Bayard Taylor, a distinguished American traveler, writer, and poet. Born in Chester County, Pa., in 1825; died at Berlin, December 19, 1878. From a description of Iceland.
Bayard Taylor, a distinguished American traveler, writer, and poet. Born in Chester County, Pa., in 1825; died at Berlin, December 19, 1878. From a description of Iceland.
It is impossible that the knowledge of these voyages should not have been current in Iceland in 1477, when Columbus, sailing in a ship from Bristol, England, visited the island. As he was able to converse with the priests and learned men in Latin, he undoubtedly learned of the existence of another continent to the west and south; and this knowledge, not the mere fanaticism of a vague belief, supported him during many years of disappointment.
The Rev.George L. Taylor, an American clergyman of the present century. From "The Atlantic Telegraph."
The Rev.George L. Taylor, an American clergyman of the present century. From "The Atlantic Telegraph."
Glory to God above,The Lord of life and love!Who makes His curtains clouds and waters dark;Who spreads His chambers on the deep,While all its armies silence keep;Whose hand of old, world-rescuing, steered the ark;Who led Troy's bands exiled,And Genoa's god-like child,And Mayflower, grandly wild,Andnowhas guided safe a grander bark;Who, from her iron loins,Has spun the thread that joinsTwo yearning worlds made one with lightning spark.
Alfred Tennyson, Baron Tennyson D'Eyncourt of Aldworth, the poet laureate of England. Born, 1809, at Somerby, Lincolnshire; raised to the peerage in 1883.[59]From his poem, "Columbus."
Alfred Tennyson, Baron Tennyson D'Eyncourt of Aldworth, the poet laureate of England. Born, 1809, at Somerby, Lincolnshire; raised to the peerage in 1883.[59]From his poem, "Columbus."
There was a glimmering of God's hand. And GodHath more than glimmer'd on me. O my lord,I swear to you I heard his voice betweenThe thunders in the black Veragua nights,"O soul of little faith, slow to believe,Have I not been about thee from thy birth?Given thee the keys of the great ocean-sea?Set thee in light till time shall be no more?Is it I who have deceived thee or the world?Endure! Thou hast done so well for men, that menCry out against thee; was it otherwiseWith mine own son?"And more than once in daysOf doubt and cloud and storm, when drowning hopeSank all but out of sight, I heard his voice,"Be not cast down. I lead thee by the hand,Fear not." And I shall hear his voice again—I know that he has led me all my life,I am not yet too old to work His will—His voice again.Sir, in that flight of ages which are God'sOwn voice to justify the dead—perchanceSpain, once the most chivalric race on earth,Spain, then the mightiest, wealthiest realm on earth,So made by me, may seek to unbury me,To lay me in some shrine of this old Spain,Or in that vaster Spain I leave to Spain.Then some one standing by my grave will say,"Behold the bones of Christopher Colòn,"Ay, but the chains, what dotheymean—the chains?"I sorrow for that kindly child of SpainWho then will have to answer, "These same chainsBound these same bones back thro' the Atlantic sea,Which he unchain'd for all the world to come."
The golden guess is morning star to the full round of truth.—Ibid.
The managers of the World's Columbian Exposition have prided themselves upon being the first to celebrate any anniversary of the Columbian discovery, but this credit really belongs to the Tammany Society of New York, and the second place of honor belongs to the Massachusetts Historical Society of Boston. The Tammany Society met in the great wigwam on the 12th day of October, 1792 (old style), and exhibited a monumental obelisk, and an animated oration was delivered by J. B. Johnson, Esq.
The Massachusetts Historical Society met at the house of the Rev. Dr. Peter Thacher, in Boston, the 23d day of October, 1792, and, forming in procession, proceeded to themeeting-house in Brattle Street, where a discourse was delivered by the Rev. Jeremy Belknap upon the subject of the "Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus." He gave a concise and comprehensive narrative of the most material circumstances which led to, attended, or were consequent on the discovery of America. The celebration commenced with an anthem. Mr. Thacher made an excellent prayer. Part of a psalm was then sung, and then Mr. Belknap delivered his discourse, which was succeeded by a prayer from Mr. Eliot. Mr. Thacher then read an ode composed for the occasion by Mr. Belknap, which was sung by the choir. This finished the ceremony.
