Show NAMING OF AMERICA I House Where Savants Met Still Stands in France Book Which Inspired Columbus Writ ten In St. St Die Where the Famous Famous Fa Fa- Fa Conference Was Held In 1507 Paris Few Few Europeans or Amerl Amen cans either realize the historical importance importance Im- Im ortance of the little town of St. St Die in n the province of France Not only does it contain the house wherein sat tho savants ants who decided to o give the name America to the newly discovered continent but it was wasn In n this same town that a book was written which was the Incentive that led cd to the discovery of the new world In 1410 a Frenchman named Pierre dAIlly dAlIly wrote a book called Imago Mundi The Image of the Universe Universe Uni Und verse This book was read and meditated over by the great navigator tor tOl or Christopher Columbus and first gave jave him the Idea of seeking the unknown unknown un un- un known land Pierre dAIlly dAlIly was as born of poor par eats In In 1339 He beame became be be- came ame a priest of the Roman Catholic church hurch and by his own merits rose to the he exalted position of cardinal In his ils work Imago Mundi dAilly dAlIly sustained sus- sus tamed the thesis that the whole world was habitable and inhabited and according according ac- ac cording to his belief other lands exIsted existed exsted ex- ex Isted sted which were as yet unknown In Europe How could one get there he asked From a Spanish port under a favorable favorable fa- fa wind was his bis answer This statement however was mixed up p with many extravagant opinions opinions- often otten Impracticable and fantastic but these hese very extravagances of thought stimulated the Imagination of Columbus Colum Colum- bus us who read and reflected over the strange views put forth Savants have also shown that It was wasa a Frenchmans Frenchman's idea and his plan that 1 A Aa a tt r i f Where America Was Nam finally nally bestowed the name Ai At Aton AIon Ain on n the newly discovered land ume me was published at St S1 Die this his under the Uti titi su that hat the most appropriate na nahe nathe nathe the he new country would be A AA AA AA A group of savants who heads leads of the college Die met In the now famous hous agreed that America was the most ft fi ting ing name by which the new world should hould be called This was on April 25 25 5 1507 Columbus died in 1506 Amerigo Vespucci survived the great navigator sIx Ix years Vespucci was a clever pilot and after his arrival on tho the new shores he put forth the claim that the glory was his his his-he he had discovered the mainland while Columbus had only landed on the Islands Notwithstanding ing ng the fact that his merit assuredly was vas secondary he quickly gained widespread fame as an account of his voyage and exploits was the first to tobe tobe tobe be published St. St Die is a quaint old town situated on the two banks of the River at the foot of the blue line of majestic tic lc mountains which Is so admirably described by Jules Ferry The house which harbored the men who selected the name America stands today as rugged and strong as it did in th the early part of the fifteenth century To approach the place or square where it stands one has to traverse narrow circuitous streets pass under picture picturesque e esque que arcades of pinkish gray stone which the brush of time Ume has softened Into a beautiful opal coloring when hen henone one finds himself suddenly In the center center cen cen- ter of a wide open space The e eye e quickly alights on a placard which Is fastened on a rather broad low building This tablet records in a afew afew afew few words the Importance of this hIstorical historical his hIs- historical edifice As St St. Die has played such an Important Im role In the history of America the municipality of this little town sent an address to President ex-President Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt begging him to attend their big celebration on April 25 In honor of the naming of the new world Unfortunately Unfortunately Unfortunately the arrangements that had already been made could not be altered altered al at and Mr Roosevelt was obliged obligee to forego the pleasure In a letter to the municipality he said There is no monument In France that I am more desirous of seeing than this house I that Is so closely linked with the history history his his- tory of my country |