The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-10-22
iunahOu Cei, br tes the 4O0th
Anniversary Of Americas
Discovery. Il
DR.. Lyons Makes An Able
address.

ands of American schools by com /
memorating in simple way the dis
covery of the Western Continent.
AT the Preparatory School the ex
ercises were by the pupils and con-
sisted of appropriate selections,
which ended very pleasantly with the
announcement of part holiday.
At Punahou proper Professor Hos
mer spoke graphically of the dan
gers and fears Columbus had to face
in his voyage, and pictured wildly
the supreme moment Of his life. The
other teachers followed with stirring
words on Columbus. One read from
Lowell:
zone day with life and heart,
Is more than enough to find world"
Another from A FL. Clough:
"What if wise men had, as far back
as Ptolemy,
Judged that the earth like an orange |
was round;
None of them said, come along, follow |
Sail to the West and the East will be
found.
Many day before,
Ever they'd come ashore
From the San Salvador,
Sadder and wiser men,
They'd have turned back again;
And that he did not, but did cross the
sea,
Isa pure wonder, must say, to me-"
One speaker dwelt on Columbus
perseverance, and one suggested the
world of devoted life each might
discover While all the parts were
good, DIR. Lyons's speech was the
feature of the hour, and it is sub
Joined in full. Attention is called to
the end where he has alluded to the
Hawaiian Columbus, thus linking
with Spain and America, fair Hawaii
nei
The school had furnished music in
the shape of patriotic songs, but
they took even heartier share in the
applause which greeted Mr.. Hosmer's
revelation of "three-quarter holt
day"
DIR. LYONS SPEECH.
It great event we commemorate
to-day. Just four hundred years ago
Christopher Columbus realized the
hopes and expectations which week
after week had urged him onward
into unknown wastes of ocean. From
that day human history entered upon
new era-one of marvellous growth
and expansion. So we delight to
dwell upon the achievement, and to
do honor to the man whose courage
and indomitable will bore down every
obstacle and reached its end.
The greatest marvel of the achieve
ment, as we look back upon it from
our nineteenth century standpoint
is that SO venturous an undertaking
with such inadequate equip
ment-was not fore-doomed to fail
ure. What Columbus lacked in his
outfit is that which has impressed
me most strongly in recurring to thu
history of his memorable voyage
Some things we may be sure Were
wanting among the provisions lait
in for the voyage. There were Ger
tainly no potatoes either sweet Pc
tatoes, or what we miscall Irish pota
toes-simply because these were, a
yet, known only to the people of tn
new world. For the same reason
we are sure that there were nc
among the stores any corn meal, an
boned turkey, and chilli sauce c
tomato catsup Tor canned tomatoes
Most likely those Spanish sailor
had with them some chestnuts-an
mouldy enough they were, no doub
before the end of the voyage-bl
YOU would not have seen on the dec
of the San Maria any peanut shucl
neither would you have found
all that crew of sixty-s men OF
who smoked or chewed tobacco.
the long, lonely, dark night watche
not one of those seamen comfort'
himself with cigar, cheroot, pipe
fine cut.
But there were other things
greater consequence which Colu1
bus did not have. No navigator
day would venture out of sight.
land without copy OF the nautlt
almanac and good treatise on ma
CATION. Columbus had neither.
did not even have patent medlcl
almanac. Some sort of calendar
must have had-whether PRINT
card or stick notched and marx
with symbols such as We're comm'
" used in those days in England
do not know, but that 1t was aW
behind the times, we do know W
certainty, for all the world at t
time employed the method of reck
ing time introduced fifteen centul
before julius Caesar. So 1t happier
that Columbus entered in his log
date October II as that Of the {
when he first sighted land, wher
we celebrate this 2lst day OF U
Der as the anniversary of that ev'
1t is easy to explain the dlscrepal
julius Caesar decreed that eV
fourth year should have 366 d
assuming that there are
days in year. In fact,
wear is more than IL MINI