The facts were brought to light by World's Fair Commissioner John Boyd Thacher, New York. The account is taken from "a journal of a gentleman visiting Boston in 1792." The writer is said to have been Nathaniel Cutting, a native of Brookline, Mass., and who, in the following year, was appointed by Washington, upon the recommendation of Thomas Jefferson, on a mission to the Dey of Algiers.
It is interesting to note that the Massachusetts Historical Society, in assuming to correct the old style date, October 12th, was guilty of the error of dropping two unnecessary days. It dropped eleven days from the calendar instead of nine, and at a subsequent meeting it determined to correct the date to October 21st, "and that thereafter all celebrations of the Columbian discovery should fall on the 21st day of October."
The proclamation of the President establishing October 21st as the day of general observance of the anniversary of the Columbian discovery, and the passage of Senator Hill's bill fixing the date for the dedication of the buildings at Chicago, it is believed will forevermore fix October 21st as the Columbian day.
Maurice Thompson, an American poet and novelist. Born at Fairfield, Ind., September 9, 1844. From his "Byways and Bird-notes."
Maurice Thompson, an American poet and novelist. Born at Fairfield, Ind., September 9, 1844. From his "Byways and Bird-notes."
What a thrill is dashed through a moment of expectancy, a point of supreme suspense, when by some time of preparation the source of sensation is ready for a consummation —a catastrophe! At such a time one's soul is isolated so perfectly that it feels not the remotest influence from any other of all the universe. The moment preceding the old patriarch's first glimpse of the promised land; that point of time between certainty and uncertainty, between pursuit and capture, whereinto are crowded all the hopes of a lifetime, as when the brave old sailor from Genoa first heard the man up in the rigging utter the shout of discovery; the moment of awful hope, like that when Napoleon watched the charge of the Old Guard at Waterloo, is not to be described. There is but one such crisis for any man. It is the yes or no of destiny. It comes, he lives a lifetime in its span; it goes, and he never can pass that point again.
THE LANDING OF COLUMBUS.Harper's Weekly.Copyright, 1892, by Harper & Brothers.THE LANDING OF COLUMBUS.Bas-relief on the New York Monument.(See page244.)
Henry David Thoreau, an American author and naturalist. Born in Concord, Mass., in 1817; died, 1862. From his "Excursions," published by Houghton, Mifflin & Co.
Henry David Thoreau, an American author and naturalist. Born in Concord, Mass., in 1817; died, 1862. From his "Excursions," published by Houghton, Mifflin & Co.
Every sunset which I witness inspires me with the desire to go to a west as distant and as far as that into which the sun goes down. He appears to migrate westward daily, and tempt us to follow him. He is the Great Western Pioneer whom the nations follow. We dream all night of those mountain ridges in the horizon, though they may be of vapor only, which were last gilded by his rays. The Island of Atlantis, and the islands and gardens of the Hesperides, a sort of terrestrial paradise, appear to have been the Great West of the ancients, enveloped in mystery and poetry. Who has not seen in imagination, when looking into the sunset sky, the gardens of the Hesperides, and the foundation of all those fables?
Columbus felt the westward tendency more strongly than any before. He obeyed it, and found a new world for Castille and Leon. The herd of men in those days scented fresh pastures from afar.
And now the sun had stretched out all the hills,And now was dropped into the western bay;At lastherose, and twitched his mantle blue;To-morrow to fresh woods and pastures new.
Paolo del Pozzo Toscanelli, a celebrated Italian astronomer. Born at Florence, 1397; died, 1482. From a letter to Columbus in 1474.
Paolo del Pozzo Toscanelli, a celebrated Italian astronomer. Born at Florence, 1397; died, 1482. From a letter to Columbus in 1474.
