The Penn's Grove record., 1920-10-08
COLUMBUS GIVEN FALSE
HONORS
America First Discovered by NOrwe-
gians. Cabot Discovered Main
Land Before Columbus

prominent because in the 18th century
Spain was the greatest commercial
nation on earth, but when Ferdinand
and Isabelle expelled the Jews, the
greatest commercial people, Spanish
commerce fell They went to Holland
and England where there was no In
QUESTION against them.
Isabelle pawned her jewels of course
to the Jews, to fit out Christopher Co.
lumbus's fleet to sail the Spanish
main.
Pirates on the seas were then COM
mon, as there was no international
law. Those who could bring in the
most booty, gold, silver and slaves
were given the most honors and
wealth. Christopher Columbus had
the honor of taking the first Indians
as slaves from America to Spain. The
same spirit is not dead in the world
today.
Ridpath's school history issued in
the 70s, which has ben excommuni-
Gated for some years, gives the fol-
lowing account of the Americas
First Discovery By NOrwegians
The western continent was first seen
by white men in A. D. 986. A Morse
navigator by the name of Herjulfson,
sailing from Iceland to Greenland, vas
caught in a storm and driven west
ward to Newfoundland or Labrador.
Two or three times the shore was seen,
but no landing was made or attempt
ed. The coast was low, Astounding in
forests, and so different from the we'll
known cliffs of Greenland as to make
it certain that another shore hitherto
unknown was in sight. On reaching
Greenland, Herjulfson and his COM
panions told wonderful stories of the
new lands seen in the west.
Fourteen years later, the actual dis
covery of America was made by Lief
Erickson. This noted Icelandic cap
tain, resolving to know the truth
about the country which Herjulfson
had seen, sailed westward from Green
land, and in the spring of the year
1901 reached Labrador. Impelled by
a spirit of adventure, he landed with
his companions, and made explora-
lions for a considerable distance along
the coast. The country was milder
and more attractive than his own, and
he was in no haste to return. South
ward he went as far as Massachu-
sets, where the daring company OF
Norsemen remained for more than a
year. Rhode Island was also visited;
and it is alleged that the hardy ad-
venturers found their way into New
York harbor.
What has once been done, whether
by accident or design, may easily be
done again In the years that follow
ed Lief Erickson's discovery, other
companies of Norsemen came to the
shores of America. Thorwald, Lief's
brother, made a voyage to Maine and
Massachusetts in 1902, and is said to
have died at Fall River in the latter
state. Then another brother, Thor
stein by name, arrived with a band of
followers in 1905; and in the year 1907
Thorfnn Karlseefne, the most dis
tinguished marine of his day, came
with a crew of a hundred and fifty
men, and made explorations along the
coast of Massachusetts,, Rhode Island,
and perhaps as far south as the capes
of Virginia. Other companies of Ice
landers and Norwegians visited the
countries farther north and planted
colonies In Newfoundland and Nova
Scotia. Little, however, was known
or imagined by these rude sailors of
1.-THE country which they had discovered.
They supposed it was only a portion
of Western Greenland, which, bending
to the north around an arm of the
ocean, had reappeared in the West.
The settlements which were made
were feeble and soon broken up.
Commerce was an impossibility in a
country where there were only a few
wretched savages with no disposition
Ito buy and nothing at all to sell. The
spirit of adventure was soon appeased,
and the restless Norsemen returned to
their own country. To this underlined
line of coast, now vaguely known to
them, the Morse sailors gave the name
of "Vineland;" and the old Iceland
chroniclers insist that it was a pleas
ant and beautiful country .
During the twelfth, thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries occasional voy-
ages continued to be made; and it is
said that as late as A. D. 1347 a Nor
wegian ship visited Labrador and the
northeastern parts of the United
States. The Morse remains which have
been found at Newport, at Great
Point and several places seem to point
clearly to some such events as are
here described; and the Icelandic his
torians give a uniform and tolerably
consistent account of these early ex-
PLOTS of their countrymen. When
the word America is mentioned in the
hearing of the Icelandic schoolboys,
they will at once answer, with enthu-
siasm, ooh, yes; Lief Erickson dis
covered that country in the year
1001."
Reached America in 1476
Washington, Sept. 27.-How many
persons discovered America before
Christopher Columbus?
The latest addition to the line of
claimants is Jon Skolp, a Norwegian
explorer. Sofus Larsen, a Danish
scientist, who recently made a report
founded on researches of archives of
the Middle Ages, has completed a
work which he says proves Skolp ere
discovered America" in 1476, sixteen
x,oor. obood of Co1uphuc