agement and persecution, this grand character
fought his way up to the high pinnacle of one of
the world's greatest benefactors.
Fellow Students: Such men are almost more
than human. Providence, working out its own
great scheme of human affairs, chooses men as its
instruments, imbues them with ideas—ambitions,
and then sends them forth as master-workmen in
the great laboratory of human history. Such a
master-workman was Columbus.
Born of humble parents and in early life a sea
rover, the vague tales of a land beyond the seas
crystallized in his mind into that great idea which
was to burst asunder the bonds of mediaevalism
and open a way for the long pent up waters of hu
man progress. At first a dream, then an ambition,
then his very life's essence, his idea became, "Be
yond the Alps lies Italy." Beyond the Atlantic
lay his Indies.
To-night as we look back along the years, we
seem to see re-enacted before us his long life strug
gle. Now, we see him at Genoa. Now, he is at
Lisbon, waiting while King John perfidiously at
tempts to rob him of his idea. Now, we see him
at the convent gate begging a morsel for his home
less boy. Now, he is in Venice, pleading with
her merchant princes.
Liter on, he appears in Spain, following the foot
steps of the victorious Ferdinand, hoping against
hope
. that his request will be granted. And, at
last, we see him, pleading his cause in the marble
courts of the Alhambra before the successful mon
arch and his queen. His hair, now gray; is
brushed back from his massive forehead, his blue
eyes scintillate with excitement, and his whole
kindly face is lit up with the fervor of his ambi
tion.
And then, we see him turning away, a broken
man, aged in a few hours, as he slowly picks his
way down the avenues and out through the glori
ous gate of the old Moorish fortress, never again
to trouble Spain with his ambition. But, sudden
ly he hears horse-hoofs in hot Pursuit. Noble
THE FIZEr, LANCg.
knights from the palace have been sent to call him
back :—Queen Isabella will pledge her jewels to
the success of the undertaking :—and joyfully the
old man climbs the hill again, a conqueror at last.
Then comes his memorable voyage, and at day
break on the morning of the 12th of October, r 492,
there stretches before, the green coast line of San
Salvador, the jeweled outpost of the great conti
nent; his Indies, the World's America.
But how was the hero rewarded ? Chains and
a pauper's deathbed were the rich returns Spain
made to the man who had presented her with two
continents. Yet, who will say; that, in this very
ingratitude, was not shown the great central pur
pose of history? Did not Spain''s ingratitude,
cruelty and avarice cause her to lose her hold on
the double world beyond the seas ? Was not her
greed the very reason why she did not plant her
withering footsteps on this great natural seat of
empire, and dispute for its possession with that
great race which was destined from the beginning
to take possession of it ?
Yes. ages ago, in the cradle of the nations,
to the east of the Caspian, the great Anglo Saxon
race began its march. Slowly, surely, irresistibly,
like some great glacier, gradually flowing down
the side of a mountain peak, it passed the Urals,
and spread on through Russia, assimilating, ex
terminatin; and scattering before it the races tint
stood in its path. Then across Russia and into
Germany it marched, dreaded even, by Rom?.
Reaching the channel; it passed over into Britain,
a stone cut out by itself from the mainland to be
a home and a resting place. There, under the re
straint of the dark ages, it remained waiting and
gathering strength, ready to leap across to its fit•
ture home when some one should point the way.
Though not of this great race, Columbus was
-akin to it, and he and the Spaniards cleared
the pa!h. Then just as slowly and majestically,
as ever, and as irresistibly, the great people be
gan passing over. Those of the Indians, French
and Spanish, it did not assimilate, were driven be
fore it. Past the Alleghenies, down the valley of