I praise your desire to navigate toward the west; the expedition you wish to undertake is not easy, but the route from the west coasts of Europe to the spice Indies is certain if the tracks I have marked be followed.
George Alfred Townsend. In a letter to the PhiladelphiaTimes.
George Alfred Townsend. In a letter to the PhiladelphiaTimes.
From one of the hillocks behind the hotel at Huelva you can see in the distance East Rábida, Palos, Moguer, San Juan del Porto, and the sea, where the three birds of good omen went skimming past in the vague morning light 400 years ago, lest they might be seen by the Portuguese. Columbus means dove, and the arms of Columbus contained three doves. From Huelva I sailed to Rábida first. Rábida is on the last point of the promontory, nearest the sea, andPalos is inland from it three miles north, and is near half a mile from the Tinto. Passing down the oozy Odiel, we soon saw a watering place on the beach outside just where Columbus put to sea. We could also see the scaffolding around the Columbus monument they were building by Rábida.
After inspecting the convent at Rábida, I bade my skipper wait for flood tide to sail round to Palos, while I proceeded by land.
They brought me at Palos an old man who was extremely polite, but not one word could we understand of each other, until finally I took him by the arm and walked him in the direction of the church, whereupon suppressed exclamations of delight broke forth; the American savage had guessed the old man out. In point of fact, this old man was waiting all the time to take me to the church, and was the father of the boy behind whom I had ridden. Between the church and the beach rose a high hillock covered with grass, and as high as the church tower. In old times this was a mosque of military work, and it had not very long been Christian when Columbus came here; possibly it had been Christian in his day 150 years. It stands quite alone, is of rude construction, and has at the back of it some few graves—perhaps of priests. In the back part is a very good Moorish arch, which they still show with admiration. The front proper has a big door, barred strongly, as if the church might have been in piratical times a place of refuge for the population up in the hills. To the right of the entrance is the tower, which is buttressed, and its spire is made of blue and colored tiles, which have thoroughly kept their colors. A bell in this tower may have rung the inhabitants to church when Columbus announced that he meant to impress the Palos people to assist him in his voyage. I entered the church, which was all whitewashed, and felt, asI did at Rábida, that it was a better monument than I had reason to expect.
Its walls were one yard thick, its floors of tiles laid in an L form. As I measured the floor it seemed to me to be sixty-six feet wide and sixty-six feet long, but to the length must be added the altar chapel, bringing it up to ninety feet, and to the width must be added the side chapels, making the total width about eighty feet. The nave has a sharper arched top than the two aisles, which have round arches. The height of the roof is about thirty-five feet. The big door by which I entered the church is fifteen feet high by eight feet wide. Some very odd settees which I coveted were in the nave. The chief feature, however, is the pulpit, which stands at the cross of the church, so that persons gathered in the transepts, nave, or aisles can hear the preacher. It has an iron pulpit of a round form springing from one stem and railed in, and steps lead up to it which are inclosed. It looks old, and worn by human hands, and is supposed to be the identical pulpit from which the notary announced that, as a punishment of their offenses, the Queen's subjects must start with this unknown man upon his unknown venture. Those were high times in Palos, and it took Columbus a long while to get his expedition ready, and special threats as of high treason had to be made against the heads of families and women. But when Columbus returned, and the same day Pinzon came back after their separation of weeks, Palos church was full of triumph and hosannas. The wild man had been successful, and Spain found another world than the apostle knew of.
The grown boy, as he showed the building, went into an old lumber room, or dark closet, at one corner of the church, and when I was about to enter he motioned me back with his palm, as if I might not enter there with my heretic feet. He then brought out an image of wood fromfour to five feet high, or, I might say, the full size of a young woman. It was plain that she had once been the Virgin worshiped here, but age and moisture had taken most of the color from her, and washed the gilt from her crown, and now we could only see that in her arm she bore a child, and this child held in its hand a dove or pigeon. The back of the female was hollow, and in there were driven hooks by which she had once been suspended at some height. This was the image, I clearly understood, which Columbus' men had knelt to when they were about to go forth upon the high seas.
