Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-26

God protected this land from the ac-
cess OF poltroons, by an ocean too
mysterious and dangerous for towards
to sail. He wanted only heroes here
to sire His chosen sons: Columbus. he
roic heir of ages, heard the call, leaped
with his followers into unlocked boats,
and dared the frightful western waters.
He attempted the impossible and sue
ceeded. Columbus proved himself the
first American, and a complete Ameri-
can.
This leads me to define an American
My first definition Is this: The Amer
lean is a hero, that hears the Voice Of
God and dares to become Gods fellow
worker in Transforming the earth He
hears the call Of God to an inacces-
.sible land Of promise, swIms oceans
climbs mountains. and fights savhges
to subdue that land
Heroes are not alone born. Their
worthy deeds develop the slumberinS
giant Hercules became II giant. not
alone because he was sired by Zeus,
the strongest god, but because as i
babe he strangled serpents In his cradle.
And every heroic lab Dor of his left him
d larger hero,
Let ME give a second more daring
definition. The American is lie that,
with faith In God and faith in himself,
dafess the impossible. Had Hercules l'i
SOUGHT the western world for his labors,
he would have been the first American.
But the world waited for Columbus.
Columbus had faith IN himself and
God, essayed the impossible and placed
the first American foot on American
soil No American had been here be-
fore The aboriglnes, satisfied for cen,
turtles With mere soil surface, We're
aliens in the land. But Columbus, OF
earthly Italian birth, was Spiritually
born into American faith and destiny.
He was not naturalized adventurer:
he was in the spiritual sense q native
born American. He came unto his own,
and his own received him to native
shores.
Columbus was an American, and such
an American! He sailed from Spain
with the flag Of CASTLE and Leon, flut-
tering back toward the wasting shore.
sky, and the crimson of the setting
sun toward which his faith turned, as
the first stars and stripes of the con-
querer.
It was an American reply that he
gave his mutinous and craven crew, a 3
they cried in increasing terror turn
| back!'
Behind him lay the gray Azores;
Behind, the gates OF Hercules;
Before him not the ghost Of shores;
Before him, only shoreless seas.
The good mate said. Now we must
For ri i! tho very stars are gone;
| Speak, admiral. speak, Wnat snaii
say?"
why. say, sail on. sail on and on!'''
They sailed: they sailed:
Then spoke the mate;
| "rhis mad sea shows it's teeth tonight;
He curtis his lip, he lies In wait
With lifted teeth as IT to bite.
Brave admiral say but one good
word"
| The words leaped rs a leaping sword,
"Sail on, sail on, sail on and on"
Then pale and wan. he Kept his deck;
They peered through darkness; an
that night!
| OF all dark nights! and then speck'
a light. light; light, light!
| It grew, a star-lit flag unfurled;
! 1t grew to be times burst Of dawn.
He gained a world, he gave that world
It's grandest lesson, "on, and or"
YES. Columbus was an American. He
wrought with God. dared the impossible
ana won. Later, over the same sea,
a band of spiritually native Americans
entered into their own. In a leaRy
boat, without sailors upon Il wintry
sea; on a hostile shore. without soldiers,
the Pilgrims dared death to enter as
native born into their birthright. GOD
voice was ever ahead. and tirelcss
courage within. Amid the storm they
sang:
And the stars heard. and the sea;
~ ,tt.l1. ~ ttn "a
woods rang
To the anthems OF the free.
GREAT AMERICANS.
Later, behold the first real American
army, gathered beneath the Cambridge
elms, to receive the first truly Amer
lean commander. Washington, taught
only in forest skirniish, with a band
of few thousand farmers against a
titled and war SCARED general, with d
million trained soldiers at his call or
purchase. Our revolutionary fathers,
with implicit faith in a guiding God,
working with Him, transformed tyran-
ny into freedom. They trustead in
God and kept their powder dry They
were Americans.
Then Lincoln. with q country divid-
ed in sentiment and war. laid hold with
one hand on the very throne Of God,
and with the other shook fear into the
foe and faith into friend until he. too,
with God wrought the impossible. and
made united nation OF two halves
that sought each others lives. o Lin
coin, Lincoln! thou typical American,
thou art truest of them all!
The American blood. as the American
sand, is blending of the best. The
Dutch sturdiness. the Italian sparkle,
tile Scotch faith. and the British brav-
cry unite in new race. The Amer
icanis not German. nor Irish, nor even
AngIo-Saxon. He Is new triumph
Of rHcial evolution.
I have named Americans OF the past
But they have n million fellows. And
their triumph has not been alone IN
| battle-conquest. Uncounted heroes have
worked with God to transform the land
of promise into paradise Of plenty.