The Sunday Oregonian., July 18, 1920, Magazine Section, Page 6, Image 82

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x THIS STTSTTXY- CfHEGCTSTA POltTLASI. JULY IS, 1920
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Blue ' katlii nakei tlie corsage an
tnnlc ever a plalded Rodler serge.
1 j
A striking
lace on
SO much is said and 'written about
the wonders of Paris fashions
that It may come as somewhat
of a shock to those of us who have
not been abroad to discover that.
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use of silver
blue lerrc
NEW LIGHT IS THROWN ON DISCOVERY OF
AMERICA BY CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
' !
Henry Vignand, America's Diplomat, 90 Years of Age. Outlines Reasons for Substantiation of His Conten
tion Made Many Years Ago, and Which Repudiates the Columbian Tradition. '
ONCE more the question of the
true character of the discovery
of America, comes up. Whether
the Columbian tradition on such dis
covery and on the part played there
in by the astronomer Toscanelli as
handed down to us is essentially cor
rect In all its detail. Is a question that !
has been argued pro and con for the
past two decades.
Henry Vlgnaud has devoted the
greater part of recent years to the
refutal of the idea that the voyage
during- which this country was die
covered came about as the result of
a desire to find a new route to the
East Indies. Now at the age of 90
he is making one more supreme effort
to prove his contention.
Practically all of his life ertnee that
time has been epent on the other side
of the Atlantic He married In Paris
In 1873. and was at different times
associated as editor with some of the
leading French newspapers and peri
odicals. For some years he was con
nected with the American legation
and embassy at Paris, of which he
has recently been made honorary
counselor. He has also at several
times acted as charge d'affaires. At
the moment he is president of the
"Soclete des Amerlcanistis."
According to tradition which dates
from half a century after the dis
covery of America, a famous Floren
tine astronomer, Paolo Toscanelli,
wrote in 1474 a letter to King Al-
phonrus V of Portugal, dissuading
him from seeking to reach the East
Indies by way of the east, and ad
vising him to follow- a route by the
west as being easier than the other
because, if it were adopted, the dls
tance to be traversed would be only
130 degrees.
This letter, forwarded hy the
hands of a canon named Martins, is
supposed to have been accompanied
by a chart or map Indicating the
route to be followed. Later on both
of these documents are said to have
been sent by Toscanelli himself to
Columbus, who was then planning
his great undertaking of 1493 and
was seeking useful information.
"Yielding to ths counsel of the emi
nent astrologer, it is said that Co
Iambus did what King Alpbonsus had
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Many Pnrlalnn yorxng women nre
wearlnjc hta style of frock in mld-ntgTht-blae
cbiffon broadcloth wltb
flounces scalloped by old-fashioned
vplnltino;." Silver lace in the smart
Tarnitnre. -v
after all, the averagre well-dressed
Parisian woman Is less attractive and
not a whit better dressed than her
American cousin. -
Here, for Instance, is a page of pho
tographs, very recently taken at ran
dom on the avenues of Paris. They
are not specially posed pictures of
fashion models, such as are usually
provided when It is necessary to
show off the newest styles to the
best advantage.' They were just
snapped at the street corners, or in
front of shop windows and along- the
boulevards where the shrewd photog
rapher rarely finds difficulty in ob
taining; picture subjects, either vol
untary or otherwise.
As a rule, photographs of Paris
fashions reaching: this country are
carefully selected works of art in
which every detail of lighting, shad
ing, posing and display has been
thought out and attended to before
hand in order that the new clothes
creations may be displayed to the best
possible advantage. And as a result
an impression is sometimes gathered
that every Paris woman Is wearing
frocks, hats and shoes as smart as
those in the fashion-plate photo
graphs. Another good thins; to remember is
that one very necessary qualification
of every Paris clothes model is that
she must be either decidedly pretty
or strikingly picturesque and she
must . conform to standard figure
measurements In order that the
clothea will look well, on her.
i With that much explained, here on
been advised to do. and thus It came
about that America was discovered.
Mr. Vlgnaud says in an Interview:
Reason Are Outlined.
