Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-21

II
possibilities Of the unknown, beyond the high
/ ways OF travel, which reused an unquenchable
| thirst Tor adventure and research. The study
| on the narratives Of previous explorers and
diiigent questionings Of the daring spirits who
mad venturcd far toward the tabled west gradu-
ally evolved q theory. which became in his mind
| 90 liked fact that be could inspire others with
his own passionate beliefs. The words that IL
o lie, written by him on the margin Of nearly
every page of q volume of the travels Of Marco
Polo, which Is still TO be found in q Genosse7 u
brary, illustrate the scepticism Of his begin
ming, and the first vision of the new world tbs
| fulfllrnent Of his faith. ~
COLUMBUS GREAT TASK.
To secure the means to test the truth of his
speculations this poor and unknown dreame,
must win the support of kings and overcome
the hostility Of the church. He never doubted
his ability to do both, though he knew Of no
man living who was 40 great In power or line
Age or learning that he could accomplish either.
| Craided and alone, he succeeded in arousing
the jealousiss Of sovereigns and dividing the
councils Of the ecclesiastics. II will command
your fee< and discover for you new realms but
only on condition that you confer on me
hereditary nobility, the admiralty OF the ocean
and the vice royalty and one-tenth the revenues
OF the new world, were his naughty terms to
King John of Portugal. After ten years of dis
appointment and poverty ,subsisting most of the
time upon the charity Of the enlightened monk
Of the Convent Of Rabida who was his unfaltering
friend, he stood before the throne Of Ferdinand
and Isabella, and, rising to imperial dignity in
his rags. embodied the same royal conditions in
his petition. The capture of Granada, the ex-
pulsion Of Islam from Europe and the triumph
Of the cross aroused the admiration and de-
votion Of Christendom. But this proud
beggar, holding in his grasp the potential
promise, and dominion of Ell Dorado and
Cathay, divided with the Moslem surrender
the attention Of sovereigns and of bishops.
France and England indicated a desire to hear
his theories, and see his maps, while he was
still . suppliant at the gates Of the camp of
CASTLE and Aragon, the sport of its courtiers
and the scof Of its confessors. His unsuitable
faith that Christopher Columbus was COM
missioned from heaven, both BY his name and
by Divine command, to carry Christ across the
sea" to new continents and pagan peoples
lifted him 20 far above the discouragements of
an empty purse and . contemptuous court that
he was proof against the rebuffs of fortune or
Of friends. To conquer the prejudices of the
clergy, to win the approval and financial sup
port OF the state, to venture upon that unknown
ocean, which, according to the beliefs of the
age, was peopled with demons and savage
beasts of frightful shape, and from which there
was no possibility of return. required the zeal
of Peter the Hermit. the chivalric courage of
the Cid and the imagination Of Dante. Column
bus belonged to that high order of cranks who
confidently walk where ''angels fear to tread :"
ana often become the Denefactors OF their
country or their kind
IsABELLA's FAITH.
II Was happy omen Of the position which
woman was to hold in America that the only
person who comprehended the majestic scope
Of his plans and the invincible quality of his
genius was the able and gracious Queen of
CASTLE. Isabella alone of all the dignitaries of
that age shares with Columbus the honors of
his great achievement. She arrayed her king
dom and her private fortune behind the en-
thusiasm Of this mystic mariner, and posterity
pays homage to her wisdom and faith.
The overflow of the Mshommedan power in
Spain would have been forgotten scene, in
one Of the innumerable acts in the grand drama
OF history, had not Isabella conferred immor-
tality upon herself, her husband and their dual
crown by her recognition of Columbus. The
devout spirit of the queen and the high pur-
pose OF the explorer inspired the voyage, sub
dued the mutinous crew and prevailed over the
raging storms. They covered. with the divine
radiance Of religion and humanity, the degrad-
ing search for gold and the horrors OF its quest
which filed the first century of conquest with
every form Of lust and greed
The mighty soul of the great admiral was I'M
daunted by the ingratitude of princes and the
hostility Of the people, by imprisonment and
neglect. He died as he was securing the means
and preparing q campaign for the rescue of the
Holy Sepulcher at Jerusalem from the infidel.
He did not know what time has revealed that
while the mission of the crussdes, of Godfrey of
Bouillon and Richard of the Lion Heart a
bloody and fruitless romance, the discovery of
America was the salvation OF the world The
one was the symbol, the other the spirit the
one death, the other life. The tomb of the
Savior was a narrow and empty vault, precious
only for its memories of the supreme tragedy Of
the centuries, but the new continent was to be
the homo and temple Of the living God.
WHAT COLUMBUS cARAvEL BROUGHT.
The rulers of the old world began with parti-
tioning the new. To them the discovery was
expansion Of empire and grandeur to the throne.
Vast territories, whose properties and possibili-
ties were little understood and whose extent
Was greater than the kingdoms of the sover-
eigus, were the gifts to court favorites and the
prizes Of ROYAL approval. But individual intel
hgence and independent conscience found here
haven and refuge. They were the passengers
upon the caravels of Columbus and he was I'M
consciously making for the port of civil and re-
hgious liberty. Thinkers. who believed men
capable Of higher destinies and larger response
bilitfes, and pious people. who preferred the
Bible to that union of church and state where
each serves the other for the temporal benefit
of both, fed to these distant and hospitable
lands from intolersble and hopeless oppression
at home. 1t required 800 years for the people
thus happily situated to understand their own
powers and resources and TO break bonds which
were sui reverenced or loved. no matter how
deeply they wounded or how hard they CALLED
The nations of Europe were so completely alb
sorbed in dynastic difficulties and devastating
wars. with diplomacy and ambitions. that they
neither needed nor heard Of the growing demo-
cratic spirit and intelligence in their American
colonies. To them these provinces were sources
of revenue, and they never dreamed they were
also schools Of liberty. That it exhausted three
centuries under the most favorable conditions
for the evolution of freedom on this continent
demonstrates the tremendous strength of
custom and heredity when sanctioned and
sanctified by religion. The very chains which
fettered became inextricably interviewer with
the habits of life, the associations of childhood
the tenderest ties of the family and the sacred
Offices OF the church from the cradle to the
grave 1t clearly proves that if the people of the
old world and their descendants had not pos
sessed the opportunities afforded by the new
for their emancipation and mankind had never
experienced and learned the American example.
instead Of living in the light and glory of nine
teenth century conditions, they would still be
struggling with medieval problems.
GREAT BRITAIN's SUPREMACY.
The northern continent was divided between
England, France and Spain and the southern
between Spain and Portugal France wanting
the capacity for colonization, which still char
scterizes her, gave up her western possessions
and left the English, who have the genius of
univ ersal empire, masters Of North America.
The development Of the experiment in the En-
glish domain makes this day memorable. 1t is
due to the wisdom and courage, the faith and