Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-13
Columbus Died Ignorant.

columbus unquestionably discovered a
new world. but of this fact Columbus him
self almost certainly died ignorant. His
discovery, as he apparently understood 1t.
was of a new route to the Asiatic regions
vaguely described as the Indies and to
the strange race of men whom they found
on these unknown coasts he and succeeding
explorers gave almost as a matter of
course the name of Indians More than a
century elapsed before Europeans knew
enough about IT to need a common name
Tor what we call the American continent
but in the meantime they had seen, talked
and written much of its natives, and had
found these to be substantially all of the
same race SO that long before their coun-
Try mad been named America or named at
all. the people who would have been nat
urany called Americans (the dark Ameri-
cans OF the familiar hymn were too well
known as Indians to be called anything
else. Their logical name. like their forests
ana pralries, lay open to be taken by white
men.
I'VE have next to see how and why IT fell
10 the part and lot Of a certain class of
white men. This fact, like all others of the
same order. came about in the natural
course of events and almost or quite with
out set purpose on the part of anyone A
prominent man of letters described himself
some twenty years since as an English
man of New England This statement
seems TO me to have been about a hundred
and twenty-five years too late for accuracy
During the first half of the eighteenth cen
fury a white man born or settled In Massa-
chusetts Virginia PENNSYLVANIA OF
Maryland would have called himself, and
would have been. an Englishman Of New
England just as Canadian or Accadan OF
| European blood would have been a French.
man of New France and a white inhabitant
| of Hispaniola or Florida a Spaniard of New
Spain. But In time the various kinds OF
| Engiishmen of New England became united
| in grave controversies with other English.
tod he
and state of Englishmen altogether and a
| collective name for them all was needed
and, because needed. was found. The In.
| habitants of the thirteen colonies began &c
! call themselves and to be called 'Ameri
| cans during and Immediately after the
| last French war. The word, used In thi.
! sense. Is very rare prior to that date. but
becomes rapidly more and more common
| during the twelve stormy years separating
| the peace of Paris from the revolution ant
Is generally accepted after Concord and
Lexington.
"A citizen of the United States is called
| an American because and to show that he
| is one of a nation. What does 1t mean tt
| be this? II means, in the first place. thai
| he can and should think first Of America
| and but secondly OF Massachusetts, or New
| York or Pennsylvania. He has something
| denied to the ancient Greek who thought
| first of Athens or Sparta Corinth anG
| then of Hellas: denied to the mediaeva
| Italian. who thought first of Genoa or Milar
| or Florence and afterward az at alb OF
| Italy: denied to the German OF a hundred
| years since. taught to think first of Saxony
Bavaria or Hanover and as far as might be
| to forget Germany. 1t has cost us much tc
| learn that we really have this, but far less
| than II has cost Greeks or Italians or Ger.
| mans to painfully and imperfectly regain It
| And. at whatever price of blood, OF tears OF
treasure. our national life has been realized
| and preserved that man among us is foo
| who questions that TIE price was well paid
Has Own Country.
| Secondly. it means that a genuine Amer
| lean has q country in that sense which for
| bids him to have more than one. Men from
| almost every cline have been welcomed to
| our shores. but, II they are to be OF us al
| all. they must be of US altogether; they
| must take America for better, for worse
she will not share them, however liberal to