Strangely enough, the church is named St. George, and St. George was the patron saint of Genoa, where Columbus was born; and the Genoese who took the Crusaders to Jaffa had the satisfaction of seeing England annex their patron saint.
The Rev.Luther Tracy Townsend, D. D., an American divine. Born at Orono, Maine, September 27, 1838. From "The Bible and the Nineteenth Century."
The Rev.Luther Tracy Townsend, D. D., an American divine. Born at Orono, Maine, September 27, 1838. From "The Bible and the Nineteenth Century."
When Luther in the sixteenth century brought the truths of the Bible from the convent of Erfurth, and gave them to the people, he roused to mental and moral life not only the slumbering German nationality, but gave inspiration to every other country in Europe. "Gutenburg with his printing press, Columbus with his compass, Galileo with his telescope, Shakspere with his dramas, and almost every other man of note figuring during those times, are grouped, not around some distinguished man of science, or man of letters, or man of mechanical genius, or man famous in war; but around that monk of Wittenberg, who stood with an unchained Bible in his hand."
From a letter ofAngelo Trivigiano, of Granada, Spain, dated August 1, 1501.
From a letter ofAngelo Trivigiano, of Granada, Spain, dated August 1, 1501.
I have seen so much of Columbus that we are now on a footing of great friendship. He is experiencing at present a streak of bad luck, being deprived of the King's favor, and with but little money.
At Valparaiso, Chili, a bronze statue of Columbus has been erected on a marble pedestal. The figure, which is of heroic size, stands in an advancing attitude, holding a cross in the right hand.
Dr. P. H.Van der Weyde. In an article in theScientific American, June, 1892.
Dr. P. H.Van der Weyde. In an article in theScientific American, June, 1892.
The stupid anecdote of the egg was a mere trifling invention, in fact a trick, and it is surprising that intelligent men have for so many years thoughtlessly been believing and repeating such nonsense. For my part, I can not believe that Columbus did ever lower himself so far as to compare the grand discovery to a trick. Surely it was no trick by which he discovered a new world, but it was the result of his earnest philosophical convictions that our earth is a globe, floating in space, and it could be circumnavigated by sailing westward, which most likely would lead to the discovery of new lands in the utterly unknown hemisphere beyond the western expanse of the great and boisterous Atlantic Ocean; while thus far no navigator ever had the courage to sail toward its then utterly unknown, apparently limitless, western expanse.
PadreGiocchino Ventura, an eloquent Italian preacher and theologian. Born at Palermo, 1792; died at Versailles, August, 1861.
PadreGiocchino Ventura, an eloquent Italian preacher and theologian. Born at Palermo, 1792; died at Versailles, August, 1861.
Columbus is the man of the Church.
The VenerableGeorge Waddington, Dean of Durham, an English divine and writer. Died, July 20, 1869. From a poem read in Cambridge in 1813.
The VenerableGeorge Waddington, Dean of Durham, an English divine and writer. Died, July 20, 1869. From a poem read in Cambridge in 1813.
And when in happier days one chain shall bind,One pliant fetter shall unite mankind;When war, when slav'ry's iron days are o'er,When discords cease and av'rice is no more,And with one voice remotest lands conspire,To hail our pure religion's seraph fire;Then fame attendant on the march of time,Fed by the incense of each favored clime,Shall bless the man whose heav'n-directed soulForm'd the vast chain which binds the mighty whole.
Columbus continued till death eager to extend his discoveries, and by so doing to promote the glory of his persecutors.