"Having become convinced." he
said, "that the documents attributed
to this astronomer are spurious, I
sought to prove It In 1901 and since
then, on different occasions, I have
returned to the subject. Hence arose
a long and animated eontrovrsy
which still continues, and which, up
to the present, has centered chiefly
on the genuineness of these docu
ments. But as a matter of fact, this
is but a secondary point and one
which might be laid aside without
any harm. The real question at
stake, which It behooves us to solve
as it Is of great historic importance.
is: What was the object aimed at in
1492. inasmuch as this question is in
volved on the other?
"Did Columbus discover the New
World by seeking to reaeh the east
ern shores of Asia by a new route, or
did he happen upon this discovery
while employed in searching for some
land or Island which be had reason to
believe existed in the western waters
of the Atlantic?
"In the first place the Idea that Co
lumbus was advised by Toscanelli
comes solely from Columbian sources;
first from Columbus and then from
family . papers. All of the writers
who have mentioned these facts have
borrowed them from the same source.
Originally they were known to the
Columbus family alone.'
"This is important, for, valuable
as Columbian documents may be, they
are not always to be t rested. For in
stance they lead us astray by con
cealing the humble origin of th dis
coverer. They attribute - to him an
illustrious parentage which was not
his own, iby speaking of his distant
voyages and his extensive learning,
whereas, in truth, be had not traveled
far before his discovery, and his re.
quirements were only elementary.
"If the first voyage of Columbus,
in which he discovered America, was
j not undertaken to sail to the Indies.
Toscanelli counts for nothing, lnas
rnucli as the elemental attributed to
that astronomer exerted no influence
whatever upon a decision which, was
A Page of Snapshot Photo
graphs Indicating That the
French Woman's Frocks for
General Wear Are Much Like
Her American Cousin's, While
Bare Knees and Beauty Win
dows Seem Barred.
X 4
ft
A beaded filet elves quite an air of
distinction to .this fine velours do
laine (otherwise wool) frock.
this page we have the resj goods,
so to speak, exactly as you will meet
them face to face on the avenues of
Paris any day you should happen to
be there. Some of the costumes, it
must be admitted, have an un-American
look about them aftd might at
tract a little adverse attention to the
wearer if she were suddenly trans
ported to the shopping district of any
American city on' a bright summer
afternoon. Others do not look very
much different from the styles now
being worn over here.
Paris has been credited with ortg-
never made. At once it becomes a
matter of indifference to criticism
whether the documents are spurious
or not. for even if they should be gen
uine, their author can lay no claim to
be considered as the instigator of
one of the greatest events in history."
Mr. Vignaud then outlined some of
the reasons for his belief that Colum
bus did not propose to go to tha In
dies westward, as the Columbian tra
dition would have it.
"In addition Columbus never said a
word before his voyage in regard
to a short route to the East Indies,
and never mentioned them until after
hiB discovery. Contemporary writers
who related the discovery of America
seem not to have been aware that it
was made in seeking to reach the
East Indies."
" New Land Wai Sought.
Vlgnaud then cited as proof that
the expedition of 1492 had for its sole
object the discovery of new Islands,
the evidence drawn from the capitu
lations, which treat only of new
islands to be discovered; of the evi
dence of Maldonado, a member of the
committee to which Columbus" pro
posals were referred, who declared
that they dealt only with the Islands
which were discovered; the evidence
of those who took part in the ex
pedition Itself, that its only object
was ths islands which were discov
ered; and the evidence of writers of
the time, who with the exception of
Herrera all say that the object of
the expedition was to look for the
isles which it discovered.
"Columbus had information about
what he set out to find." continued
Vignaud. "He intimates this fact in
his contract with their Catholic maj
esties. To his chronicle, Lao Casas,
he spoke as if he had been actually in
person to the islands which he was in
search of, and that he told Las Casas
that he had no doubt of finding
them.
"It is also evident that he had in
formation concerning these islands
because of the fact that he laid his
course along the 38th parallel and
persisted in keeping to it, although it
was not the direction which led to the
land of the spices. Also he was dis
appointed in not finding the island!
