Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-03-22
NAMED IN FRANCE
Town of st. Die to Celebrate
Fact That II Gave America
Cognomen.
EARLY IN 18TH CENTURY
Book Printed There First TO Honor
Amerigo yespucci as Discoverer
of Continent.

the little town of st. Die. in the
Vosges depa rtment of France, is pre-
pairing to celebrate the fact that in q
book printed there the name Amer
lea was first given TO the western
world NJ. Pichon. minister of foreign
affairs, is to preside at the celebrst ton
| and to represent the French govern
ment- ->-~
In the fifteenth century there ex-
listed at ST Die college of learned
canons who formed the Gymnase Vos-
glen, which became famous and at
tracted many scholars to the town.
About 1907. or some thirty-five years
after the death of Gutenberg. this so
ciety determined to set up a printing
machine, the first or possibly the sec
ond installed in the province of Lor-
raine.
Two learned strangers who had re-
Gently arrived in the country encour-
aged the canons in their undertaking.
furnishing some of the money needed
and supervising the work. These
strangers were Martin Waldseemuller
Of Fribourge Brisgau. noted geog-
rapher. and Matthias Ringmann. born
at Val d'0rbey, a schoolmaster from
Strasburg. aged twenty-five.
LORRAINE ASSISTS IN WORK.
The printing shop was established
in house on the Place Pierre Hardie.
now called the Place Jules Ferry. The
Duke Of Lorraine. Rene H.. looked
with favor on the undertaking, and
having received from Italy descrip-
ton in French entitled "Quatre Navi-
cations d'Americ Vespuce' he passed
it over to Canon Jean Basin de San
dancourt for translation into Latin.
At this time Waldseemuller and
Ringmann were at work on a repro
duction of Ptolemy's treatise on geog-
raphy. to which they were adding
preface entitled "Cosmographiae In
troductio" They determined to incor-
porate the story of Amerigo Vespucci's
voyages into this work. and Ring
mann. who was acting as editor. wrote
an introduction beginning:
There is a fourth quarter of the
world which Amerigo Vespucci has
discovered and which for this reason
we can call America, or the land Of
America"
Further on be wrote:
I'VE do not see why the name Of the
man of genius. Amerigo. who has dis
covered them. should not be given TO
these lands. as Europe and Asia have
adopted the names of women"
The work appeared on April %. 1907.
under the title "Cosmographiae Intro
ductio." II went through three edi-
tons. and copies nowadays bring high
prices. over 5000. Something like a
dozen are known to exist. but the Ii
brary of St Die. though rich in rare
black letters. does not possess a copy.
The town Of st. Die has often been
recognized as the godmOther Of Amer
lea. In July, 1875, Henri Bardy. presi-
dent of the Vosgian PhiIomathic so
ciety. was invited TO the international
congress of Americanists as the repre-
sentative of the little town.
In 1891 Frank Mason. now consul
general at Paris. published a work on
1.-The Baptismal Font of America" and
in 1892 special ball was reserved at
the Chicago universal exhibition for
st. Die. where with many views of
the town copy of the celebrated work
was shown. open at page 80. where
the name America" first made its ap-
pearance