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VOLUJIT. TWO
HUHUER 7HTRT7-TOU‘R.
WHAT WE THINK OF WHAT WE SEE
The rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal church,
Totensville, Staten Island, has written a novel en
titled “Captain Jacklyn’s Club,” and last Sunday
evening read ten typewritten pages to his congre
gation. It is said that his congregation gave him
dose attention and that the reading was concluded
at a climax in the thrilling interest of the book.
Now that shows that the Episcopalians are really
the salt of the earth. In sitting while an autnor
reads his book they exemplify most all, if not all,
of the Christian virtues". There is Patience, Meek
ness and Charity. If they continue to attend the
readings until the book is finished they will deserve
a gorgeous reward. But the main point is this:
think what a waste of good advance agent material
that rector is when he occupies the pulpit. Any
roan who can work a scheme like that to get his
book before the public and not be arrested, could
boom anything—a book, a show or a breakfast food.
Some of the best business minds of this age are
turning to the ministry.
Last week we rejoiced to quote from a contem
porary of ours who dwelt on the heights, both lit
erally and figuratively, and whose independence
was beautiful and engaging. We find that the
point we emphasized last week; that living in high
altitudes strengthened the cardinal virtues of man,
is proven by an example of the opposite kind. A
Kansas editor, writing his valedictory in The Hia
watha Democrat, thus bids adieu to his consti
tuency:
“We don’t know who will succeed us, but we sin
cerely hope that he will receive the support due
him, but we fear that he will not, for there are
more tight wads and two-faced hypocrites in this
town than any place we ever knew. And since we
know the situation better, we are less surprised
that the long tongues do so much talking, for there
is so devilish much for them to talk about.”
Now we know, just as well as if we had been
there to see, that Hiawatha is situated in a low,
flat, poorly drained section of country. This
should speak a clarion warning to all. Back to the
ridges!
•I <
Last Saturday, October 12th, was accepted as the
four hundred and fifteenth anniversary of the dis
covery of America by Columbus. It is recorded by
supposedly reliable historians that early on the
morning of the twelfth of October, 1492, A. D.,
the cook of Columbus’ flag ship, being the first
one on deck, while engaged in dressing some spuds
for the Admiral, looked out and espied land. It
may be believed that there was some stir on
board the three adventurous little ships that had
crossed an unknown and uncharted waste of waters
and found an unknown land and a strange people.
When Columbus returned to Spain he was impressed
ATLANTA, GA., OCTOBER 17, 1907.
Sy A. E. RAMS A UR, Managing "Editor.
with his achievement, and wrote: “Let proces
sions be made; let grand anthems be sung.” A
leading daily of Georgia on last Friday said:
“Tomorrow will be celebrated in many of the
public schools of the United States with patriotic
.and appropriate exercises. It should be specially
observed in all of the common schools of the coun
try. On October 12, four hundred and fifteen years
ago, Columbus discovered America. Tomorrow then
is the anniversary of the greatest event in the
world’s history since the birth and death of the
Saviour of mankind. It is meet and proper that
the children of i the land of the free and the home
of the brave’ should be taught the significance of
the occasion. The observance of the day should
be made universal in the public schools, year by
year.”
And we were in hearty accord with the senti
ment thus expressed. We did not dream that any
one could feel otherwise. No American should hes
itate to express feelings of joy and gratitude that
America was discovered. What would the world
have been without America? Where could a “Land
of the Free and Home of the Brave” have been so
conveniently and advantageously located as here?
And without America the world would have been
put to inconveniences that make us shudder even
in the thinking of them. America, with all her mod
ern improvements, is decidedly one of the features
of interest on this planet. And we have never
sought to shirk an outpouring of gratitude to Co
lumbus. In away our feeling toward him slightly
resembles the affection we cherish fcr the memory
of Adam. Personally we never knew either, but
their deeds do live after them. There can be no
doubt of it. No one, so far as we have ever heard,
attempted to filch from Adam his title as The First
Man. But attempts have been made to decry the
achievement of Christopher Columbus. It has been
alleged that other mariners had sailed across the
sea and had discovered about as much of America
as Columbus did; but that talk we thought had
about died out. It sounded strangely like the irre
sponsible babbling of relatives, anyway. But judge
of our surprise to read a letter recently published
in the New York Sun in which a gentleman claims
that a couple of Irishmen discovered America long,
long prior to 1492. Here is what he says:
“To the Editor of The Sun —Sir: In accounts
of the discovery of America given by Brvant, Mont
gomery, Elson, Lawler and Hart I find it explicitly
stated that the Northmen or Scandinavians were
the first Europeans to land on this continent. But
the ‘Navigatio Sancti Brendani,’ or ‘Voyage of
St. Brendan,’ which was found on the shelves of
every monastic and great library of Europe be
fore Leif Ericson had reached the Western Conti
nent, 1000 A. D., relates how Barind and Mernoc,
two Irishmen, made a landing on the distant shores
of the Land of Promise—the earliest Irish and
Christian designation of America —about the begin
ning of the sixth century. They told St. Brendan
of the extensive country, peopled with savages,
which they had found. Thereupon St. Brendan was
fired with zeal to carry to those barbarians the light
of the Gospel. ‘The Voyage of St. Brendan’ goes
on to narrate how Brendan set out with sixty holy
men, and after great hardships reached the great
continent of the West, and for seven years re
mained among the inhabitants, and established
Christian settlements before returning to his native
Ireland.
“Washington Irving is the only American histo
rian, so far as I have read, who has referred at all
to St. Brendan’s voyage, and he dismisses it as fic
titious. But in his ‘Knickerbocker’s History of
New York’ Irving misrepresented the character of
the Dutch settlers. Perhaps he did not like the
Irish either. Most historians follow the Irving view
of St. Brendan. James Gill.
“New York, October 12.”
Now that goes beyond anything yet advanced in
this matter. But we leave tiie final determina
tion of the question to others who can more prop
erly assume the duty of defending the laurels of
Columbus against the grasping claims of the Irish.
Well we know that Mr. Beveridge or Mr. Hobson
or The Unterrified Georgian will set it right as soon
as their attention is directed thereto. What we are
more earnestly concerned with is something that
comes home to us; that touches us more nearly. It
is now conceded by all and sundry that Atlanta won
the baseball pennant of 1907. No man has the te
merity to deny it at present. But in the course of
human events, all flesh being as grass, this genera
tion will be gathered to its fathers. Another gen
eration and still another successive one will talk
of the achievements of the Atlanta team of 1907;
but with the revolving decades who knows but
that some other city may seek to seize the honors
that so justly belong to us? Look at Columbus,
now. His name is remembered and he is still re
garded with honor, but hew long will it remain so?
It is said that the police force of New York
is largely composed of Irish; they are strong in
the ward politics of our metropolis; and now they
are going farther and are preparing to set up a
claim of discovering this country about thirteen
hundred years ago. Why, we are ir. serious doubt
if this country was completed at that time! But
that is unimportant compared with the matter of
the pennant. Let us not delay a moment, fellow
citizens; it behooves us to seek out away whereby
the facts of this baseball season can be perpetuated
to the latest syllable of recorded time. As there
are none of the Columbus family living to object
to the filching of the Columbus laurels, it may not
be such a vital question, but the pennant is a differ
ent matter. Let every patriot rise to the full mea
sure of his duty and do it NOW!!
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FIVE CENTS A COPY.