The first of the eight pictures in the rotunda of the Capitol at Washington, D. C., and the first in point of event, is the "Landing of Columbus at San Salvador in 1492," by John Vanderlyn; its cost was $12,000. This picture represents the scene Washington Irving so admirably describes in his "Voyages of Columbus," occurring the morning the boats brought the little Spanish band from the ships to the shore of Guanahani. "Columbus first threw himself upon hisknees; then, rising, drew his sword, displayed the royal standard, and, assembling around him the two captains, with Rodrigo de Escobedo, notary of the armament; Rodrigo Sanchez (the royal inspector), and the rest who had landed, he took solemn possession of the island in the name of the Castilian sovereigns." The picture contains the picture of Columbus, the two Pinzons, Escobedo, all bearing standards; Sanchez, inspector; Diego de Arana, with an old-fashioned arquebus on his shoulder; a cabin-boy kneeling, a mutineer in a suppliant attitude, a sailor in an attitude of veneration for Columbus, a soldier whose attention is diverted by the appearance of the natives, and a friar bearing a crucifix.
The Columbus statue stands at the east-central portico of the Capitol, at Washington, D. C., above the south end of the steps, on an elevated block. It consists of a marble group, by Signor Persico, called "The Discovery," on which he worked five years, and is composed of two figures: Columbus holding the globe in his hand, triumphant, while beside him, wondering, almost terror-stricken, is a female figure, symbolizing the Indian race. The suit of armor worn by Columbus is said to be a faithful copy of one he actually wore. The group cost $24,000.
With true Chicago enterprise, the wideawake ChicagoHeralddispatched an expedition to the West Indies in 1891 to search out the landing place of Columbus. The members of the party, after careful search and inquiry, erected a monument fifteen feet high on Watling's Island bearing the following inscription:
ON THIS SPOTCHRISTOPHER COLUMBUSFIRST SET FOOT ON THE SOIL OF THE NEW WORLD.
Erected byThe ChicagoHerald,June 15, 1891.
COLUMBUS.FOR THE FESTIVAL AT HUELVA.
Á Castillo, y á LeonNuevo Mundo dió Colon.
Theodore Watts, in theAthenæum(England).
Theodore Watts, in theAthenæum(England).
To Christ he cried to quell Death's deafening measure,Sung by the storm to Death's own chartless sea;To Christ he cried for glimpse of grass or treeWhen, hovering o'er the calm, Death watch'd at leisure;And when he showed the men, now dazed with pleasure,Faith's new world glittering star-like on the lee,"I trust that by the help of Christ," said he,"I presently shall light on golden treasure."What treasure found he? Chains and pains and sorrow.Yea, all the wealth those noble seekers findWhose footfalls mark the music of mankind.'Twas his to lend a life; 'twas man's to borrow;'Twas his to make, but not to share, the morrow,Who in love's memory lives this morn enshrined.
Cardenas, Cuba.—At Cardenas, Cuba, a statue by Piguer of Madrid has been erected by a Cuban lady, an authoress, and wife of a former governor.
STATUE OF COLUMBUSSTATUE OF COLUMBUSIn the Courtyard of the Captain-General's Palace, Havana, Cuba(See page313.)
Cathedral of Havana, Cuba.—In the Cathedral ofHavana there is a plain marble bas-relief, about four feet high, representing in a medallion a very apocryphal portrait of Columbus, with an inscription as follows:
O restos é Ymajen del grande Colon!Mil siglos durad guardados en la urnaY en la remembranza de nuestra Nacion.(O remains and image of the great Columbus!For a thousand ages endure guarded within this urnAnd in the remembrance of our nation.)
Proposed Tomb—Havana Cathedral.—In February, 1891, by royal decree, all Spanish artists were invited to compete for a design for a sepulcher in which to preserve the Havana remains of Columbus; several were submitted to a jury, who awarded the first prize to Arthur Melida, with a premium of $5,000.
The sepulcher is now being erected in the cathedral. The design represents a bier covered with a heavily embroidered pall, borne upon the shoulders of four heralds, in garments richly carved to resemble lace and embroidered work. The two front figures bear scepters surmounted by images of the Madonna and St. James, the patron saint of Spain. On the front of their garments are the arms of Castille and Leon.
The two bearers represent Aragon and Navarre, the former being indicated by four red staffs on a gold field, and the fourth has gold-linked chains on a red field. The group is supported on a pedestal ornamented about its edge with a Greek fret.
