The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-10-10
TALMAGE ON COLUMBUS.
LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF THE
GREAT DISCoVERER.

A Graphic Story of the Historic voy,
age in Search of an Unknown Land.
The Death in Disgrace and Honor
That Came After Deeth-Centuries
Needed to Reveal the Extent of His
Discovery.
BROOKLYN, Oct. Rev. Dr. Talmage'a
discourse to-day was occasioned by the
Columbus observance now taking place. In
the overlooking audience were many whd
had come to the city to participate in ths
patriotic ceremonies. The subject was
Half Planet" the text being Deuteron
omy ILL.,, 27: "Litt up thine eyes west
ward.n
so God said to Moses in Bible times, and
so he said to Christoforo Colombo, the son
of a wool-comber Of Genoa, more than fouS
hundred years ago. The nations had been
looking chiefly toward the east. The
sculpture OF the world, the architecture of
the world. the laws Of the world, the philoso.
ply Of the world. the civilization OF the
world, the religion Of the world
came from the east. But While
Columbus. as his name WAS
called after 1t was Latiniged stood study.
ing maps and examining globes and reading
cosmography God said TO him: Lift up
thine eyes toward the west" The fact waI
il must have seemed to Columbus a very
lop-sided world. Like q cart with one
wheel like scissors with one blade, like g
sack on one side OF a camel, needing a sack
on the other side to balance 1t. Here was 9
bride of a world with no bridegroom.
When God makes a half OF an ything he does
not stop there. He makes the other half.
We are all obliged sometimes to leave things
only half done But God never stops half
h.. haa lSl..
TO go all the way. | do nos won
der that Columbus was not sats>
fled with half world, and so
went TO work TO find the other half. The
pieces of carved wood that were foated to
the shores OF Europe by a westerly gale,
and two dead human faces, unlike anything
he had seen before, likewise loated FROM
the west, were 10 him the voice of God, say
ing; Lift up thine eyes toward the west
But the world then as now had plenty OF
'can't-be-dones That is what keeps indi-
vtduals back aud enterprises back and the
churches back and nations back-ignomini-
GUS ad disgusting and dlsheartening can't
be-dones. Old navigators said ID
young Columbus. 1T oan't be done" The
republic Of Genoa said, 1T can't be done"
Alphonso V. said, 1T can't be done.n A.
committee on maritime affairs, TO whom
the subject was submitted, declared, ut
can't be done" Vsnetians said, "It can't
be done.n But the father of Columbus
wife died, leaving his widow large num-
Der OF sea charts and maps, and as II to con.
demn the slur that different ages put upon
mothers-iu-law. the mother-in-law of CO.
lumbus gave him the navigator's materials,
out Of which he oiphered America. After
while the story Of the poor but ambitious
Columbus reaches che ear OF Queen Isabella,
and she pays eighty dollars to buy him de-
cent suit OF clothes, 80 that he may be fit TO
appear before royalty. The interview iu
tho palace was successful. Money enough
was borrowed to ht out the expedition.
There they are. the three ships. In the Gulf
Of CadiE, Spain. IL you ask me which have
been the most famous boats OF
the world, l would say, first, Noah's
ship that wharfed on Mount
Ararat; second, the boat OF bulrushes, in
which Moses hoated the Nile; third. the
Mayfiower, that put out from Plymouth
with the Pilgrim Fathers; and now these
three vessels that on this, the Friday morn.
ing, Aug 3, 1892, are rocking on the ripples
am so glad 1t is Friday, so that the prows
of those three ships shall first of all run
down the superstition that things begun or
voyage started on Friday must necessarily
prove disastrous. Show me any Monday
or Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday or
Saturday that ever accomplished as much
as this expedition that started oE Friday.
With the idea that there will be perils con-
nected with the expedition. the sacrament
OF the Lords supper is administered. DO
not forget that this voyage was begun uu-
der religious auspices. There is the Santa
Maria. only ninety feet long, with four
masts and eight anchors. The captain walk.
ing the deck is fifty-seveu years old, hts
hair white, for at thirty-five he was gray,
and his face is round his nose aquiline, aad
his stature little taller than the average.
know from his decided step and the set Of
his jaw that he Ia a determined man. That
is Capt. Christopher Columbus Near
by, but far enough off not to run into
each other, are the smaller ships, the Pinta
and the Nina, about large enough and safe
enough to cross the Hudson river or the
Thames in good weather. There are two
doctors Ia this fest of ships and "a few lands
men, adYenturers who are ready TO risk
their necks IN a wild expedition. There are
enough provisions for a year. capt.
Columbus, where are you sailing forp
II do not know" How long before you
will get therer - can not say.n "AlI
ashore that are going is heard, and those
the anchors Of the three ships are being
weighed and the ratlineS begin TO rattle and
the sails to unfurl. The wind is dead east,
and 1t does not take long 70 get out to sea.
In few hours the adventurers wish they
had not started. The ships begins to roll
aud plbCn. W IL ls sucn uel4nbIul senSa-
ton for landsmenl They begin to bother
Capt. Columbus with questions. They
want TO know what he thinks Of the
weather. They want to know when he
thinks he will probably get there. Every
slime when he stands taking observations
Of the sun with an astrolabe they wonder
what he sees and ask more questions. The
crew are rather grouty. Some Of them
game on under four months advance pay
and others were impressed into the service.
For sixteen days the wind Is dead east, and
that pleasss the captain, because it blows
them farther and farther away from the Eu.
ropean coast and farther on toward he shore
Of another country, il there is any. After
while there comes a calm day and the atteDnpt
Is made to fathom the ocean, and they
cannot touch bottom though the line and
lead run down two hupdred fathoms More
delightful sensations for those who are
not good sailorsl A fathom is SIX feet,
and two hundred fathoms, one thousand two
hundred feet, and below that 1t may be
many hundred feet deeper. To add interest
to the voyage, on the goth day out a violent
storm sweeps the sea, and the Atlantic
ocean tries what il can do with the Santa
Maria, the Pinta and the Nina. Some of
you know something Of what sea can do
with the Umbria, the Majestic, the Teu-
tonic and the City OF Paris. and you must
imagine what the ocean could do with those
three small ships of olden time. You
may Judge what the ocean was then
by what it Is now: IL has never
changed its habits IL can smile like the
morning, but often It is the archangel of