The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-08-10
Columbus Day Celebration

Iuc pIVJeCt VI converting SoluHiouS
Day into an American school festi-
val will be heartily commended by
thoughtful minds. In order to en-
phasize the significance of the discov-
erv of the New World and render it
ineligible throughout the length
and. breadth ofathc land it is proposed
to make every school house local
centre for commemorative exercises.
There is nothing impracticable in
the scheme. 1t will only be necessa-
ny for every school to have a flag of
it's own to raise and salute on the
morning Of the celebration, and then
be prepared to listen to an address
and to join in singing an ode prepar-
ed Tor the occasion under the direc-
ton of the National Committee. A
holiday will be put to the highest
educational use if all the school chill
.dren Of the country can be brought
together ut the same hour to com
mlemorate the gratest event in the
modern world.
The voyage of Columbus was a
protest against the ignorance of the
medieval age. The discovery of the
New World was the first sign Of the
real renascence of the Old World.
1t created new heavens and new
ca. Eth, broadened imm4asurably the
horizon of men and nations, and
transformed the whole order of Eu-
pean thought. Columbus was the
greasst educator that ever lived, for
he emancipated mankind from the
narrowness of its own ignorance and
taught the great lesson that human
destiny, like divine mercy, arches
over the whole world. Ifa pcrspec-
tive of four centuries Of progress
could have hoatea like a mirage be-
fore the eyes of the great dscoverer
as he was sighting San Salvador, the
American school house would have
loomed up as the greatest institution
of the New Worlds future. Behind
him he had left medieval ignorance
encountered by superstition and par.
alyzed by an ecclesiastical pedantry
which passed for learning. Before
him lay New World with the pc,
tency of civil and religious liberty
free education aad popular enlight
eminent. Because the school house
like his own voyage, has been pro
test against popular ignorance, anC
has done more than anything else tt
make our free America what it is. i
would have lowered above every
thing else in that mirage-like vision
of the worlds progress.
The public school celebration OF
Columbus Day, therefore, not cnl.
in a unique method of diiiusin:
among local centres of American
life from Plymouth Rock to tn
Golden Gate the significance anc
spirit of a memorable anniversary
but also as a practical expedient fol
emphasizing the value of the mos
characteristic ofNational institution
free school. When the New WorlC
was discovered by Columbus, SpaiI
was the greatest power in Europe
During the first century after tn
landing on San Salvador a grea
Spanish Empire was founded stretch
ing from the Gulf of Mexico to Patti
gonia. Slowly and laboroursly tn,
English speaking race obtained
foot hold in North America. Lib
erty was the breath of its life ant
free education was its most previou
bequest to succeeding generations
The Spanish conquerors never open
ed a free school. AS time passe,
their empire revolted against then
and the constitutional forms of tn
English speaking race in the nortl
were roughly copied by one South
ern republic after another. POpu
lar education was neglected, as i
has been under Spanish VieerOyS
and consequently the moral force o
enlightened public opinion was lack
ing in the Southern Hemisphere