Evening star., 1922-10-01

Martyrs Gas it were) have waited
through the centuries to give their
testimony! At Tarragona, on July
is. 1889. on occasion Of the great
autodafes. were burned Andrea Colon.
his wife. Blanca Colon. and his
mother in law, Francesca, convicted
Of having observed Hebrew rites,
ceremonies and feast days"
Even the learned Henry visnaud
(whose life Of erudition has been
devoted to the Italian thesis) draws,
as it were. against his will. the fol-
lowing terrible picture Of the perse-
cuted Colon cousins:
They burned three at Taragona
in 1889. 1. e.. in the time Of Christie
pher Columbus himself, who might
have been present at their torture!"
Present, his own heart tortured,
yet unable to save!
Powerful, honored, yet unable to
speak for his brethren! A word in
their favor might precipitate his own
ruin-and what grandiose hopes for
their future in the isles Of prophecy
which he was seeking!
Rudyard Kipling. whose insight in
to the old world has something un-
canny. draws a living type. in "The
Treasure and the Law" Of such In
dividual Jews who stood before kings
openly or otherwise.
Il was long among tho Moors, in
Spain," says Kadmiel. Yes the
Moors are cruel, but, at least. their
learned men dare to think. I was
diligent in my business. Therefore,
1 became brother to princes"
IS it not like Columbus? AS a fact.
/ in his book Of "The Prophecies"
he says: II entertained constant rela-
tions Tin Lisbon, etc.) with learned
Jews and Moors, both clergy and
lay"
Kipling's picture applies, equally,
to the historic Isaac Abravanel, who.
fonso v of Portugal az his intendant
Of finances. Prosecuted by his sue
cessor, he fed to Spain-where he
was actually in charge of Ferdi-
nand's finances in the year before
Columbus sailed! Suddenly he had
to flee, with his brethen, in the
great expelling. He lived in Ger
many, Naples, Venice and elsewhere.
1t was in the talk Of such az these.
in Kipling, that tho child beneath
the table lisened to peace or war
decided by the fall Of coin spun
between meanly-dressed magnates of
international finance-holders, direct
ors and specialists OF the worlds
gold. Such was our power" said
Kadmiel.
Which touches a whole new parcel
of evidence.
It comes, belated, from Germany.
Such were the secret 1sraeiite in
nuences which favored the enterprise
Of Columbus, sustained him, pushed
him in the world and even engineered
his favor with the most Catholic
Spanish sovereigns.
The evidence is contained in a
little book, which attracted no at
tention at its publication, in 1894. It's
scholarly author, one DR.. Kayserling,
found Berlin publisher and that
was about all there was to II.
Its title is "christopher Columbus
and the Participation Of Jews in the
Discoveries of the Spanish and Por-
tuguese." In 1t, besides Isaac Abrav-
anel. We have glimpses Of the Ger
man-venetian bankers. who. with
their relations in many capitals. sus-
tanned the explorers and fostered
their ideas, while taking no credit to
themselves. --.s
Why?
Just because Of an idea. an ideal.
= hope, hrm conviction. Isaac
Abravanel himself wrote a "Com-
mentary on the Earlier Prophets"
It's mastering idea with that Of the
"Libro de las Profecias'' Of Columbus,
whose lifelong ambition. ~ he says
In it, was to sail toward and discover
"the isles" Of prophecy.
I'VE Jews dream 60 many dreamA"
says Kadmiei. Such might have been
the very words equally Of Christopher
Columbus and the Venetian
bankers Of DIR. Kayserling's little
book. sss,.,ss.
I have had my hands on. the Kay
serling book. but the man who hss
the only COPY that know Of - rrs'