Havana, Cuba.—In the court-yard of the Captain-General's palace, in Havana, is a full-length figure of Columbus, the face modeled after accepted portraits at Madrid.
Havana, Cuba.—In the inclosure of the "Templete," the little chapel on the site of which the first mass wascelebrated in Cuba, there is a bust of Columbus which has the solitary merit of being totally unlike all others.
Nassau.—At Nassau, in the Bahamas, a statue of Christopher Columbus stands in front of Government House. The statue, which is nine feet high, is placed upon a pedestal six feet in altitude, on the north or seaward face of which is inscribed:
It was presented to the colony by Sir James Carmichael Smyth, Governor of the Bahamas, 1829-1833, was modeled in London in 1831, is made of metal and painted white, and was erected May, 1832.
Santo Domingo Cathedral.—Above theboveda, or vault, in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, from which the remains of Columbus were taken in 1877, is a marble slab with the following:
Reposaron en este sitio los restos de Don Cristobal Colon el célebre descrubridor del Nuevo Mundo, desde el año de 1536, en que fueron trasladados de España, hasta el 10 de Setiembre 1877, en que se desenterraron para constatar su autenticidad. Y á posteridad la dedica el Presbitero Billini.
(There reposed in this place the remains of Christopher Columbus, the celebrated discoverer of the New World, from the year 1536, in which they were transferred from Spain, until the 10th September, 1877, in which year they were disinterred for the purpose of identification. Dedicated to posterity by Padre Billini) (curate in charge when the vault was opened.)
In the cathedral there is also preserved a large cross of mahogany, rough and uneven, as though hewn with an adze out of a log, and then left in the rough. This, it is claimed, is the cross made by Columbus and erected on the opposite bank of the Ozama River, where the first settlement in theWest Indies was made. In a little room by itself they keep a leaden casket, which Santo Domingoans claim contains the bones of Christopher Columbus, and, in another, those of his brother.
Plaza of Santo Domingo.—Humboldt once wrote that America could boast of no worthy monument to its discoverer, but since his time many memorials have been erected, not only in the New World, but the Old. In the plaza in front of the cathedral, in the city of Santo Domingo, stands a statue, heroic, in bronze, representing Columbus pointing to the westward. Crouched at his feet is the figure of a female Indian, supposed to be the unfortunate Anacaona, the caciquess of Xaragua, tracing an inscription:
Yllustre y Esclarecido Varon Don Cristoval Colon.
The statue was cast in France, a few years ago, and stands in the center of the plaza, in front of the cathedral.
Edwin Percy Whipple, a distinguished American critic and essayist. Born at Gloucester, Mass., 1819; died, June 16, 1886.
Edwin Percy Whipple, a distinguished American critic and essayist. Born at Gloucester, Mass., 1819; died, June 16, 1886.
Lord North more than once humorously execrated the memory of Columbus for discovering a continent which gave him and his ministry so much trouble.
Daniel Appleton White, a distinguished American jurist and scholar. Born at Lawrence, Mass., June 7, 1776; died, March 30, 1861.
Daniel Appleton White, a distinguished American jurist and scholar. Born at Lawrence, Mass., June 7, 1776; died, March 30, 1861.
Hardy seamen, too, who have spent their days in conflict with the storms of the ocean, have found means to make themselves distinguished in science and literature, as well as by achievements in their profession. The life of Columbus gloriously attests this fact.
Jeremiah Holmes Wiffen, an English writer and translator. Born at Woburn, 1792. Many years librarian and private secretary to the Duke of Bedford. Died, 1836. From his translation of Tasso's "Jerusalem Delivered" (1830). (Seeante,TASSO.)
XXX.
The time shall come when ship-boys e'en shall scornTo have Alcides' fable on their lips,Seas yet unnamed and realms unknown adornYour charts, and with their fame your pride eclipse;Then the bold Argo of all future shipsShall circumnavigate and circle sheerWhate'er blue Tethys in her girdle clips,Victorious rival of the sun's career,And measure e'en of earth the whole stupendous sphere.
