus dispel or prove his life long dream.
"wait, Colon, wait" the perplexed frlar cried,
My power to plead Il shall f-il to bring
Her majesty TO sway the consort king
To grant thy suit, and place at thy command
All needed means to seek the unknown land.
"Thou know'st that ere to Rabida came
She was my priestly ward, and in thrists name
I'll charge her by her proselyt ting zen!
To aid thee in thy pious task, aud feel
That heather millions now be, o d the sea
Shall unto Hol, Church be brought by thee"
The good frar sped; and pleaded on his knees
The glory Of her re gu. If in those seas
Colon should lind world AS yet unknown
, o ring as uibdtary to her throne,
Whilst countless souis in darkest heatheness.
Redeemed in Christ, her name should ever bless.
His mission with success was haply crowned,
And hast ing b ,ck to Rahida ne found
The abs ofb'd Colon porting DER his charts.
Diviaing h. re and there the. vari sus parts
OF known cosmography, till In the western
He poanls with triumph to mapped-out place.
The sanity man salutes his enrapt guest,
And Isabei's sweet name devoutly blest,
For she had granted all he we 1T to ask,
And now Colon could set h bout his task ;,
To find those Indian isles on As as shore
And maze his name renowned forevermore.
But little else of this historic tale z
I'll change from prose to grace my halting
Columbus with his caravels set sail
And brsvely left the then known worlds CON
fines.
He reached not Ind, but piously unfurled
Chrisl's radiant banner in new-found world
Embalmed in verse, no epic of the seas
With thine compares, oh wOndrous GenOese!
Who from the subtitle dDres OF thy brain,
Bid rise continent which dark had lein
From Adams time, tills thou conceived the
That gave an unknown world to Liberty and
Man.
uryoe SOD hof0ra w fame
We bow the hea thy thrice illuslious name
We hail with glow OF grateful hears, and now
Commemorate the gran d emprise which hou-
Despite of ourtiers' gibes and envy's hate
Achieved, to raise man from his low estate.
Thy spirit rose above their SCOTS, thy mind
Knew that, predestined, thou should one day
A home for Man which no prescriptive wrong
With iron hand could reach-where from the
throng
So lush and new 80 spsciou-, fertile, grand.
That hoaT oppress on, with tyrannic laws,
Would Shrink away before tn ad vancins cause
OF human rights-a land wnose millions now
A song Of endless praise to Gods eternal
throne!
Through ages man had slept in chains and
A new world rose-he viudicates his right!
To thee. Columbus, what a debt we owel
Thou sol ed the problem of thy races woe;
Gave homes and freedom to the patriot brave
Whom old world tyrauts gladly wou enslaye
Gave to expstriate man virgin soil
Whose bounteous fruits reward the hand OF
Raised his moral nature, widened his domain
Made him bold in striving 10 reach higher
To reach nobler standard, loftier height Of
mind
To set a godlike stature as the model of man