JKfteie As bad thought they ware sit-
-?
, ;4 :
Jnat a simple little stunmer suit of
satin, introducing- soma of the new
artistic embroidery.
tnatlng many freak fashions since
early spring. One of them is a one
piece knitted over-all trimmed with
fur. And at the recent Auteuil race
meet not a few of the women car
ried parrots on their left shoulders
held captive by tiny gold chains con
necting one of the bird's legs to the
owner's wrist- It was a feeble at
tempt to revive the old custom of
carrying a falcon on the wrist. Fal
cons are scarce and more dangerous
than parrots, whereas parrots are
tame, as & rule, and rather plentiful.
But the parrot promenade went out
nated. and he persistently continued
to look for them."
Another reason is the expression ,
"las Indies," used in the log book, but J
this signifies the West Indies and not
the East Indies. It is Las Casas who
makes the use of this expression and
it could have had no other meaning
at the time, coming as it did from
the pen of the author of the "Hiatorla
de las Indies," a work which treats
of the discovery and conquest of
America.
The statement made in 1493 In Lis
bon, when Columbus put in there on
his return voyage, that he was com
ing back from the discovery of An-
tllla of the Cypangu, implies that the
latter island, situated at the extrem
ity of the Indies, bad been from the
beginning the goal of his expedition,
is given as another reason for the
Toscanelli version. Columbus was
probably sincere In his declaration.
He really imagined that he had been
as far as ths Indies and had discov
ered Cypangu. In fact, he thought
so all the rest of his life. But the
circumstances under which the dis
covery was made show that it was
not included in the original plan.
Testimony Complicating.
"The testimony of Fernando Colum
bus that the goal of the 1492 expe
dition was the Indies had been often
cited as sufficient proof ef that fact.
But criticism has shown that this tes
timony cannot be reconciled either
with the statements of the Columbus
origin or with the known facts. If
the assertions of the first two biog
raphers of Columbus on this partic
ular point were justified, we should
be led into error in all ether state
ments, as well as by all of the facts
which have been adduced to the con
trary. Nor would it be reasonable,
moreover, to accept as proof the evi
dence which is in dispute. the very
evidence the value of which is under
discussion.
"I beg to call attention to one more
remarkable point," Vignaud con
cluded, "which must not be lost sight
of. The fact, so generally accepted,
that Columbus discovered America
by seeking, on the advice of Toscan
elli. to reach the Indies across the At
lantic is known to us only through
Colombian sources. No one outside
the Columbus family knew that this
was the object of his voyage, and no
information that we have on the sub
ject from any other quarter confirms
their account. On the contrary, ev
ery thing appears to contradict it."
Clay plsposlt Enormous.
OKANAGAN LANDING, B. C. As a
result of ths engineers' investigation
of the clay deposits near here it is
reported that there is 1,200.000 cubic
yards of visible clay on 48 acres, the
avcrags. dtp to being six feet.
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A frock for nreneral wear in bine or
black serge with the new bead or
thread tracery embroidery.
I of fashion almost aa quickly as It
went In.
Eighty per cent of the women at
the races wore monocles, thick gloves,
tailor-made suits cut in severe mas
culine lines and low-heeled shoes.
They carried walking sticks to ada
to their decidedly mannish appear
ance. There was just one concession
to feminine coquetry, however. Skirts
were generally a few inches shorter
than heretofore, revealing the entire
knee "faultlessly enclosed." according
to one cable report, "in priceless silk
stocking, kept In place by garters
adorned with flowers and in some
cases with jewels."
Then, later, at the Longchamps
races some of the fashion models ap
peared in gowns giving every evi
dence of extremely tight lacing. And
there was an innovation, consdered
the most daring ever sported by man
ikins, which threatened for a time
to transform the fashionable male as
semblage Into a multitude of "Peep
ing Toms."
The gowns, which even the Duke
Decazes, the French polo champion;
Revail. and Andre Fouquieres, famous
as fashion arbiter, pronounced "a bit
too much," were perforated here and
there by beauty windows square
diamond-shaped holes two inches in
diameter In the low backs as well
as just above the knees.
