Norwich bulletin., 1916-11-28

1ns VffME0 Os WAI0H
 An audience of several hunered men and women heard tre highly interest ing address delivered in the town hall on Monday evening by Dr. James J. Walsh of New York under the auspices of White Cross council, No. 13, K. of c. Grand Knight Jeremiah A. Des. mond called the gathering to order at o'clock and introduced Lecturer M. J. Coscoran as the chairman. Lecturer Coscoran spoke of the origin Of the lecture bureau, the objects of which, he said, are to spread the Catholic truths, educate aud 10 show the atti'- tude of the Catholic church towards the great problems of the day. He re- ferred to the several speakers who were brought here by White Cross council. Dr. Walsh, Ee said, has given his services to the, supreme coanci. for series of lectures to be delivered in 30 of the cities of the United States and said Norwich was very fortunate in being selected as one of those 30 cities. The lecturer then introduced Dr. Walsh to the audience.
 Dr. Walsh talked on The Century of Columbus and said in brief:
 "How did it come that Columbus discovered America 425 years agb ?
 
 one to have made so important a dis covery. The Middle Ages so often called the Dark Ages, were scarcely over, men were only beginning to wake up from what is often declar- ed to be the dark night that followed the Fall of Rome, yet here is one of the worlds greatest discoveries. Was it Columbus obstinacy, or was it a sublime exceptional genius, or was it just chance. None of these. CoIum- buS came at a time when there were perhaps more great men alive in Europe than ever before or since more men doing things that the world will never forget and that continue to live and in1unce succeeding generations than at any other period with one or two possible exceptions. It was the Renaissance and a large number of men were doing the most wonderful things. There are three men with K sounds prominent in their names, who were doing their work together during the latter half of the fifteenth cen tury just before and arter Columbus discovered America. Columbus gave men a new world. but Copernicus gave men new universe. They had be- heved that the earth was the centre of the Universe and all the other bodies of insignificant size compared to it and practically it's satellites. Co., pernicus taught them that the earth was not the centre of the Universe and by far not the most important body in it. indeed only one of the mil nor planets and is so doing, probably cnanged mems modes of teaching more than has ever been done before or since. The third man with K sound in h1S name wrote a little book He looked into mems souls and made the geography of a New World His book has more influence subsequent generations than any book that has ever come from the hand of man, the Scriptures having come from the hand or God. Roxssuet and Fene1on read 1t every day. so did St. Francis de Sal- es and Ignatius Loyola, but Conte, the French positivist and Renan. the nationalist and George Eliot the agnos- tic read it in our time. Sam John son praised it highly so did Matthew Arnold. When they found Chinese Gordon dead at Khartom the little book was with him as his favorite reading. Lord Wolseley and Lord Russell of killowen, Henry NJ. Stan ley and Pobie Donostseff the head of the Holy Russian Cynod read in it every day. I need scarcely say that the book is Kempis Imitation of Christ and has gone through more edi- tions in all languages than any book except the Bible. -
 The Beginning Of Greatness.
 These three names are only the be- ginning of greatness in Columbus Gen. tury. Three of Columbus contem- porarfes were Raphael, Leonard Da Vinei and Michelangelo. Raphael is the greatest painter that ever lived. Leonardo Da Vinci has probably painted the greatest portraits. recall ed the thrill of horror with which the world heard of the stealing of the Mona Lisa. but he was besides a great engineer a great sculptor, a great architect and in recent years we have come to know him as a great scien- tist. He invented the wheel -barrow and locks for canals and the cofferdan for masonry under water, he left us an immense series Of drawings if dissections which have only recently come to light. laid the foundations of modern geology and botany, discussed biological theories and illuminated ey- erything that he touched. He invent ed number of flying toys and auto naatfc machines of various kinds though his thirteen faces in the Last Supper are said to be the most won derful study of human psychology ever made.
 The period in which Leonardo Da Vinvi lived is rightly, however. caII- ed the age of Michelange1o. for great as was Leonardo Da vinci. Michel angelo was greater. He is the greatest sculptor since the time of the Greeks. his decoration of the Sfstine Chapel shows hin, as proba- ply the greatest decorative artist that ever lived. St. Peters dome reveals him as probably the greatest architect or all time, and he has written son. nets that are only equal by Dante and Shakespeare and excelled by none. He