Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-27
To HONOR COLUMBUS
Movement to Canonize the
Explorer Revived.
PETITION CONSIDERED
MATTER BEFORE THE CoNGRE-
CATION OF RITES.
Several Million Persons, Both Catho-
lies and Protestants, Are Support
ing the Proiect-Exertions of Giu
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS
written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
The movement to canonize CHRISTOPHER
Columbus has been revived and the petition
Is again under consideration by the congre-
cation of rites. In 1892 the most serious
efforts were made in this direction and
great pressure was brought upon the col
lege of cardinals to celebrate the 4OOth an
niversary of the discovery of America by
placing the name of the discoverer in the
catalogue of saints. A petition signed by
several millions of people in nearly every
civilized country. both Catholics and Prot
estants, and including many of the highest
dignitaries of the church. was obtained
through the efforts of Cavalier Giuseppe
Baldi wealthy gentleman of Genoa VINO
was a great admirer of Columbus and did
great deal to honor his memory. Mr.
Baldi raised purse to buy the old house
IN Genoa. No. 81 Vico Dritto del Penticelio
in which Columbus is supposed to have
been born. and turned it into a museum
niled with relics of the admiral He also
collected Columbian library cont aiming
an almost complete photography of the CO.
lumbus family. 1t cost him a great deal OF
money and a great deal of labor for he Sc
cured a copy of almost every book that was
ever published concerning his hero, ana the
catalogue alone Is a large volume. He pre-
pared. with the assistance of several law
yers and scholars, a defense of the moral
ity of Columbus, but it did not convince the
cardinals of the Curia, who decided that the
father of an ilegtimate son could not pos
Sibly be saint.
The Movement Revived 50 =
Mr. Bald is dead, but the archbishop of
Turin and other Italian ecclesiastics have
revived the movement, and have asked for
the reconsideration of the case, with a view
to celebrating the 400th anniversary of the
death of Columbus by announcing his
canonization He died in Valladoid, Spain,
on May 20, 1906. after partaking OF the holy
sacrament, and uttering the words: Into
Thy hands, o Lord, I commit my spirt!'
He was in Valladold begging for a recog-
milton of his rights and fulfillment of the
contract which he made with the sover-
eigns of Spain before departing upon his
third voyage. Although Columbus had per-
formed his mission with great credit King
Ferdinand (after the death of Queen Isa-
bella) refused to do anything for him and
repudiated the obligations of the contract,
which was in writing and was signed by
both sovereigns The Duke of Veragua (the
-lineai descendant of Columbus) has the
original of that document.
The strongest argument in favor of the
admission of Columbus to the calendar OF
saints Is that he instrument of
Providence is opening the western hemt-
sphere to civilization and Christianity. Co
lumbus himself has left us a remarkable
argument, called DE las Profecias,' TO
prove that his discoveries were predicted
by the Scriptures. The original Is in the
library of the chapter of the cathedral at
Seville, Spain. third argument is that he
bequeathed in his will the greater part of
his estates to the rescue of the holy Sepul-
cher and the conversion of the world. Dur
ing his last days he wrote a curious COM
munication to the pope, in which he argued
that his sufferngs and misfortunes, and the
loss of his rights and authority, were
caused by Satan, to punish him for bring
ing the heather of the western hemisphere
within reach of the gospel, and to prevent
the realization of his aspirations to recover
the grave of Christ from the Mohammed-
ans.
From the time of his return from the
last voyage in November, 1901, he lived
at the convent of Cartuja, a few miles
from the city of Seville, and became lay
member of the order of Carthusian monks.
The Objections.
The objections to the canonization of the
Admiral of America" rest chiefly on his
relations with Beatrice Enriques, daughter
of an innkeeper at Cordova, Spain, whose
acquaintance he made while stopping in her
fathers house, awaiting the answer of the
court to his petition for aid to make the
voyage to find the western passage to India.
The hotel still stands and Is now used
posada, or resting place for transfers, who
bring loads of agricultural produce and
other freight into the city of Cordova from
the surrounding plantations 1t is opposite
the southeast corner of the famous cathe-
dral, and travellers in Spain usually visit the
place, where they find an ancient building,
with walls of two or three feet thickness,
with large courtyard in the center, in
which mules and horses are feeding. In the
second story, which has a balcony over
hanging the courtyard, are eating rooms
and a few sleeping rooms for the use of the
teamsters. The rooms below are used for
storage purposes.
The first wife of Columbus was a Portu-
guese woman, whom he met and married
while he was in Lisbon trying to interest
the King of Portugal in his schemes for a
western voyage. Her name was Felipa Per-
estrello, and her father was man of in
fuence and reputation, having been gov
ernor of the Madeira Islands. She died at
Funchal Madeira in 1476, and is buried in
the cathedral there. She left one son, Don
Diego, whom Columbus brought with him
to Spain and left in care of his wife's Sis
ter, a woman named Muliar near Palos,
while he visited the court of Ferdinand and
Isabella.
Columbus and Beatrice.
Columbus fell in with Beatrice Enriques
in 1856, and she became the mother of his
son Fernando. A book has been written to
prove that they were legally married. but
the evidence is not satisfactory and was re-
jected by the congregation of rites in 1899.
Indeed, Columbus himself Is the most i'm
portant witness in the case. and his testi-
mony seems to be final for in his last will
and testament he directs his son Diego ito
take care of Beatrice Enriques mother of
Don Fernando my son. to supply her with
all that enable her to live in an honor
able manner, sho being a person to whom
am under such great obligations, and do this
to relieve my conscience, because it weighs
heavily upon my SOUL
Don Fernando, the son of Beatrice, was a
much better man than his half-brother, Don
Diego. The latter was a miserable failure
dissipated. corrupt and worthless. Fernan-
do, on the contrary, was useful and even
an eminent citizen. He was successful in
business and politics. and was a gentleman
in-waiting to Charles V, who seemed to
have great confidence in and affection for
him. At that time Charles was the
greatest and most powerful man in the
world. He was emperor of both Austria and
Germany. as we'll as King of Spain, and
Fernando Columbus was one of his conf