Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-01

Christians to 90 to the New World there to
accelerate trade with the natives. he sup
ports this motive by the fact that by his
enterprise and efforts he has not sought for
anything else than the glory and the de-
velopment of the Christian religion.
This was what was perfectly known 70
had penetrated the mind of such great
man; much more, it appears that this same
plan was fully adopted by this very pious
mind. She bore witness. in effect, of
Columbus that in cour,t geously giving HIM
self up to the vast ocean, he realized for the
divine glory a most signal enterprise, and to
Columbus himself, when hc had happily re-
turned, she wrote that she esteemed as hav-
ing been highly employed the resources
which she had consecrated and which she
would still consecrate to the expeditions in
the Indies, in view of the fact that the prop
agation Of Catholicism would result from
them.
The Ills Which the Discoverer Endured.
Also, if he had not inspired himself from
8 cause superior to human interests where,
then, would he have drawn the constancy
and the strength of soul to support what he
was Obliged to the end to endure and to
submit to-that is to say, the unpropitious
advice of the learned people, the repulses OF
princes, the tempests of the furious ocean.
the continual watches during which he more
than once risked losing his sight?
To that, adding the combats sustained
against the barbarians, the infdelities of
his friends, of his companions, the vii
lainous conspiracies, the perfidiousness of
the envious, the caluunies of the traducers,
the chains with which, after all, though in
nocent, he was loaded.
1t was inevitable that a man overwhelmed
with a burden of trials so great and so in
tense would have succumbed had he not
sustained himself by the consciousness of
fulfilling very noble en- terprlse wnlcn ne
| Christian name and salutary for an infinite
| multitude.
And the enterprise so carried out Is ad-
| mirably illustrated by the events OF that
| time In effect, Columbus discovered Amer
| ica at about the perioi when great tom
pest was going to unchain itself against the
| Church. Inasmuch that it is permitted
| by the course of events to appreciate the
ways of Divine Providence, it really seems
that the man for whom Liguria honors her,
| self was destined by special plan OF Goa
| to compensate Catholicism for the injury
which il was going to suffer in Europe.
Columbus Mission to the Indians.
To call the Indian race to Christianity this
was, without doubt. the mission and the
| work of the Church. This mission, COM
| menced from the beginning, she continued
to fulfil. with an uninterrupted course of
| charity, ana she still continues it, having
! advanced herself recently so far as the ex-
| tremities of Patagonia. As to Columbus,
| certain as he was of tracing out
and of preparing the ways of the
| Gospel, and fully absorbed in this
| thought caused all his action to converge to
| it, not undertaking anything of any kind but
| under the shield of religion and with the es-
| cort of piety. We recall this, in reality,
| things which are well known, but which are
none the less remarkable, in order to show
| forth the mind and the heart of this great
man.
Thus, when compelled by the Portuguese
and by the Genoese to leave with
out having obtained any result.
he went to Spain. He matured the
grand plan Of the projected discovery in the
midst OF the walls of convent. with the
knowledge of and with the advice of monk
of the order of st. Francis d 'Assises. After
seven years had revolved, when at last he
goes to dare the ocean, he takes care that
the expedition shall comply with the acts of
spiritual expiration. He prays to the Queen
OF Heaven to assist the enterprise and to
direct its course, and before giving the
order to make sail he invokes the august
Divine Trinity.
Then. once fairly at sea, while the waters
agitate themselves, while the crew mur-
murs. lie maintains, under Gods care, calm
constancy of mind.
His nomenclature Reveals His Plans.
His plan manifests itself in the very
names which he imposes on the new islands,
and each time that he is called upon to land
unon one Of them, he worships the Almighty
Gou and only takes possession o; it in the
name of Jesus Christ. At whatever coast he
approaches he has nothing more as
his first idea than the planting
the shore of the sacred sign of the
cross and the divine name of the Redeemer,
which he had ung so frequently on the
open sea to the sound OF the murmuring
waves. He is the first to make it reverber-
ate in the new islands in the same way
when he institutes the Spanish colony. He
causes it to be commenced by the construc-
tion of a temple, where he first provides
that the popular feIes shall be celebrated by
august ceremonies.
Here, then, is what Columbus aimed at and
which he accomplished when lie went in
search over so great an expanse of sea and
of land, of regions up to that time unex-
plored and uncultivated, but whose civiliza-
tion, renow and riches were to rapidly at
tain that immense development which we
see to-day.
In all this, the magnitude of the event, the
efficacy and the variety of the benefits
which have resulted from 1T, tend assuredly
to celebrate him who WAS the author of 1t
by n grateful remembrance and by all sorts
of testimonials of honor; but, in the first
place, We must recognize and venerate par
ticularly the divine project to which the dis
coverer OF the New World was subservient
and to which he knowingly obeyed.
October I2 Mnde a Day OF CaIr bration.
In order to celebrate worthily and in a
manner suitable to the truth of the facts
the solemn anniversary of Columbus, the
acredness of religion must be united to the
splendor of the civil pomp. This is why, as
previously at the first announce
ment OF the event, public ac-
tions of grace were rendered to the
Providence of the Immortal God upon the
example which the Supreme Pontif gave,
the same also now, in celebrating the recol-
| lection OF the auspicious event. We esteem
! that we must do as mt ch.
We decree to this effect, that the day of
| October II, or the following sunday, it the
| respective Diocesan Bishops judge it to be
| opportune that after the office of the day
the solemn mass OF the Very Holy Trinity
shall be celebrated in the Cathedral and Col
| legial churches of Spain, Italy and the two
| Americas. In addition to these countries,
| We hope that upon the initiative of the
| Bishops, as much may be done in the others,
tor 1t is fitting that all should concur in cele-
| bratng with piety and gratitude an event
| which has been prof to all
| In the meanwhile, as pledge of the celes-
| tial favors- and in testimony OF our fraternal
good will, we affectionately accord in the
| Lord the Apostolic benediction to you, ven-
cradle brothers, to your clergy and to your
| people.
Given at Rome near ST. Peters, j uly l6, of
| the year 1892 the 18th of our Pom MITIGATE
LEO XIII, Pope.