The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-09-30
rROTWOOD's MISCELLANY.
Celebration Of Columbus Day.

The celebration of Columbus Day,
October 2I-t, will DO duly observed at
McDowelI's School and an interesting
programme, appearing in another col
uinn, has been arranged by the teachers
for that occasion.
There are over ten million of school
children in the United States, and it is
rather a pleasant subject to think that
on that day so many Of them VIII ap-
propriately celebrate this occasion.
Little did Columbus suppose when he
started on his periious voyage to dis
cover q new route to the gold fields Of
India, that things better than gold
should come after him; that he would
discover a country which, IN after
years, would be the seat of Liberty and
hold within it's borders a race of people
whose very children would know more
of scientific knowledge than the wisest
men of Europe; and within whose little
minds WAS stamped q love of political
and religious liberty which the proud
est courtier of the cringing courts OF
Europe dare not foster and retain his
head. How the world has advanced!
At that time only the learnedhad any
idea that the world was round and
everything beyond the cape of Good
Hope was terra i1lcOg1litG, filed with
frightful inimals; or an endless sea,
whose dank and dead waters glittered
IN the sultry sun and bred pestiiential
fears, whose breath went up to the
flickering lights OF heaven.
How great has been the change, and
all depending on this one voyage and
on the unsafe aud hardly sea-worthy
tubs of vessels!
Columbus voyage means more than
the ordinarily thoughtful person has
ever considered. 1t not only changed
the political status of the world, but the
intellectual status as well. 1t was the
beginning of an era, the results OF
which, viewed in comparison with :he
past ages, we may now term golden
Whom his insignificant vessels turned
their slow-going prows toward the sOt-
ting sun, and the low sad chant of the
Spanish sailors arose i'll farewell song
to their vine-grOwing land, the whole
scene was as the solemn music OF
Times grim Orchestra, before which
The curtains of the superstitious and lE-
norant past came down, to be rolled
back again a few centuries later, to the
music Of nlusketry from the trenches
of Bunker Hill.
1t is proper then that Americans
should celebrate this occasion. Column
| Ius was as much divine instrument
as was any prophet of Old. 1t was not
his skill alone which kept the weak YES
! sells in The true path; it was not his
courage alone, however undaunted 1t
was, which kept down the mutiIous
| spirit of his cowardly sailors; nor was ii
the wisdom of his eagle eye which saw
across the tracklers ocean the shining
! shores OF "the one land of the free
| No; he was but the instrument OF a
| Just and righteous God, whose solemn
dictate had gone forth that man should
now be free. And as the bright sails OF
lis valiant little boats floated like sea
gulPs wings before the sweet breath OF
the blessed trade Winds" they were
guided by Hand which ever guides
the right and directed by the Eye which
notes even the sparrow's fall.
"He who, from zone to zone,
Guides through the boundless sky thy
| certain fight
In the long way that 1 must tread
alone
VIII lead my steps Alright"
In honoring Columbus we but honor
God; and tits mete and proper thai
school children lead, for did He not say
"SufTer little children to come unto me
and forbid them nOt?"