The morning call., 1893-04-16
THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA BY c.
LUMBUS.
BY RALPH c. DANIELS.

BY RALPH C. DANIELS.
On the first day of May next an electric button
Will be touched by the Chief Magistrate OF the
land, The responsive current will Il ssh through
the wires, and amid the cheers of The assembled
thou >auds, the great Columbian Exposition at
Chicago Will be formally opened. And why all
this?
Is IL because the nation which thus calls all
countries OF The world together wishes to blazon
forth lis manifold resources or its great wealth
Of mine and field? No. il is because on the 18th
ofOctober, 1892. four centuries ago Christopher
Columbus with three small caiayels aud 20
men discovered America. and all America nay,
all ihe world, hastens at this time 10 honor him
Boru IN The historic old city OF Genoa in 1895
or Sc Columbus early elected that bis career
should be upon the sea- and We may well believe
that his early years were stormy ones both
metaphoricaiiy and actually.
Daring seafght of tile coast of Portugal he
was washed ashore on plank, 10 fnd wife in
the person Of the daughter OF one Pesir-llo,
himself navigator; and while supporting his
family here rs maker Of maps aud charts he
was probably first impressed by the evident
YaguenesS and incomplete ness of the knowledge
then possessed OF the earths surface aud with
the idea that there must be more land yet un-
discovered.
Be hat as II may. In I477 Columbus tells us
he sailed lundI ed iragues west from Thule, or
our lcelano, IN search of some such land, but
was unsuccessful; and here. II we side with the
Norseman IN his claim TO prior discovery. we
may think that tn great navigator got some
vague hin, or heard some legend OF d mysIef lous
land far 10 The westward. neither this was or
was not The cas- matters little. for II the origin
ators Of the myths, themselves m an sailors,
did not place sufficient cred-nee in their own
tales 10 follow their evident meaning, how
should stranger believe more than they?
Soon 5ter this Columbus thoughts and am
billions seem 10 have Ia en- tauglbe form and lie
became man with a hobby 'crank," an en-
thu>iast. His maguifcenl scheme was first laid
before The Senate of his native city, Genoa and
eOntemptuously rejected, but what was a rebuff
10 him?
II was but the blow OF the hammer the very
Impact Of which makes the tIou hotter, and
straighiway he proceeded TO John II OF Portugal,
meeting even worse treatment here than at
Genoa. Next he dispatched a MESSENGER to
Henry VII OF England, and after him lie ap-
pealed 10 several Iich grandees OF Spain, who. in
turn, referred him TO Isabella and FerdIua nd !;
bu Spain was at this lime engaged In the inai
struggle with ihe Moors, and The visionary con-
tneht-sreker was dismissed
Again The project was brought TO Queen fsa-
Della's notice and negotiations were entered into
which finally led 10 The approval OF the plan,
ana ailer seventeen years Of strife OF one man
against millions, IN Which iudomlla bic, supeThu-
man courage and perseverance, finally conquered,
on August 3, 1892, ChTlstupher Columbus set
SAIL from Palos upon the most momentous yoy-
age man ever made.
Ihe voyage was only another chapter In the
long series OF trials days heightened into weeks
ana stlll no land; what wonder that the crew
murmDred and denounced their commander for
bringing thrm there to die.
10 them me eatth was plain, the plain must
have an END, and II tbOrribie thoughtD IL once