Evening star., 1942-10-11

of it.
People in southern Europe were
interested in other things until the
great Age of Discovery started after
the year 1400 The Portuguese were
leaders in efforts to explore the coast
of Africa and to find a water route
around it to India.
Foreign trade had grown to some
People in Europe sent
their wares eastward, to trade them
for silk, spices and jewels from the
Orient. The chief trading route was
eastward over the Mediterranean
and then further eastward by camel
trains" Often the Turks robbed the
laden camels, and this led people in
Europe to try to find an all-Water
route to India.
Some of the ancient Greeks came
to believe that the earth must be
"as round as ball" One of their
reasons was the fact that during an
eclipse of the moon the shadow was
always curved They believed (and
their belief was correc0 that the
shadow was made by the earth get
ting IN the way of the suns light.
IF the shadow is curved" they
said, "the earth must be curved"
That. of course, was the belief
of only small number of great
thinkers. Most people in Greece
and elsewhere in the world sup
posed that the earth was fiat.
The Idea of Columbus.
Among the sailors who worked
under the flag of Portugal was
Christopher Columbus His birth
place is uncertain, but his boyhood
was spent in Genoa, Italy.
Columbus studied some of the
writings of old Greek thinkers and
decided that the earth was round.
IF the earth is round" he said,
why couldn't we reach India by
sailing west across the Dark Sea?"
Columbus placed the idea before
the King of Portugal, but that
monarch would not let him make
the venture.
Then Columbus went to the Span
ish monarchs-King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella. who at length
granted him three small sailing
vessels to use in the attempt.
Most people of the time believed
that it would be dangerous to sail
westward because ship would be
destroyed by sea monsters, or else
would fall over "the edge of the
world
With about 100 companions, Co.
lumbus set sail on August 8, 1892.
The flagship, in which Columbus
rode, was called the Santa Maria.
The other two were the Nina and
the Pinta.
Land at Last.
Week after week the little ships
fought their way westward. Manv
were the fears of those on board.
Any day or any night might be
their last.
AS it turned out. they came at
last to the coast of a small island.
Columbus called this island San
Salvador and laid claim to it in
the name of Spain. 1t was one of
the Bahama Islands. No one is cer-
tain which of those islands it was.
but modern scholars believe that
most likely it was one now called
Watlings Island.
Early in the morning of October
II, 1892, Columbus and some of his
sailors roWed ashore. Natives
watched them from behind trees,
and at last grew bold enough to come
close to the white visitors and make
friends with them. The Spaniards
gave them little bells and other
trinkets.
Called Natives Indians"
Because he supposed that he had
reached an island off the coast of
India, Columbus called the natives
indians This mistaken name has
lasted through the centuries, and we
now use it for the early people of
this continent as well as for the true
Indians of India.
The Spaniards hoped to obtain
riches from the land they discovered.
They found no silks or jewels on the
island, but they observed that one of
the natives wore golden nose-ring.
BY means of signs, they tried to
learn where the gold had come from,
and as nearly as they could under.
stand the answer to their question.
the gold had been obtained from
! islands to the south.
Columbus and his sailors then
sailed to other islands, the largest
being Cuba and Haiti
When Columbus sailed back to
Spain, the King and Queen were
pleased by the reports which he
brought back. They gave him
much larger fleet to use on another
| journey.
,r TIa uncIe ray Corner every day