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Show WHAT'S IN THE NAME "AMERICA" Millions sing "America"; comparatively compara-tively few know the origin of tho name. Its history and Its symbolism uro described In a communication to the National Geographic society by John II. Flnley as follows: " 'America' a numo that was first heard on tho planet, or at any rate llrst put on u printed page, according to the hetft autborltb-s, In the village of St. Die, among the Vosget mountains moun-tains In the east of Frnnce, often called call-ed tho baptismal font of America. "On a pilgrimage to this valley of the Voges some years ago, I found still standing the cloisters where tin-scholars tin-scholars had lived who wrote 'The Introduction In-troduction to Ptolemy's Cosmogrnplij ' tho book In Which It was suggested that the name 'Ameiicn' be given to the nowly-dlwovered fourth continent nnd who prepared the now famous map on which the emerging continent wns Identltled. There, too, I found tho slto of tho old printing shop, nnd the house Itself In which the printer, Jenn Ilnsln, had lived. "At tho beginning of the war the Germans had occupied It, und In 1017 their guns looked down uikhi It from Uio 'blue lino of the Vosges.' Tho cloisters, closo under the mountains, I found In a recent und second pll-grlmngo pll-grlmngo had not been damaged, but there were many houses that hod been destroyed by shell or by wanton tire, though Jean Uasln's wns still standing. stand-ing. "Europe could not readily forget tho geography of its Infancy and childhood, child-hood, but America began from Its Godfearing God-fearing Bettlement with nn astronomy of Intlnlte distances, with n geography partaking of tho sky us well us of tho sen nnd laqd. "As there was no feudal sywtcm of society for America to unlearn, beginning be-ginning ns It did with thu 'compact and 'constitutional, so there- was no physical theory of tho universe for It to abandon. It was democratic nnd Copemlcnn from Its first natlonni con. sclouxncss, "Wlf.li this Copemlcnn consciousness of tlie universe, America should be thu least provincial of tho continents, for AkIu and Africa, as well ns Kuropo. Mill remember tho old cosmography and lu "ine durke' reWs still dlug to It." |