The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-21


| of waiting, claimed title to oue-tenth of all
he should discover and the rank OF admiral.
He would abate nothing whatever of his
demand. He surely knew beforehand. If
man ever knew, what was to happen.
Aud then at last on his deathbed he
directed in his will, written with his own
hand and signed the day before he died. that
his male heirs should, so long as the line
survived, bear the title Of admiral He
seemed to see the glory of his new world
and the dignity to which his name and title
should ultimately obtain.
And here l pause to wonder why it Is
that in this year which we devote to honor
of the great admiral we continually forgot
this name and title Which was so dear TO
him, and which he gained at such desperate
odds. True, the name Christopher is a
beautiful one - Christopher Columbus:
Christus Dove-let it be spoken reverenty-
Is serenely beautiful. But the great name
which he coveted is that of Admiral Colum-
bus. Yet who has seen it in print? If we
are to honor the man let us honor him by
the name and title which he above all
loved.
We cannot help wondering what would
have happened had some other man, or some
some one less inspired with Christianity
than Admiral Columbus, discovered the
, new world. Aud yet the answer is before
Us. Clearly the Chinese, or Japanese, OF the
seamen of CoTea came this way long, long
ago. For. to say nothing of the Chinese
tradition, we see the image of tie little
brown heather of the Orient In the face Of
any poor Digger Indian We meet. And
Boston has reared monument 10 proclaim
for her that the Vikings Of Thor, followers
Of the god of piracy and thunder, had set
| foot there centuries before Admiral Colum-
bus was born. But the Vikings, too, were
| heather. 1t counts much for Christianity,
| not only for the beauty and glory Of
| Christianity, but very much for the divine
truth of 1t. In fact. i do not see how we
| can escape the conclusion that the finger Of
| God pointed out the new world TO this in
spired Christian, this Christian of Chris
| tiaDs.
On one of the doors Of our great Capitol,
| made by Rogers in Rome, Columbus is repre-
sented as telling his hopes and plans TO q
| monk, who is giving water to his mule at
| the door Of the monastery, and the monk.
| in his astonishment. almost lets The bucket
| fall. At Genoa twenty years ago they
| showed me the church in which he wor-
SHIPPED, the dark corner where he prayed
| apart by himself. and many other things,
/ all pointing to the extreme piety Of the
| young man, his earnestness In fitting him.
self even before be went to sea at all for his
mighty mission.
| His first year at sea before the mast per-
| haps is lost In obseurity. Then he has a
| commission TO battle at sea for his country.
| Then he is fighting under command OF an
| other, Is Yanquished, is wrecked. and es-
| capes, 10 land on a plank, and is once more
| with the monks. In fact, at all times and
| all places, from Padua to the end, we find
| this Christian constantly compaDioned with
| pious and learned men.
| He had, ON his globe, located the confines
| Of the Orient and Chinese Empire about
| where Havana and other cities OF the Span
| ish main now stand. And the most touch
| ing incident In his intrepid life is the
| fact that, with all his burden OF care. which
| he had to bear entirely alone, lie procured
| and carried with him royal letters Of intro
| duction to the Emperor of China; In order
| that he might convert him to Christianity
His son, our Diographer, says OF him
| "His hair was almost white at 80, from de-
| yotiOn to his purpose. He WAS most ttm-
| perate in food and drink and dress: and so
| strict in religious matters that for fasting
| and doing all the divers Offices he might be
| thought prepared in some religious order. :"
The admiral himself tells how, on first
landing in America, they all fell upon their
knees. "giving thanks to God for his great
| mercy and kissing the ground"
A recent book has been written and let us
| take heart and be assured that the world Is
going forward, since there is but one such
book, setting forth that the great discoyerer
| and devout Christian. Admiral Columbus,
| bad once been piratel
The book is nearly 400 years behind date.
| Don't you know that if there had been any
| thing of this sort in his history those con-
spirators who bound him in chains would
have laid it before his queen? Out upon
| such pitlful ISLANDERS and slanderersl They
| are Of the sort who drove the nails In the
| hands and feet Of Jesus Christ
There is hardly another name in history
that can bear the white light that beats
upon a throne SO fairly and so continuously
| as that Of this devout Genoese whose deed:
we to-day celebrate, Admiral Christopher
| Columbus. JOAQUIN MILLER.