The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-30

youths to become apprentices in all the
trades. Denmark did not take kindly
to the league, however, and suffered
materially from its aggressive attacks.
The Netherlands, on the contrary, re-
ceived great advantages in the combi-
nation and were not slow to avail
themselves of 1T, consequently Rotter-
dam and Amsterdam and other famous
cities of the Lowlands became prom1-
nent ports for the operations OF
the league, and at these points the
conduct Of affairs associated with trade
had perhaps stronger bearing upon
the future civilization Of the world
still at that time undiscovered than
anything prevailing inside or outside Of
the church. This league embraced an
immense communion, and through its
ramifications the intelligence of the
age became distributed, the spirit Of
progression became fostered, the horl-
zon Of humanity became widened, and
the heart Of mankind became more
generously inspired and enlarged than
in any previous era Of the worlds his
tory.
IT'S INFLUENCE IN ENGLAND.
Across a narrow stretch of ocean
water was England, and In Its centers
of trade the blood of the Mortimer
and of the Saxon became mingled.
What this combination presaged for
the civilization Of the world the re-
corded history of the past five or six
centuries must reveal The influence of
that league upon the existence OF hu-
manity not only with reference to the
. - IL
vation of the principles OF trade and
the benefits distributed through eco
nomio and Industrial endeavors, Is still
advancing and century by century be-
ing more and more potently felt In ev-
cry cline under the sun.
France and Spain took little part in
the conduct of the league. Their pol
icy was conservative to the point of
! supreme selfishness. It was not until
after the decline OF the Hanseatic
league began that Spain's real CONNER
cial power reached It's greatest altitude.
This was in the sixteenth century and
Immediately following the discovery of
America by Columbus at the close of
the fifteenth. Spain's part IN ancient
commerce had its origin about 800 B.
c., terminated abruptly at the close of
the seventh, and was not revived until
the beginning of the twelfth century
A. D.
THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.
And this leads US to that most i'm
! portant of all events in modern his
tory, the discovery Of America by Co.
! lumbus. AS the civilization of the
! Orient advanced toward the eastern
! shores of the Atlantic ocean the fam
] g,,1- OP
scientists led to the conviction that
somewhere beyond, In the direction Of
the point Of the setting sun, an unex
/ plored territory Of greater or less area
existed Already the theory of the
rotundity of the earth was being large
| ly indorsed. The invention Of the COM
| pass and the discovery of the forces OF
polar magnetism had attracted the rea-
soning of the best minds Of the Old
| World. They knew that there must be
another side 10 the great countries Of
| the East. The trend of progress had
been westward. To discover the en-
trance gate to that territory from the
other side of the earth was the specu-
lative dream of navigators OF that Pc
| riod. Among these was Christopher
Columbus. The dream of Columbus
was primarily to locate the limit of the
| extension of the East India islands He
was impelled by no vision of the de-
velopment of a great continent. The
trade of the world had advanced so
far westward as the eastern shores of
the Atlantic, and so propulsive had be-
come its energy that 1t sought a vent
for its productiveness. The so-called
wealth of the Indies was even in those
days a famous figure of speech. The
| advancement of commerce over extend
ed water surfaces was demanded. 1t
was believed that the eastern shores
Of India would supply the vacuum into
which the European products could be
| poured. Iceland was known to exist,
and so was Greenland; but no idea
| prevailed that Greenland was simply
the wing Of a vast continent and the
edge of another hemisphere. AS the
mariners on the eastern coast OF the
Atlantic ventured farther and farther
out to sea they occasionally encoun-
tered different forms OF floating wreck
age, which, upon examination, proved
to belong to some other locality than
that which was known to their people.
Columbus availed himself of every class
Of information that he could accumu-
late bearing upon the general subject
of the existence OF foreign shores. AS
a mariner, and as a Genoese, enthused
with the spirit Of trade and commerce
he became a student of the earth's real
conditions. The promotion Of his ini-
tial voyage, his discoveries Of the West
Indies, and the history of his three
subsequent visits to this continent, are
familiar, in their details, to every in
telligent reader. The inspiration Of Co.
lumbus was to seek the western pas
sage to India. He found, first, an
archipelago; he encountered finally a
main land; in short, he Unexpectedly
discovered g new world greater in It's
resources than that which thousands
of years previously had been supplying
sustenance to an ever-increasing pop
ulation. He died without realizing the
fact that almost four centuries woult
elapse before the great circuit OF com
merce should touch the shores of tht
country whose gates opening upon the
sea he sought 10 enter.
THE CRUSADES AND THE SARA.
CEN.
As result of the forces which had