Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-03

from the road to United States Ford; we
should then have had them entirely sur
rounded; and they would have been
obliged to surrender or cut their way out.
Grant and Blaine
CHANCE played what was perhaps
- equally an important role in the
career of another Civil War soldier, Gen
eral Grant. At the outbreak of the war
Grant was, as everyone knows, in civil
life. having resigned from the army under
something of a cloud. After serving for
sometime on the staff of the Governor of
Illinois, assisting in organizing the volun-
teer regiments, he valnly endeavored to
secure a command from the Government
at Washington, and then went to Gin
cinnati in order to see General Mcclellan,
who at that time appeared to be the rising
genius of the war. But, though Grant
called on two successive days, he by some
chance failed to see Mcclellan. If he had
done so, it is altogether probable that he
would have succeeded in his mission, and
that his whole subsequent career would
have been different.
Chance played a leading part in de-
termining the action of the Republican
national convention in 1876. AS is we'll
known, the strongest candidate before
the convention was Blaine; indeed, the
tide in his favor was running so high that
his opponents deemed it wise to move an
adjournment. In all probability the
motion would have been defeated and
Blaine would have been nominated that
night, if it had not been discovered that
the gas supply of the building had been
cut off, When the convention reassem-
bled next morning, the effect of Ingersolrs
eloquence, which had proved so potent
in arousing the delegates the day before,
had spent itself. Although a majority of
the delegates at one time or other voted
for Blaine, they did not do so on any one
ballot, and the man ultimately nominated
was Rutherford B. Hayes.
The Discovery of America
INDEED, if we take the trouble to 60
L back so far, it is almost possible to
prove that the discovery of America
itself was dependent upon chance. Ger
tain it is that if it had not been for an
accident, Spain would not have gained
the glory and profit resulting from send
ing out the expedition that discovered
the New World; while Columbus, if he
had succeeded at all, would have done
so under other auspices than those of
Queen Isabella Everyone knows how
Columbus, after failing to secure assis-
lance in Portugal, went to Spain and
there for long years vainly endeavored
to interest those in authority in what
appeared to them his iridescent dream.
At last, late in 149I, utterly discouraged,
and feeling that in view of his increasing
years he must find help soon if at all, he
gave up his fruitless efforts, determined
to shake the dust of Spain from his feet,
left Huelva with his little son Diego, and
set out for France.
But one day he stopped at the Fran
ciscan monastery of La Rabida, which
stands upon rocky promontory over
looking the Atlantic, and begged crust
of bread and cup of water for his son.
By chance the prior, one Juan Perez,
former confessor to the Queen, saw the
stranger with the long white hair, in
tellectual face, and foreign accent, and,
entering into conversation with him,
drew from him his story. The moment
was one of those in which History pauses,
meditating upon which way she shall take
her course. But Perez was man who
saw clearly where other men saw darkly.
He summoned to the monastery Garcia