South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-07-02
What's in the Name;
AMERICA

WASHINGTON. July Millions
tomorrow viii sing America" COM
paratively few knor the origin OF
the name. It's history and It's sym
boiism are described in "A communi-
cation 10 the National Geographic
society by John H. Finley, as fol-
lows:
America name that was first
heard on the planet or at any rate
first put ON a printed page. accord
ing 10 the best authorities. In the
village Of 81. Die. among the Nosges
mountains. In the east % France.
often called the baptismal font OF
america.
son z pilgrimage 20 this valley
OF the Vosges some years ago.
found still standing the cioisters
where the scholars had lived who
wrote The Introduction TO Ptolemy's
CoaH1oeraphy.' the book in which 10
vas suggested that the name Amer
lea be given 20 the newly discov-
ere. fourth continent. and who pre-
Wed the now famous map on which
'the emerging continent was identi-
fed. There. too. I found the site OF
the old printing shop. and the house
itself in which the printer, Jean
Basin. had lived.
AT the beginning OF the war the
Germans had occupied It, and, In
1917. their guns looked down upon
Il from the blue line Of the Vosges.'
The cloisters. close under the noun
tains. I found in a recent and sec
ond pilgrimage had not been dam
AGED. but there were many houses
that had been destroyed by shell or
10y wanton fire. though Jean Basins
was Still standing.
But the printer. who n few years
ago reproduced in fac-simile the
famous book. had had both legs
shot off while crossing the bridge
enc day between the two parts of
the village. Alas he said, when he
learned that he must die, alas
shall not be the sirst TO carry flow
erB 10 Strassburg. for he had
dreamed OF the day when Strassburg
where rests one OF the original
copies of this famous book. again
would be within French borders.
1T is a significant fact that while
this name America was suggested
in a geographical treatise in which
the earth was considered the center
of the universe, there was at the
moment Of the first printing Of the
name a Polish scholar. KOpernik
(COpernicus), who was developing a
new system Of astronomy. a new
cosmography. whose substitution for
- Ptolemaic, geocentric. anthropo-
centric creed OF the universe was 20
be the capital event Of modern
thought
And so u was that while Amer
ica' was baptized into the Ptole-
maic COSMOS. its inhabitants. after
the aborigines. dwelt from the first
in a Copernicen universe, wanderers
en- an infinity OF space. with n 'shud-
dcring sense Of physical immensely
ITO be sure, there was no visible
change. But a change IN mans
conscious relationship TO the phys
zeal universe came. and il is incon-
ceivable that II did not affect in it's
coming his whole life upon the
earth.
Europe could not readily forget
the geography OF its infancy and
childhood. but America began from
its Cod fearing settlement with an
astronomy OF infinite distances, with
a comography in which IL was itself
but infinitesimal, with a geography
partaking OF the sky as well as Of
the sea and land.
LAS there was no feudai system
OF society for America to unlearn,
beginning as ~ did with the com
pact and constitution so there was
10 physical theory OF the universe
for IL TO abandon. II was demo
cratic and Copernican from its first
national consciot. sness.
With this Copernican conscious
hess OF the universe. Am erica should
'e the least provincial OF the con-
ments. for Asia and Africa, as well
Europe. still remember the old