Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-10-10
WORD OF THE LORD
Or. TalFnage on the Subiime
Motives Of Columbus.
CENTRAL FACT MEMORIAL DAY
Is TaAs ina Great Achievement Was q
Religious Discovsry-rhs y0yage
Was n Ge1Ps Name.


IMAGES discourse today Was oceasioaed
~ the Colam 30s Observance now taxing
place Ia the Overlooking audience
gers many who had come 70 the city to
participate IN the patriotic ceremonies.
The subject ~as, Half Planet, ths
text bsaag nentsroneny IL. II, Lift up
thine eyes Westward
30 God said - Moss IN Bible times,
and so 10 said 10 Christoforo ColoAbo,
the son Of a wool cember OF Genoa, more
than four hundred years ago. The ma
ticns had been looking chiefly toward
the east. The sculpture OF the world,
the architecture Of the world, the laws
u the world, the philosophy Of the
world. the civilization Of tho world, the
hzion Of tia world came from the
sass.
But while Columbus. as his name Wa
called altar 1t was Lstinixed, stood
stGdytns maps and examining globes
and reading cosmosraphy. God said To
him, Lift up thine eyes toward the
west. The fact was it must have
seemed 20 Column bus q very lopsided
world-liks = cart with one wheel, like
q scissors with one blade, like sack on
one side Of a camel. needing sack on
the other side To balance it. Here was a
bride Of world with no bridegroom.
When God makes half Of anything he
does noe stop there. He makes the other
half. We are al obliged sometimes to
leave things only half done. But God
never stops half way. because he has the
time and the power 10 so all the way.
10 not wonder that Columbus was
not satisfied with half q world. and so
went 20 work 10 find the other half The
pieces II carved wood that were hoated
% the shores Of Europe by a westerly
gale. and two dead human faces, unlike
anything be had seen before, likewise
foated from the west, were To him the
voice q God saying, Lift up thine
then. as now. had plenty of Can't-be-
dones. That Is what keeps individuals
hacx. and enterprises back. and the
church back, aud nations back-igno-
miniOus ard disgusting and Gishearten-
ing Cant-be-Dones.
Old navigators said TO young Column
bus. 1T can't be done" The republic
of Genoa SAID. 1t can't be done" Al
phonso V said, 1t can't DO done" A
committee on maritime affairs, TO whom
the subject was submitted. declared.
"Is cant be done" Venetians said, 1T
cant be done" But the father Of Co
lumbus' wife died. leaving bis widow .
large number Of sea charts and maps.
and as IL To condemn the slur that differ
ent ages put upon mothers-in-law the
mother-in-lsw of Columbus gave him
the rsvigator's materials out of which
no cipbsred America. After awhile
the story Of this poor but ambitious Co
lunbus reaches the ear of Queen Isabel
In, and she pays eighty dollars to buy
him decent suit OF clothes. SO thai he
may be &c to appear before royalty.
The interview in the palace was sue
cessfuL Money enough was borrowed
20 CT out chs expedition. There they
are. the three ships. in the Gulf Of Cadiz,
Spain. IL you ask me which have been
the most famous boats Of the world,
would say. first, Noah's ship. that
vhsrfed on Mount Ararst; second, the
boat Of bulrushes. in which Moses fioated
the Nile; third. the Mayfower. that put
out from Plymouth with the Pilgrim
Fathers. and now these three vessels that
on this the Friday morning, Aug. 3,
i492. are rocking OF the ripples. arm so
glad 10 IA Friday, SO that the prows Of
those three ships shall first OF all run
down the superstition that things begun
or voyage started on Friday must neces-
sarily prove disastrous.
Show me any Monday or Tuesday or
Wednesday or Thursday CT Saturday
thai ever accomplished as much as this
expedition that started on Friday. With
the idea shss thers win be perils con-
nectsd with the expedition. the sscra-
neut Of the Lords supper is admins
tered. Do not forget that this voyage
was begun under religious auspices.
There Is the Santa Maria only ninety
feet long. with four mssts and sigh.
anchors. The captain walking tee deck
Is ffty-sersn years old. his hair white,
for At thirty .hvs be was gray. snd his
face IS round. his nose squiifne and his
sta.urs a iittls taller thsn tile average.
knew from the decided step and the
80 OF hts ave that be Is determined
man That il Captain Christopher
Columbus. Near BY. but Ear enough of
not - run inso each other. are the
rnsller SHIPS. the Pinta and the Nina,
about large enough and safe enough 70
crcss the Hudson river or the Thames in
good weather There are two doctors
IA this feet u ships. and few lands
n'en-advsusursrs who ara ready 70 risk
their necks IN a Wild expedition. There
srs enough provisions for syssr. esp
tain Coiamhns. where are ron sailing
for Il 10 not know How long
before zen VII get ;herer' Il cannot
say All ashore tSst are goingF Is
heart. and shc-s who wish 90 remain 20
20 the land. New the anchors Of shs
shres SHIPS are hsing weighed. and the
rsflines bexsn to rattle and the sails -
unfarl
The wind e lead east, aud 70 does 20.