The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-10-22
gal.
Asked Same Question.

ASKED game 2ueStloh.
Now. about the same time Column
bus asked the same question of Tos.
canelli and got the same reply.
Some critics have lately tried to
make out an interval of six or eight
years between the two letters. l have
elsewhere argued that it cannot have
been more than six or eight weeks.
1t was probably not later than Sep.
TENDER, 1474, that Toscanelli sent to
Columbus his letter, the tone of
which implies that Columbus had
done something more than ask a
question. He had not only asked
about the shorter route. but express
ed desire or intention to take it,
The astronomers reply was full Of
enthusiasm; he strongly urged the
undertaking upon Columbus, and sent
him duplicate of the map which
he had sent to the king of Portugal
Columbus kept this map and carried
it with him upon his first voyage. :.
Now the question here at issue, and
upon which an appeal was made to
Toscanelli. was not whether the earth
is a sphere. That was assumed by
all the parties. The question was
simply as to the length of the voyage
required to reach the coasts of China
or Japan by sailing due west. Here
the astronomers reply was very en-
couraging. He greatly overestimated
the length of Asia. suppose he
must have misunderstood some of
Marco Polo's Chinese measures of
distance. At any rate. he carried
his Chinese seaports so far to the
east as to bring them near Califor.
MIA. AS for Japan, he brought it into
the gulf of Mexico.
Thls gigantic error was Of the
greatest possible aid to Columbus, as
it turned out; but Columbus improved
upon it. His theoretical measure of
the earth's circumference was small.
er than Toscanelli's, and when he nut
that astronomers guesswork measure
of Asia upon it he carried japan
even into the Atlantic, and
held that you could reach it by sailing
about $500 miles due west from the
Canary islands. This was not much
longer than the voyage from Lisbon
to the Guinea coast, and thus there
could be no doubt as to the CONNER.
cial advantage of Drawing the un.
known terrors of the voyage across
the open ocean.
Such was the scheme which Colum.
bus had to urge upon his fellow men
for IL years before he could get the
means for carrying it into practical
operation. Like many scientific
theories. as first formed it was a
fairly even mixture of truth and err.
ror; but he was peculiarly fortunate
in this. that the truth and the errors
alike helped him. Some of the Lisbon
geographers urged against him that
his estimate of the length of Asia
was excessive. In this they were, Of
course, right; but if their wisdom had
prevailed, no westward voyage would
nave been made. and the unknown
continent between Portugal and JAM
an would have remained unknown un.
I'll some other occasion had been
evolved. :,
Character Of Columbus.
There were many elements in the
complex character of Columbus he.
side that of the scientific navigator
The crusading spirit was strong in
MIN. Alike as a Genoese and al p
Christian. he hated the Turk. and II
was quite to his credit that he did so
He was an idealist, a poetic dreamer
a religious fanatic, hard man for
home people to understand, Viewed
as whole, his scheme was somewhat
as follows:
GODS kingdom on earth was TO
come. The bounds of Christendom
were to be enlarged, and the unspeak-
able Turk was to be crushed Old
Crusaders had assailed the infidel in
front; but he would outflank him. Hc
would give access to the wealth Of
the Indies by a new and short emf
across the Atlantic waves never he.
fore plowed by European keels. and
with his share of the profits of this
great commercial enterprise he would
equip such vast army as would drive
the Turk from Constantinople and set
Such was the noble, disinterested
idea of Columbus. His young friend
Las Casas, the purest and lofticst
free the holy sepulchre.
spirit of the 10th century, so under.
stood it and honored it's author: while
modern writer's. incapable of enter.
Ing into the mood Of time 80 re.
mote from our own, peck and earn
at details wherein Columbus seems