The Irish standard., 1912-06-22

yelling of the Columbus Memorial in
Washington on June 9Th was a judi
c!ous appreciation of the remarkable
achievement under still more remark
able difficulties of the great discover
er of the New World. President Taft
spoke as follows:
my fellow -countrymen:
1--WE are gathered here today to
dedicate this beautiful memorial to the
greatest mariner of history, who four
centuries and two decades ago opened
to the possibilities of Christian civili
cation nearly one-half of the geo.
graphical world. The story of his
struggles is dimmed by the lack of de-
tails as to his early career. and by
those disputes which naturally arise
over the humble and apparently I'M
important life of one whose subse-
quent achievements give intense in
terest to every circumstance leading
tc his ultimate success
1.-The history of the voyage of the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries is as
full of courage. enterprise and daring
as that of any century in which
there is no voyage of any of the brave
navigators of Spain, Italy, Portugal.
England or of the Scandinavian sail
ors that have involved greater faith,
greater self-sacrifice and the overcom-
ing of greater and we'll founded fears
than the voyage of Columbus in 1492.
The struggle that he and his friends
made with the monarchs of Europe,
and the frequent disappointments and
disbursements only emphasizes his
real inspiration. and the confidence
form of the earth and as to the result
of his sailing westward in order to
reach the East Indies.
Solved Great Problem.
1T is most difficult for us by any
effort of the imagination to take in
the problem which Columbus solved.
The erroneous ideas that were held of
geography and Of the physical char
acteristics of the earth, the exaggera-
tion of the dangers-great as they
Were-which superstition and legend
promoted. made the plan of Columbus
to set sail out into the dark ocean,
as the Atlantic was then called, to the
eastern shore of Asia, on the theory
that the world was round-an instance
OF courage that finds few parallels. He
knew, as every mariner knew, the ire
mendous power of nature in a tempest.
and he could not but fully realize the
impeding and constant danger to YES
sells of the size Of his cockleshells in
an ordinary struggle with the usual
winds and storms. Six times did he
cross the ocean alive. twice were his
bones taken from one side to the other
to find a resting place. The story Of
his life reveals defects of tempera-
ment and the existence of some mo-
tives under temptation that show him
human, but the impression left, after
study of his character, leads to a
full recognition of the greatness and
dignity of the man, the high ideals
that prompted his almost superhuman
efforts, the patience and tenacity that
attended every encouragement. the
loyalty to his sovereigns when put to
grievous test, and the final resignation
to the will Of God in the sad ending
Of tried, tempestuous, but most not
able and useful life.
1T is true that there were other
mariners as skilled as Columbus, as
brave in exposing themselves to dan
ger as he was, in that heyday of
italian. Spanish and Portuguese man.
hood. and the risks they ran, the dan
gers they encountered and survived
arouse in the reader of the present
day amazement and profound admira-
ton. But the supreme merit was his
to do first that which, until he did 1t
presented unknown terrors to the ad-
venturer.
"A Few years after Columbus came
Magellan, Balboa, Vasco de Cana, the
Cabots and many others. The circum-
= navigation Of the globe in vessels ir
which it took months and years te
make the voyage, show spirit of ad.
venture, desire for knowledge, will.
ingness to sacrifice everything for II
that make a real, distinct period ir
the worlds history. Columbus wa:
the first.
''ie was much greater as a mariner
than as an administrator and cover.
nor of native peoples. His failure IL
this regard was doubtless due to
lack of preparation for the difficult
& problems which an assumption of con.
n troll over the natives involved. H,