Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1892-10-27
NOT EXACTLY NEWS.
A Few General Remarks and Familiar
Reflections

Though the campaign this year is un
usually quiet. it is none the less earnest
and thoughtful The Presidential con
test of 1892 will mark an era in American
politics. Causes there are, it is true, fol-
quiet and placid campaign. The Home
stead troubles, the battles in Tennessee
and at Buffalo, the great cholera scare
the New Orleans prize fight, and the uni.
versal celebration of Columbus Day, have
all filled the newspapers with other
things than politics, and diverted the at
tention of the country. But events OF
the same importance have marked the
periods of other Presidential campaigns
The fact that these occurrences should
this year fill in the place of the political
demonstrations of former years means
simply that the American people are
taking more note of events. Those
events are placed before them more
vividly than ever before by the increas-
ing enterprise of the daily press. The
people are thinking instead of shouting,
They have come to see the vanity of pO-
litical pyrotechnics. They stay at home,
read and think for themselves. Under the
apparent apathy there is deep current
of political earnestness.
Every city, village and hamlet from
the Passamaquoddy to the Golden Gate
celebrated with more or less clatter on
last Friday, the four hundredth anniver-
sary of the discovery of America. End
less professions tramped until every foot
was blistered, while the orator who had
no job on that day has since announced
his retirement from the business. Mil
lions of dollars were spent for decora-
tions, while millions more went up
in smoke. Alongside of that day the
Fourth of July is not to be mentioned.
All this hubbub was caused by the doings
of the late Christopher Columbus. About
400 years ago this man Columbus sailed
across the Atlantic, and as the Bahama
Islands were directly in his path, of
course he ran against them. Later he
bumped up against the coast of South
America. He himself did not claim to
have dol anything great, but since then
people have insisted upon giving him the
credit for discovering America. The
fact is that America was discovered 500
years before Columbus saw it. The
Norsemen had made repeated trips
to the eastern coast of the United States,
from Maine to New York Bay, and pos
sibly as far south as Virginia. They
planted colonies and built stone tower
at Newport, and the bodies of the Morse
men who died here have been unearthed
in Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. A
plague swept the Morse colonies out of
existence, but certain it is that Lief
Erickson was the first white man to land
on the shores of North America.
Now history recounts that previous to
this voyage of discovery Columbus visit
ed Iceland, and it is probable while there
he heard legends of the land to the west
ward. Thus when he set sail it was only
on voyage of rediscovery. He did only
what had been done 500 years before. In
such an event he is entitled to much less
credit than the world accords him, and
all this racket is to the honor of man
"a hero only in Imagination.
The occupant of the highest office in
the gift of the greatest nation on earth,
+fsaa oh &c no of
soaring political ambition, sits to day in
abject grief by the side of coffin, realiZ
ing how little earthly greatness may con-
sole heart smitten by the rod of the
Omnipotent Young Harrison married
Mrs. HARRISON when they were both
young-the then Miss Carrie Scott, ,daugh
ter of College principal at Oxford, O.,
being but Is years of age. They were
then poor and unknown, and the young
mans struggle with circumstances was
effectively aided by his practical and &C
complished wife. When they together
had met and overcome the difficulties of
life, and stood together at the very apex
of honor and proud position, the hand
of death is laid on one partner, and the
other is left to pursue alone what career
destiny may have in store for him. From
the nature of his position he must more
keenly than the majority of men feel the
vanity of all human attainment, and the
mockery of gratified ambition. For be
yond and infinitely above the wishes of
personal ambition are the affections that
link individual to individual in this life.
Compared with these high instincts am
bition is but Insignificant in aim, and
ashes in attainment. Defying the decay
of the body and the ruin of the mind
at the totterlng verge of the grave, they
are yet pure, warm and golden.