Evening star., 1924-12-26
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

THE irony Of fate has never been
moro clearly illustrated than in the
lives of Christopher Columbus and
Vasco de Cana.
Columbus was alone in his courage
to strike west in order to arrive east
He blazed the way to a hitherto un-
known world. He never realized the
magnitude of his discovery. and his
chief reward was to be loaded with
chains and sent home. a disgraced
prisoner, after his third voyage. This
hero OF pioneer courage and achieve
ment died without honors-not even
his name being attached to the new
world he had brought to the grasp
of Western civilization.
Columbus never wronged the saw
ages; he never made conquest upon
the unoffendinE Aztec nation. nor did
he rob the Incas of Peru. All he did
was to bring glory to the throne OF
an ungraterul kingdom, alien to his
own birth.
x Il u
vasca de Cana! Yesterday-Christ-
mas-was the four hundredth ami
versary of his death, and even the
United States Navy Joined with the
navies of Great Britain and other
powers, at the invitation Of the Re-
public of Portugal. in sending war
ships to assist in the commemoration
Of that event. In his lifetime, de
Cana was loaded with honors by the
King~of Portugal. He was elevated
to the rank OF a noble, and became
the Kings adviser-practically min
ister-of foreign affairs.
What had de Cana accomplished
that he deserved such honors? In
1893 he followed the trail Of Bartolo-
meo Diaz, who, in 1896, had first
found the Cape Of Storms--afterward
called the Cape of Good Hope-the
southern terminal of the great bar
rier to the route by water to the
Indies.
The world believed that Columbus
in his voyage of 1892, had found the
westward route to India, yet Colum-
bus' achievement brught no ready
money to the King he served, and
only excited the wicked 3ealousies OF
place hunters in the kingdom of Fer.
dinand and Isabella
Vasco de Cana gained the fmme.
diate favor of the King of Portugal
not through any accomplishment, but
through Establishments at court, and
the King sent him in command Of the
first expedition to India over the
route demonstrated by the explora.
tions of another-Diaz. This was sin
years after Columbus first voyage
westward, and IL years after Dias
had opened the way westward BY
rounding the south Of Africa
Skirting close to the eastward
coast of Africa, de Cana put IN a
a port called Melinda, somewhat NORTH
of the Island, of Madagascar, ano
there he had the good fortune to find
q native of India, fan1iliar with the
instruments of navigation, who lee
the ships which were en- route to be.
tray his native land. History does
not give the pilot the questionable
honor of publishing his name. but he
II was. and not Vasco de Cana, who
thus first opened the commerce Of
the Indies to Occidental civilization
and greed.
The new route appealed to Portu.
gal In that it showed that India could
be reached without passing under tht
dominance Of Venice, the then mis-.
tress of the seas" Heretofore. tht
route had been through the Mediter'
ranean and the Red Sea, or overlant
| by caravan. Venice thus lost hel
monopoly Of the Oriental trade. ant
Portugal became the gateway of Eu
| ropean commerce with the land o.
| spices" Portugal grew enormousl!
/ in Importance and wealth.
The Spanish glory Of Columbus dis
| covery OF a new world OF promise
kX1xk % HttlA Immediate fpldl2meot q