Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-04-27

The general interest which attaches |
to anything concerning Spain. since
our acquisition of her island territory, |
Is in striking contrast to the limited
knowledge of the average American
ten years ago, regarding that country, |
when preparations were under way to
tttngly commemorate the 400th ami
versary of Americas discovery. Spain
was not in those days, the tramping
ground for every American tourist,
though the Englishman and German
were occasionally to be met with.
Even Baedeker had not invaded every
nook and corner, to leave no oppor-
tunty for personal investigation.
But the Columbian Exposition awak
ened an interest in the country which
had proffefed its help to the dauntless
navigator, and movement was be-
gun to reproduce the ancient convent
of La Rabida, which once sheltered
Columbus, and which any visitor to
the Worlds Fair, will remember as
having been erected at the south end
of the Exposition grounds, on point
of '91, in accordance with an agree.
ment with the State Department at
Washington, to loan certain photo
graphs / had collected in Spain on con
dition that they should bic used in the
reproduction of the convent.at Chicago,
Mr.. w. Il. Curtis, chief of the Latin
American department, was writing
my father-"I have to thank you for
fifteen large, and twelve small pic
lures of scenes in Spain of which the
enclosed is n list Please assure your
daughter that l am very greatly OBJ
liged for these, and that l will use
them for the good and glory of her
country and the man who discovered
it." Some days later he writes again,
relative to the monastery:-"Will you
kindly write me as to your recollec-
lions of it's dimensions, and give as
complete description as possible of
the interior arrangement, as We cannot
find it in any of our books, and want
to form some sort of estimate as to
the cost of reproduction to submit to
the committee on grounds and build
ings at Chicago" The work of con-
struction continued from that time for
ward, and the summer of '93 brought
me a letter from Mr.. Curtis, dated at
Chicago, in which he states, THE
first step in the construction of La
Rabida, was taken on photograph,
which you brought from Spain, and you
should, therefore, feel personal in
terest in the success of the enter
prise"
In point of architecture, the Monas-
terry was faithful fac-simile; but it
required a vivid Imagination for one
who had visited the original, to see,
in the duplicate, the ancient convent
on the southern Spanish coast, rising
on solitary eminence, far from other
buildings and two miles south of the
little town of Palos, invested with such
uiolOiiS aooOSidbAOho. santa 4sA
Rabida, it is called-taken from the
Moorish: meaning. ian exposed posi-
tiOn"-a monastery for centuries, and
claimed by tradition, as once the site
of heathen temple. The Rio Tinto
Copper Co., of Huelva, have charge of
La Rabida, and it was some time pre-
vious TO this correspondence. that a
small steam yacht, owned by the
above company was ferrying me
across the bay from their shipping
port, Huelva, to its location on the
opposite point of land. Two rivers,
ths odiel and Tinto, unite little
above the town; the latter deriving
its name from the color It assumes by