Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-04-27
The Progress Of Centuries Has
Wrought No Great Change.
Miss Clara B. Richie Entertains the Democrat S
Readers With Another Interesting
Contribution.

mixture with the ore from the copper
mines, 55 miles to the northeast. More
than 10 centuries before Columbus
birth. these mines were being worked.
Phoenicians. Carthaginians and Ro-
mans, had, in turn, pierced the walls
of metal, then there was a long period
of disuse, and, when the great navi-
gator was sailing out on the Tinto
river with his three small carsvels,
the mountains Of wealth, at it's source,
were lying idle. Only little distance
above its confluence with the Odiel,
the "colorcd" river washes the shores
of ancient Palos, and the low tide
which prevented u landing at the
convent, permitted us to push up
stream, in sight of the historic spot.
A clustered little village of white,
succeed houses and red-tiled roofs,
set on the river bank, in every respect
like many other small Spanish towns,
and hardly thought worthy of place
on the map. AS things move slowly in
Spain, doubt not Columbus had
looked from the river, on the town,
no larger than we see it today. All,
what must the humble son of Genoa
have thought, could he have awakened
four centuries later, aud seen the
great cargoes of ore being shipped
! from the neighboring docks, on vessels,
beside which his tiny crafts would
appear as our steam yacht! What
must he have thought to have seen the
stately hotel at Huelva, bearing his
name and set amid gardens of palms
and tropical fruits! He, the poor dishon-
ored discoverer of the new world, ignor-
ant of the greatness of his achievement,
when he died in humiliation and want,
in the town of Valladolid, far to the
north! But the tide had risen, and we
drifted down to the landing of La
Rabida AS l toiled up the hillside,
l seemed to see the wanderer from
Portugal, with his little son beside
him, treading the same pathway, and
resting beneath the ancient palm,
which offers the only scant shade by
the way. Now tunnel is seen in the
steep incline, which confined the sail
ors who sought to escape, after enlist
ltlS Mllu anu, ItutDiuS tlN
top of the hill, n crumbling monu-
ment surmounted by cross, marks
the spot, where the disheartened
father asks charity of the kindly
Monks, for himself and little boy.
NT ut hA fTl1 IN ~
only an aged man, living there with
his family, and employed to take
charge of this national memorial, re-
ceived me, and guided me into the de-
serted convent, whose cloisters had
once echoed with the voices Of the
soldier-Monks; whose chapel still bore
evidence of the services of centuries
past, in the antique circular pulpit,
and the votire offerings, hung before
a faded image of the Virgin. Instead
of the voices of worshippers, there
came to our ears the friendly grunts
OF herd of swine, seeking to force
an entrance to the chapel, in an open,
ing beneath the outer wall. These,
mingled with our voices within, were
all that broke the stiffness of that
October afternoon. And now the old
custodian guides me to an upper room
with windows looking off towards
the west, through which, blows the
fresh breeze from the ocean. The walls
are hung with paintings of the great
Ferdinand and Isabella, the prior and
Columbus, and the bare unceiled cham
ber is filed with memories of the ex-
plorer, as he stands gazing off on the
sea, laying before the prior and the
Monks, his charts and maps; explaining