Evening star., 1922-10-01

will be celebrated in a
J majority of the American
states. Most citizens will
tell you that the discoverer was an
Italian of Genoa, but quantities OF
people (and intellectually among the
Dest) have been discussing sensa-
tional find of old documents which
appear to upset all the old ideas and
to honor a race heretofore unconnect-
ed with the discovery of America!
have some new light on this re-
markabIe Columbus material and
there is a persistent rumor that yet
more sensational proofs are about to
be published. My own. which 10 SEN
sational, permits good, guess at
their nature.
But. first. to outline the known
story Prot. Hiram c. Kirk, in the
United States, has lavished erudttton
on it in 1.-The Secret of Columbus"
In Cuba. DIR. Horta y Pardo has
written La verdadera" and dis
tributed $4,000 copies, in four lam
Ruages, to governments. ambassadors.
academies and faculties, urging them
"to move heaven and earth" to make
the facts known!
In Madrid. the governmental Society
of Geography affirms it. Don Fer
nando de Anton del Omlet, backed by
patriotic Spaniards, has been getting
it published in French, English and
Scandinavian papers and reviews
And Don Enrique de Arribas Turu1
has lectured in Spanish cities, up and
down. repeatedly.
In Franco. the grave journal des
Debats says that cit merits atten-
tion" The London Times found IT to
be almost conclusive" In Buenos
Aires, Senior Juste r. Areal opened a
bureau to propagate 1t. The learned
Henry Vignaud, in Paris (although
not Of this camp), admits that there
is a whole literature on the ques-
ton!
1t is immense. 1t goes back to the
ancient Hebrew prophecies. equally
foundations Of Christianity, in which
the final felicity of the world awaits
the restoration Of Gods people from
afar-from 1.-The isles" of prophecy
which it was the fixed idea of Colun-
bus to discover!
In word, Christopher Columbus
was a Spanish Jew.
rTHE discoverer Of this unexpected
i proposition was the learned
Spanish specialist, Don Garcia de la
Rlega.
In the archives of his native town
of Pontevedra, while cataloging an
cient documents, he came on q series
Of notaries' acts, court records. ETC.,
dating from 1923. and concerning
Domingo Colon, Cristobal Colon, Bar
telomeo Colon, Juan Colon, BiaAca
Colon and others, citizens OF Pom
tevedra. Spain.
Now, these are not only the family
name, but also the exact given names
of the discoverer OF America. his
father, brother and immediate rela-
tives-the names of the Colombos of
Genoa!
The dates correspond equally. This
family disappeared from Spain in
1444, the year beginning the religious
troubles, and exactly in time to grow
up, as the Colombos did, in Genoa!
To calculate the chances against a
mere coincidence, you must multiply,
in a geometricai progression. all the
given and family names in use In
Spain and Italy at that period. and
then get busy multiplying on to that
awful total, in similar Eeomstrical
progression, the chances Of the dates
and countries!
AS fact, ths name engraved on the
lead, coffin Of Columbus 1T Santo Do.
mingo Is "Cristobal Colon" Colon
is Spanish, never Italian. All his time
in Portugal. the admiral used only
Colon" In the Santa Fo convention.
before his nrst voyage. he signed
"Colon." His son, in the biography.
explains that 'if the name be Latin
ICED. 1t should be 'Christophorus
Colonus,' and not Columbus" be-
cause his father took back" the
name Of Colon. This "took back" has
always so4nded strange for an Ital-
Ian!