found in a Genoese library, illustrate the scepticism of his beginning, and the first vision of the New World, the fulfilment of his faith.

To secure the means to test the truth of his speculations, this poor and unknown dreamer must win the support of kings, and overcome the hostility of the Church. He never doubted his ability to do both, though he knew of no man living who was so great in power or lineage or learning that he could accomplish either. Unaided and alone, he succeeded in arousing the jealousies of sovereigns, and dividing the councils of ecclesiastics. "I will command your fleet and discover for you new realms, but only on condition that you confer on me hereditary nobility, the Admiralty of the Ocean and the Vice-Royalty, and one-tenth of the revenues of the New World," were the haughty terms to King John of Portugal. After ten years of disappointment and poverty, subsisting most of the time upon the charity of the enlightened monk of the convent of Rabida, who was his unfaltering friend, he stood before the throne of Ferdinand and Isabella, and, rising to imperial dignity in his rags, embodied the same royal conditions in his petition. The capture of Granada, the expulsion of Islam from Europe, and the triumph of the Cross, aroused the admiration and devotion of Christendom; but this proud beggar, holding in his grasp the potential promise and dominion of El Dorado and Cathay, divided with the Moslem surrender the attention of sovereigns and bishops. France and England indicated a desire to hear his theories and see his maps, while he was still a suppliant at the gates of the camp of Castile and Aragon, the sport of its courtiers, and the scoff of its confessors. His unshaken faith that Christopher Columbus was commissioned from Heaven, both by his name and by divine command, to carry "Christ across the sea" to new

continents and pagan peoples, lifted him so far above the discouragements of an empty purse and a contemptuous court, that he was proof against the rebuffs of fortune or of friends. To conquer the prejudices of the clergy, to win the approval and financial support of the State, to venture upon that unknown ocean, which, according to the beliefs of the age, was peopled with demons and savage beasts of frightful shape, and from which there was no possibility of return, required the zeal of Peter the Hermit, the chivalric courage of the Cid, and the imagination of Dante. Columbus belonged to that high order of cranks who confidently walk "where angels fear to tread," and often become the benefactors of their country or their kind.

It was a happy omen of the position which woman was to hold in America, that the only person who comprehended the majestic scope of his plans, and the invincible quality of his genius, was the able and gracious queen of Castile. Isabella, alone of the dignitaries of that age, shares with Columbus the honors of the great achievement. She arrayed her kingdom and her private fortune behind the enthusiasm of this mystic mariner, and posterity pays homage to her wisdom and her faith.

The overthrow of the Mahommedan power in Spain would have been a forgotten scene, in one of the innumerable acts in the grand drama of history, had not Isabella conferred immortality upon herself, her husband, and their dual crown by her recognition of Columbus. The devout spirit of the queen and the high purpose of the explorer inspired the voyage, subdued the mutinous crew, and prevailed over the raging storms. They covered with the divine radiance of religion and humanity, the degrading search for gold, and the horrors of its quest, which filled the first century of the conquest with every form of lust and greed.

The mighty soul of the great admiral was undaunted by the ingratitude of princes and the hostility of the people, by imprisonment and neglect. He died as he was securing the means and preparing a campaign for the rescue of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem from the infidel. He did not know, what time has revealed, that while the mission of the crusades of Bouillon and Richard of the Lion Heart was a bloody and fruitless romance, the discovery of America was the salvation of the world. The one was the symbol, the other the spirit; the one death, the other life. The tomb of the Saviour was a narrow and empty vault, precious only for its memories of the supreme tragedy of the centuries; but the new continent was to be the home and temple of the living God.

All hail, Columbus, discoverer, dreamer, hero, and apostle! We, here, of every race and country, recognize the horizon which bounded his vision and the infinite scope of his genius. The voice of gratitude and praise for all the blessings which have been showered upon mankind by his adventure is limited to no language, but is uttered in every tongue. Neither marble nor brass can fitly form his statue. Continents are his monument, and unnumbered millions, present and to come, who enjoy in their liberties and their happiness the fruits of his faith, will reverently guard and preserve from century to century his name and fame.

7. THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION

OPENED.

Address by the President of the United States, May 1st, A. D. 1893.

I AM here to join my fellow-citizens in the congratulations which befit this occasion.

Surrounded by the stupendous results of American enterprise and activity, and in view of these magnificent evidences of American skill and intelligence, we need not fear that these congratulations will be exaggerated.

The enthusiasm with which we contemplate our work, intensifies the warmth of the greeting we extend to those who come from foreign lands to illustrate with us the growth and progress of human endeavor in the direction of a higher civilization.

We who believe that popular education and the stimulation of the best impulses of our citizens lead the way to a realization of the national destiny which our faith promises, gladly welcome the opportunity here afforded us, to see the results accomplished by efforts which have been exerted longer than ours in the field of main improvement; while in appreciative return, we exhibit the unparalleled advancement and accomplishment of a young nation, and present the triumphs of a vigorous, self-reliant, and independent people.

We have built these splendid edifices; but we have also built this magnificent fabric of popular government, whose grand proportions are seen throughout the world. We have made and have gathered together objects of use and beauty, the product of American skill and invention; we have also made men who rule themselves.

It is an exalted mission in which we and our friends from other lands are engaged, as we co-operate in the

inauguration of an enterprise devoted to human development; and in the undertaking we have entered upon, we exemplify in the noblest sense the brotherhood of nations.

Let us hold fast to the meaning that underlies this ceremony, and let us not lose the impressiveness of the moment. As, by a touch, the machinery that gives life to this vast exposition is now set in motion, so at the same instant let our hopes and aspirations awaken force which in all time to come shall influence the welfare, dignity, and the freedom of the world.

GROVER Cleveland.

CONTRIBUTING NATIONS.

THE aggregate sum of six millions of dollars was appropriated by the governments of the following nations to secure their proper representation at the World's Columbian Exposition: