The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-10-14
IN THE NAME OF GOD.
DR. fAlMAGE ON THE SUBLIME
MOTIVES OF COLUMBUS.


In Gods Name.
BROOKLYN, Oct, 9.-Rev. DR.. Tai
nage's discourse today was occasioned
by the Columbus observance now taking
place. In the overlooking audience
were many who had come to the city to
participate in the patriotic ceremonies.
The subject was, Half Planet" the
text being Deuteronomy iii, 81, Lift up
thine eyes westward"
So God said to Moses in Bible times,
and so he said to Christoforo Colombo,
the son of wool comber of Genoa, more
than four hundred years ago. The ma
lions had been looking chiefly toward
the east, The sculpture of the world,
the architecture of the world, the laws
Of the world, the philosophy 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 it was Latinized, stood
studying maps and examining globes
and reading cosmography, God said to
him, Lift up thine eyes toward the
west" The fact was it must have
seemed to Columbus very lopsided
world-like cart with one wheel, like
scissors with one blade, like a sack on
one side of camel, needing sack on
the other side to balance it. Here was
bride of world with no bridegroom.
When God makes half of anything 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 way, because he has the
time and the power to go all the way.
l do not wonder that Columbus was
not satisfied with half world, and SO
went to work to find the other half The
pieces of carved wood that were hoated
to the shores of Europe by westerly
gale, and two dead human faces, unlike
anything he had seen before, likewise
foated from the west, We're to him the
voice of God saying, Lift up thine
eyes toward the west" But the world
then, as now, had plenty of Can't-be-
dones. That is what keeps individuals
back, and enterprises back, and the
church back, and nations back-igno-
minious and disgusting and dishearten-
ing Can't be-Dones.
Old navigators said to young Column
bus, st can't be done" The republic
of Genoa said, at can't be done" Al
phonso V said, at can't be done" A
committee on maritime affairs, to whom
the subject was submitted, declared,
at can't be done" Venetians said, 'It
can't be done" But the father of Co
lumbus wife died, leaving his widow
large number of sea charts and maps,
and as if to condemn the slur that differ
emit ages put upon mothers-in-law the
mother-in-law of Columbus gave him
the navigator's materials out of which
he ciphered America. After awhile
the story of this poor but ambitious Co
lumbus reaches the ear of Queen Isabel
la, and she pays eighty dollars to buy
him decent suit of clothes, so that he
may be fit to appear before royalty.
The interview in the palace was sue
cessful. Money enough was borrowed
to fit out the expedition. There they
are, the three ships, in the Gulf of Cadiz,
Spain. If you ask me which have been
the most famous boats of the world, |
would say, first, Noah's ship, that
wharfed on Mount Ararat; second, the
boat of bulrushes, in which Moses floated
the Nile; third, the Mayfower, that put
out from Plymouth with the Pilgrim
Fathers, and now these three vessels that
on this the Friday morning, Aug. 8.
1892, are rocking on the ripples. l am SO
glad it 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 neces-
sarily prove disastrous.
Show me any Monday or Tuesday or
Wednesday or Thursday or Saturday
that ever accomplished as much as this
expedition that started on Friday. With
the idea that there will be perils con-
nected with the expedition, the sacra-
ment of the Lords supper is admins
sered. Do not forget that this voyage
was begun under religious auspices.
There is the Santa Maria only ninety
feet long, with four masts and eight
anchors. The captain walking the deck
is tifty-seven years old, his hair white,
for at thirty five he was gray, and his
face is round, his nose aquiline and his
stature little taller than the average.
] know from the decided step and the
set of his jaw that he is a determined
man. That is Captain 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
in this fleet of ships, and few lands
men-adventurers who are ready to risk
their necks in wild expedition. There
are enough provisions for year. Gap
tain Columbus, where are you sailing
forf' 81 do not know" 'How long
before you will get there?' 81 cannot
say" ''All ashore that are goingm is
heard, and those who wish to remain 90
to the land. Now 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 it does not
take long to get out to sea. In few
hours the ;,dyenturers wish they had not
started. The ships begin to roll and
pitch. Ola, it is such delightful sensa-
tion for landsmen! They begin to bother
Captain 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
time when he stands taking observa-
tons of the sun with an astrolabe they
wonder what he sees and ask more ques-
tons. The crew are rather grouty.
Some of them came on under four
months advance pay and others were
Impressed into the service. For sixteen
days the wind is dead east and that
ple-sses the captain, because it blows
theia farther aud farther away from the
European coast and farther on toward
the shore of another country, if there is
any.
After awhile there comes calm day,
and the attempt is made to fathom the
ocean, and they cannot touch bottom,