XXXI.
A Genoese knight shall first the idea seizeAnd, full of faith, the untracked abyss explore.No raving winds, inhospitable seas,Thwart planets, dubious calms, or billows' roar,Nor whatso'er of risk or toil may moreTerrific show or furiously assail,Shall make that mighty mind of his give o'erThe wonderful adventure, or availIn close Abyla's bounds his spirit to impale.
XXXII.
'Tis thou, Columbus, in new zones and skies,That to the wind thy happy sails must raise,Till fame shall scarce pursue thee with her eyes,Though she a thousand eyes and wings displays;Let her of Bacchus and Alcides praiseThe savage feats, and do thy glory wrongWith a few whispers tossed to after days;These shall suffice to make thy memory longIn history's page endure, or some divinest song.
Emma Hart Willard, an American teacher and educational writer. Born at Berlin, Conn., 1787; died, 1870.
Emma Hart Willard, an American teacher and educational writer. Born at Berlin, Conn., 1787; died, 1870.
Since the time when Noah left the ark to set his foot upon a recovered world, a landing so sublime as that of Columbus had never occurred.
The Rev.Elhanan Winchester, an American divine. Born at Brookline, Mass., 1751; died, 1797. From an oration delivered in London, October 12, 1792, the 300th anniversary of the landing of Columbus in the New World. The orator, previous to a call to a pastorate in London, had lived many years in America, being at one time pastor of a large church in the city of Philadelphia. This oration should be prized, so to speak, for its "ancient simplicity." It is a relic of the style used in addresses one hundred years ago.
The Rev.Elhanan Winchester, an American divine. Born at Brookline, Mass., 1751; died, 1797. From an oration delivered in London, October 12, 1792, the 300th anniversary of the landing of Columbus in the New World. The orator, previous to a call to a pastorate in London, had lived many years in America, being at one time pastor of a large church in the city of Philadelphia. This oration should be prized, so to speak, for its "ancient simplicity." It is a relic of the style used in addresses one hundred years ago.
I have for some years had it upon my mind that if Providence preserved my life to the close of the third century from the discovery of America by Columbus, that I would celebrate that great event by a public discourse upon the occasion.
And although I sincerely wish that some superior genius would take up the subject and treat it with the attention that it deserves, yet, conscious as I am of my own inability, I am persuaded that America has not a warmer friend in the world than myself.
The discovery of America by Columbus was situated, in point of time, between two great events, which have caused it to be much more noticed, and have rendered it far more important than it would otherwise have been. I meantheart of printing, which was discovered about the year 1440, and which has been and will be of infinite use to mankind, andthe Reformationfrom popery, which began about the year 1517, the effects of which have already been highly beneficial in a political as well as in a religious point of view, and will continue and increase.
These three great events—the art of printing, the discovery of America, andthe Reformation—followed each other in quick succession; and, combined together, have already produced much welfare and happiness to mankind, and certainly will produce abundance more.
By the discovery of America there was much room given to the inhabitants of the Old World; an asylum was prepared for the persecuted of all nations to fly to for safety, and a grand theater was erected where Liberty might safely lift up her standard, and triumph over all the foes of freedom. America may be calledthe very birthplace of civil and religious liberty, which had never been known to mankind until since the discovery of that country.
But the importance of the discovery will appear greater and greater every year, and one century to come will improve America far more than the three centuries past.
The prospect opens; it extends itself upon us. "The wilderness and solitary place shall rejoice, the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose." I look forward to that glorious era when that vast continent shall be fully populated with civilized and religious people; when heavenly wisdom and virtue, and all that can civilize, adorn, and bless the children of men, shall cover that part of the globe as the waters cover the seas.
