The age-herald., 1901-06-16

an embassy to the Princes of India
 narrating that the sovereigns of Spain who commissioned him, had directed that he should go by water taking a western course across the ocean. By which course, unto the present ttme," says he, i've do not know for certain that any one hath passed" Passed to what? America? It was not known; had no name. of course, To India, then. His whole distinction lies in the courage he had fin the conviction that by taking Westerly course across the Atlantic, the Eastern shores of India and the islands of Japan might be reached, and no hiero- glyphics, ancient or modern, has been, or ever will be discovered or deciphered, assertiag that any other before him ever embarked across the Atlantic with the like conviction In his thinking box 9th CTS discovered before Columbus discov- cred; that he had discovered a new world, and not a new way to India.
 The idea that one part of the world alternated with another the day and the night; that men and animals and trees stood opposed in position on opposite sides Of the earth, and that other lands beyond the seas existed, were ancient enough. Marco Polo had visited and described China; Seneca had prophesied the dis covery of new lands and that the ocean would relinquish its chains about the earth; the asserted rotundity of the earth stood refuted, but the refutation admitted the possibility and bore testimony of the assertion; but this man Columbus, be his ideas original or borrowed, had the cour- age to put them to the touch.
 Had he chanced upon America during some tramp voyage, or even upon some undefined voyage of discovery, he would have been as little entitled to distinction therefore as Adam is for having discov- cred the Garden of Eden, or as that trav- eler Is who discovered Arkansas through pure dint of following his dog. And yet, strong as were his convictions, he had and entertained most serious msgivings. If he returned a failure, he would be the 1aughing-stock of Europe, for he had ven- tilated his schemes promiscuously; if he should never return, and no mention of him more must be heard of, he preferred that his true name should not be known; in the event of success he could easily proclaim himself If he saw fit and thereby raise to dignity and position a name of which so little was known that he could carry the whole secret of 1t within him self; and, again, if he preferred, the name he had chosen could bear off all the hon OTIS. The name he assumed Is composed of three Greek words, Christos, Phero, Kolumbis. which signify Christ bearing seabird, Christos meaning in the adoption of 1t by him. Christ, Phero meaning to bear, and Kolumbis being a Creek word meaning a sea-bird He selected the Island of Palos to sail from, and Palos is a Greek word meaning the rolling sea, and he is said to have been born fin Genoa, and this name Is composed of two Greek words. Ge meaning the world and Nea meaning new. The words strung together are prophetic of his great achievement. "A Christ-bfaring seabird ventured upon no it not for his own modest assertion that he embarked upon his voyage purely to demonstrate a theory, we should be in- clined to think that he strung these names and names of places together in tentionally. but, be the coincidence inten- tional or accidental certain 1t is that his family were never found in Genoa, all though Spain expended considerable sums in the vain endeavor to search them out,