| Show OF 1 a OF by ELMO SCOTT WATSON 12 Is a day which americans set aside for honoring the memory of the genoese sailor who Is almost universally credited with being the discoverer of the new world and in twenty three states union arkansas california colorado connecticut delaware idaho illinois indiana kansas kentucky maryland massachusetts michigan missouri montana isea jersey isea york Ol lahoma pennsylvania island besas vermont and washing ton columbus day Is a legal holiday mot of us know something about columbus for the story of his life with the record of its dauntless am baitlon which drove him on in spite of many disappointments and ments until success came to him only to end in poverty and failure Is one of the mot romantic and at ohp s line time one of the most tragic in the an nals of mankind hut what of the history making event itself the an of which we are about to celebrate again how clear a picture do we have of what took pi ice on that october day years ago bor all of the millions of words that have been written about christopher 01 ol ambus and his of discovery in the past four centuries there Is none which paints the scene more vividly than do alie words of an amer lean historian who wrote of it more than a hundred veirs ago and modern scholarship has found hut little to correct in the record as it Is set down by washington irving in his life and voyages of columbus Is the story of that historic day as irving tells if it wi on friday morn lii the it october that columbua first beheld the new world As the day dawned be saw before hirn a level island icv eral leagues in extent and covered with trees like a continual orchard though apparently uncultivated it ans populous for the inhabitants were seen issuing from all parts of the woods anil running to the shore they were per factly naked and as they stood gaz ing at the ships appeared by their attitudes and gestures to be lost in columbus made signal for the ships to cast anchor and th boats to be manned and armed lie entered his own boat richly attired in scarlet and hiding the royal standard while martin alonzo pinion and vicente yanez his brother put off iri company in their boate each with a banner of the enterprise em blazoned with a green cross having on either side the letters and Y the initials of the castillan Castl llan monarchs pernando and surmounted by crowns af approached the shore colum bus who was disposed die posed for all kinds of agreeable impressions was delight ed with the purity and suavity of the atmosphere the crystal transparency of tha aea and the extraordinary beauty of the vegetation he beheld also fruits of an unknown kind ui on the trees which overhung the shoren oa landing be tt rew himself on hi knees kissed the earth and returned thanks to god with tears ot joy ills example was followed by the rest hearts indeed overflowed with the same feelings of gratitude columbus then rising drew his sword displaced the royal standard and assembling sem bling round him the two captains with rodrigo de escobedo notary 0 the armament rodrigo sanchez and th rest who had landed he took solemn possession in the name of the castillan Castl llan sovereigns giving the island the name of san fc alvador having compiled with the requisite forms and ceremonies he called upon all present to take the oath of obedience to him as admiral and viceroy representing the persons of the sovereigns the feelings ot the crew now burst forth in the most extravagant transports they had recently considered themselves devoted men hurrying forward to destruction they now looked upon themselves as favorites of tor tune and gave themselves up to the most unbounded joy they thronged thron ged around the admiral with overflowing zeal some embracing him others kiss ing his hands those who had been most mutinous and turbulent during the voyage were now roost devoted and enthusiastic some begged favors of him as if be already had wealth and honors in his gift many abject spirits who had outraged him by their insolence now crouched at his feet begging pardon tor all the trouble gnei had caused him and promising the bl indest obedience for the future the natives ot the island when at the dawn of day they bad beheld the ships hovering on their coast had eup posed them monsters which had issued from the deep during the night they had crowded to the beach and watched their movements with awful anxiety their veering about apparently without effort and the shifting and furling of their sails resembling huge wings filled them with astonishment when they beheld their boats approach the shore and a number of strange beings clad n glittering steel or raiment of various colors landing upon the beach they fled in affright to the woods finding however that there was no attempt to pursue or them they gradually recovered from their terror and approached the span lards with great awe frequently pros brating themselves on the earth and making signs of adoration during the ceremonies of possession they remained gazing in timid admiration at he complexion the beards the shining armor and splendid dress of the spaniards the admiral particularly at traded their attention from his commanding helget his air of authority his dress of scarlet and the deference which was pai him by his companions all which pointed him out to be the i commander when they had still furth er recovered from their fears they approached the spaniards touched their beards and examined their hands and faces admiring their whiteness columbel Colum bul was pleased with their gentleness and confiding simplicity and suffered their scrutiny with perfect acquiescence winning them by his benignity they now supposed that the ships had sailed out of the crystal firmament which bounded their horizon or had descended from above on their ample wings and that these marvel oua beings were inhabitants of the esklee the natives of the island were no less objects of curiosity to the spaniards differing as they did from aay race of men they had eer been their appearance gave no promise of either wealth or tor they were entrels naked and painted with a variety of colors with bome it wet A unique engraving made to illustrate an italian poem by guillane Gul dato printed in florence in 1493 shortly after columbus return from a facsimile of the original in the brit ish museum reproduced tn the aal yal university press pageant of airier lea confined merely to a part ot the nos or around the eyes it extended to the whole body and them wild and fantastic appe arant their complexion was 0 a tawny or copper hue and they were destitute of beards their hair was nil crisped like the recently discovered dis coverd tribes ot the african coast under th same latitude but straight and partly cut short above the ears bet some locks were left long behind and falling upon their shoulder their feature though obscured and alfi ared by paint were agreeable had lofty forehead and remarkably fine eyes they were of moderate stat ure and well shaped most of thea appeared to be under thirty atan ot ige there was but one female wibb them quite young naked like her con pan lons but beautifully formed As columbus supposed bieselt t have landed on an island and at tt extremity of india he called tb nt alves by the general appellation of in deans which was universally before the true nature of his discovery was known and has since been ed to all the aboriginals originals ab of hi ne world the islanders were friendly and gen tie their only arms were ia hardened at the end by alre or with a flint or the teeth or bone ot fah there was no iron to be seen MT with in did they appear acquainted properties for when a drawn w was presented to them they iv took t by the edge columbua distributed amon tat colored caps glass beads and other trifles suh as guese were accustomed to trad W among the nations of the gold cow of africa they received mbeni eagerly hune the beads round their net 11 with lter were wonderfully pleased finer and with the sound of the baui the spaniards re malneS all W bhore refreshing themselves att U anxious voyage amid the beau tili proves of the island the island where columbus baa tor the first time set his foot tho new world waa called b alves Gua it still retain name of san salvador which he it though called by the wa island the light which be bad n the evening previous to hi hia is 1 land may have been on to v land which lies a few leagree east san salvador Is one of th e cluster of the lucatos or bacaba i lands which stretch southeast northwest from the coast of to HIspan lola |
