Huntsville gazette., 1892-11-19
In WOMAN'S BEHALF.
woMAN's PART.
Furnishing Aid and Inspiration to Cofum.
bus-One Woman's Career.

martial music and cheers of free-borD
people, with floods of eloquence from
pulpit. platform, and press, world dis
covered has honored its discoverer
during the great Columbian celebra-
ton. But what of the woman who,
with woman's divine, intuitively in
spired faith and impulsive generosity,
aided the Genoese dreamer whom kings
and councillors had despised and re-
jected? And what about the other
woman who brought to Columbus as
her her wedding dowry the valuable
maps and charts, journals and memo
randa compiled by her father, the dis
tinguished Portuguese navigator?
Columbus, like the average son-in-law.
apparently went into the business of
his father-in-law, for we read that it
was while constructing maps and
charts for the support of his family he
imbibed the idea of land to the west
ward, which he so gloriously es-
tablished.
Dyes, Christopho Colombo, you are q
your indomitable will, your magnifi-
cent steadfastness of purpose, which
but for woman's faith and courage
we might never have known anything
about.
This Isabella of CASTLE, Isabella
of Peace and Goodness" as she was
called, did she not pose forever as the
gracious woman with the immortal
jewels opening pathway to a world in
which women are honored as never
before, would still be a remarkabl
figure in the history of the world.
Like Maria Theresa Of Austria and
Elizabeth of England, she marks an
epoch in the chronicle Of progress. Had
she lived to-day she would be found at
the front in this great movement for
the social, political, and educational
advancement and recognition of women,
and for the reform of all economic con-
ditions detrimental to the state or to
it's people. She was woman remark
ably strong in character, imbued with
the nineteenth century spirit OF equality
and progress possessed of no incon-
siderable beauty and winning grace,
but like all courageous women pro-
true womanly gentleness
The romantic story OF the love OF
Ferdinand and Isabella is well known
to the readers of history, yet the deep
affection of the wife for the husband
never Influenced the queen to relinquish
her prerogatives as sovereign. She was
always present in meetings of council,
and insisted on the use of her name
along with that of Ferdinand in all
public documents. In every royal
progress and in every honor she placed
Ferdinand before the people as her
king and theirs, yet without sacrificing
an iota OF her individual sovereignty.
"Thou honor of Castilian wives !" ex-
claims one of her biographers.
Her friendships with the eminent
women of her kingdom were constant
welfare of young girls was attested by
the devotion of a large portion Of her
revenue to the training and lowering
which would prevent their falling vic
Tins to that pleasure-loving age.
In her own family, finding herself en-
barrassed by lack of educat ton, she
studied Latin with her daughters. She
superintendent, personally, the educa-
ton of her son, directing his exercises
in the manual requirements of knight
hood. She instituted contests in needle
work among her daughters and
the court ladies, where the little prin-
cess whom we know as the sorrowful
Catharine of Aragon carried off the
prizes.
On the other hand, she traversed her
kingdom with network of admirably
planned highways, and patrolled the
land on every public thoroughfare
with an organized brotherhood of
knights and gentlemen to rid the king
dom from the lawlessness of brigands,
the scourge of her reign.
With her own private friends she or
ganized corps of competent surgeons
to follow the marches of the soldiers,
with nurses and conveniences for the
care of the sick and wounded. This
was called the Queens hospital and
was the first ambulance corps in history.
Like Margaret of Italy, the young
queen with the red-gold hair walked the
wards of plague-stricken hospitals to
comfort the living and pray with the
dying Magnifcently attired in public.
her private tastes were modest to de-
gree: and recklessly generous in her
outlays for public works for charity
and religion, and for improvements in
her kingdom, the private expenses Of
her palace were managed by her with
model thrift and economy, and even on
her deathbed she left orders to the
minutest detail for the payment of
small debts and accounts, easily over
looked in the elaborate outlay of a royal
ablishment
She was ever the patroness OF learn
ing, enterprise and progress. With her
counseled Ximenez and DeMendoza, the
great cardinals. Through her Palacio
was encouraged to write his dictionary,
yolva his geography, Pulgar his chron-
icles, Pedro Martyr his decades, and
Leboujar his scientific works By her
Columbus was provided with the means
for his voyage to the world where wom-
en- are queens by right divine and in
| herent, and where at the next four hun
dredth anniversary they will rule the
earth as wisely and graciously, for the
hasf oood of the greatest number as