New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-04-29
AllERICA'S NANE DIY

The announcement is welcome that the
/ anniversary Of the naming Of this con
| tinent is to be celebrated at last, though
by the perversity of fate it will not DO
! on the actual anniversary nor in o cen
/ teuary year The celebration is to he
/ on June 8, 4 and next. In fact, last
! Tuesday was the real anniversary, and
! April % of 1907 was the 400th ami
versary, which should have been cele-
/ brated in at least four countries besides
! those of these continents-Italy. in which
| Amerigo Vespucci was born: Spain,
under whose flag he sailed Germany, 10
/ which Martin Waldseemueler belonged,
| and France, upon whose soil the sug-
| gestion Of the name was first published.
! That opportunity was unhappily neglect
Ell, but some compensation may be
/ afforded by the elaborate commemora-
ton which is being prepared for next
/ June
| 1t would be rash 10 venture to esti.
nate the number Of different theories,
some plausible and some fantastic, con
corning the origin of the name America
which have been put forward with all
the earnest solemnity Of Baconian
cryptogram. Yet there would seem TO he.
| at least at this date, slight ground for
dispute or uncertainty. Assuredly the
oldest known use Of the name, which is
| in the form Of a suggestion that it should
be made and applied, should be the most
competent evidence. And that oldest use
| was in the "COsmographije IntrOductio"
/ Of Martin Waldseemueller, or lfylacom-
illus which was published at st. Die,
in Lorraine, on April %, 1901. 1t may
/ be worth while as a matter Of curious
! record TO recall his precise words. which
were in Latin, as was the fashion of
| learned writer's of those days "Oudrtd
''Orbis pGrS, guam qUiG Amcricus nrcnH
! "Anorigen, quasi america, terrain sire
| american, nnncuparo Hcct"; which IS
to say The fourth part Of the globe
which, since Amerigo discovered il, il Is
/ proper TO call America or American
| Land" Again: Ala Qu0rta pGrs per
"Amcricam VeSpgtiun, inrenta est:
! ''Qudrc non Uidco. cur qu;s jure retet al
"Americo inrontore SGGacis iugcnH riro
| "Amcrigen, quasi Ame,ici terrain. sire
| "Amcrjcdm. diccrdam";: or The other
/ fourth part was discovered by Amerigo
! "Vespucci; wherefore / do not see why
any one can lawfully object to its being
/ called the Land OF Amerigo, or America,
after Amerigo, or Americas, the man of
| genius who by his sagacity discovered
/ it And two years later appeared
/ Waldseemueller's map Of the world. OH
which for the first time the name OF
America was used, being applied TO only
| the southern continent, the northern
being named Parias.
All this was after the death of
| Columbus, and there have been innumer-
! able denunciations Of Amerigo for
having stolen, as was said. the honor
which was due TO Columbus. Yet with
ont IN the least detractiDg from the glory
Of the great discoverer It must be borne
IN mind that not Columbus, but either
| Ojeda or, more probably, Amerigo, as a
member Of Ojeda's expedition. was the
first TO reach the actual mainland OF the
American continent and also that while
Columbus afterward did reach the main-
land he never TO the end Of his life real
lied that IL was new continent, but IN
sisted that it was Asia and that Costa
Rica and Panama were the Malay PENN
sula while Amerlgo appears to have ap
preciated the facts of the case. More
over, there is no indication that
Amergo himself suggested the naming
OF the continent after him, and the fact
tnat Waldseemuellers suggestion was
promptly and generally adopted suggests
that It commended Itself strongly to
the contemporaries Of Columbus aud
Amergo. AT any rate, 1t will be fitting
to have This coming commemoratlon
among The hills Of Lorraine, and to place