Transported at the thought, I am borne forward to days of distant renown. In my expanded view, the United States rise in all their ripened glory before me. I lookthrough and beyond every yet peopled region of the New World, and behold period still brightening upon period. Where one contiguous depth of gloomy wilderness now shuts out even the beams of day, I see new states and empires, new seats of wisdom and knowledge, new religious domes, spreading around. In places now untrod by any but savage beasts, or men as savage as they, I hear the voice of happy labor, and behold beautiful cities rising to view.
Lo, in this happy picture, I behold the native Indian exulting in the works of peace and civilization; his bloody hatchet he buries deep under ground, and his murderous knife he turns into a pruning fork, to lop the tender vine and teach the luxuriant shoot to grow. No more does he form to himself a heaven after death (according to the poet), in company with his faithful dog, behind the cloud-topped hill, to enjoy solitary quiet, far from the haunts of faithless men; but, better instructed by Christianity, he views his everlasting inheritance—"a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
Instead of recounting to his offspring, round the blazing fire, the bloody exploits of their ancestors, and wars of savage death, showing barbarous exultation over every deed of human woe, methinks I hear him pouring forth his eulogies of praise, in memory of those who were the instruments of heaven in raising his tribes from darkness to light, in giving them the blessings of civilized life, and converting them from violence and blood to meekness and love.
Behold the whole continent highly cultivated and fertilized, full of cities, towns, and villages, beautiful and lovely beyond expression. I hear the praises of my great Creator sung upon the banks of those rivers unknown to song. Behold the delightful prospect! see the silver and gold ofAmerica employed in the service of the Lord of the whole earth! See slavery, with all its train of attendant evil, forever abolished! See a communication opened through the whole continent, from north to south, and from east to west, through a most fruitful country! Behold the glory of God extending, and the gospel spreading, through the whole land!
O my native country! though I am far distant from thy peaceful shores, which probably mine eyes may never more behold, yet I can never forget thee. May thy great Creator bless thee, and make thee a happy land, while thy rivers flow and thy mountains endure. And, though He has spoken nothing plainly in His word concerning thee, yet has he blest thee abundantly, and given thee good things in possession, and a prospect of more glorious things in time to come. His name shall be known, feared, and loved through all thy western regions, and to the utmost bounds of thy vast extensive continent.
O America! land of liberty, peace, and plenty, in thee I drew my first breath, in thee all my kindred dwell. I beheld thee in thy lowest state, crushed down under misfortunes, struggling with poverty, war, and disgrace. I have lived to behold thee free and independent, rising to glory and extensive empire, blessed with all the good things of this life, and a happy prospect of better things to come. I can say, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation," which thou hast made known to my native land, in the sight, and to the astonishment, of all the nations of the earth.
I die; but God will surely visit America, and make it a vast flourishing and extensive empire; will take it under His protection, and bless it abundantly—but the prospect is too glorious for my pen to describe. I add no more.
STATUE OF COLUMBUS, IN FAIRMOUNT PARK, PHILADELPHIA.STATUE OF COLUMBUS, IN FAIRMOUNT PARK, PHILADELPHIA.Presented by Italian Citizens.(See page281.)
Justin Winsor, a celebrated American critical historian. Born, 1831.
Justin Winsor, a celebrated American critical historian. Born, 1831.
No man craves more than Columbus to be judged with all the palliations demanded of his own age and ours. It would have been well for his memory if he had died when his master work was done.
His discovery was a blunder; his blunder was a new world; the New World is his monument.
George E. Woodberry, in theCentury Magazine, May, 1892. By permission of the author and the Century Company.
George E. Woodberry, in theCentury Magazine, May, 1892. By permission of the author and the Century Company.
Was this his face, and these the finding eyesThat plucked a new world from the rolling seas?Who, serving Christ, whom most he sought to please,Willed his one thought until he saw ariseMan's other home and earthly paradise—His early vision, when with stalwart kneesHe pushed the boat from his young olive treesAnd sailed to wrest the secret of the skies?He on the waters dared to set his feet,And through believing planted earth's last race.What faith in man must in our new world beat,Thinking how once he saw before his faceThe west and all the host of stars retreatInto the silent infinite of space.