One lovely model had a complete
ring of "beauty windows" all around
J ft
PORTLAND VACATION RESORT
FOR FLOATING U. S. LABOR
Summer Capitol Liked by Men Who Prefer Ease to Hard Work Under
Broiling Harvest Suns.
(Continued Prom First Pass.)
anything," protested the deputy. Tou
are entitled to it." '
"Aw, gwan, help yourself, a law
shark would cost me $50 and I got
plenty. This is just pickup cash,
bounty money I got for killing
coyotes."
They got bis $360, less the small
sum for the single box of cartridges,
but the story merely goes to show
what large sums are carried by these
men who take the open jobs where
their earnings are all profit.
Few of Them Bank.
In all likelihood this man. packed
five or six hundred dollars at -a, low
estimate. Not only is this money
withdrawn from circulation while It
is in the worker's "Jeans," but he has
enough capital to exist for a good
long vacation period should he wish
to. There Is but little Incentive to
work when one has all that is needed
and the appeal of the rest of the na.
tion to help production is more than
likely to tall on deaf ears.
Women Hake Long Tour.
Anot'her incident tVat le rather en
lightening is that of the quartet of
young women who are, touring the
country working as waitresses and
are at present sojourning in Portland.
Clean, wholesome, well-educated
girls with a thorough knowledge of
their business and good training and
experience, they have been all over
the United States since they left
their homee in Boston about two
years ago. Florida saw them for a
few months during the winter sea
son and then Pasadena. They took in
the Shrine convention here and aft
erwards went to Pendleton. They did
not care for the eastern Oregon city
and returned to Portland, the four
sticking together as they have done
since the' beginning of their trip.
They have not laid any plans as yet
as to where they will go from here,
but it will be wherever their fancy
dictates. 'as they are free to roam at
will and are certain of a substantial
job at good wages wherever it may
be. As one man tersely put it last
week, . no man or woman need be
afraid today of tne battle of exist
ence, for there is no such, animal any
more; the wolf has been driven from
most of the' doors in the country and
Is -.'tiS
if Mi
1
A (eo4 type of fafllenr embroidery,
evidently based on aa Egyptian In
spiration. Th aleeve Is quite
Chinese.
the waist. In addition to the deep-
ilashed low necks and the "beauty
windows," there was another sensa
tion. The -nothing-below the knee"
fashion reappeared. The wearers had
perfectly good excuse; the sky
rocketing cost of material caused by !
the recent ban on "de luxe" importa
tion, and the scarcity and costliness
of silk stockings prompted hundreds
of women to prefer wearing no hose
at all rather than buy Inferior qual
ity selling at $20 a pair.
Another novelty was a low-neck
tailor-made costume with short skirts
trimmed with variegated ribbons so
arranged as to form a plaid pattern,
while the bodice was altogether simi
lar to an evening gown, displaying
arms, a generous portion of the
throat, and virtually all of the back.
Large straw hats of the picture
typo were worn with this costume
hats trimmed with an unlimited num
ber of aprtcofs, prunes or peaches,
although they were said to be ex
tremely light.
A greater affluence ef wealth was
seen around the betting booths than
at any time this season. The dis
play of Jewels was unprecedented.
The campaign against freakish and
costly styles Inaugurated by Maurice
Rothschild and other male fashion
leaders, who appeared at Auteuil
dressed In threadbare discarded suits,
was followed, in a modified degree.
hv man v women "smart setters," who
showed up in plain gowns, either
starched white or with old-fashioned
flower patterns printed on them.
A still later announcement from
the French capital said that nothing
Vin Tins Tins' was now needed to
no one need fear starving if they wish
to work.
Oregon has its share of those who
do not care for work and of those
who can afford to take their ease
after a good season, but she is not
suffering from any unemployment
troubles even though the parks are
iilled with men who could be employed
on the farms of the state. Of course
every day lost slows up the wheels of
production just that much, but It Is
mighty difficult to get men to go out
and take up a line of labor that they
do not fancy, where they can get three
square meals a day.
SCOTS TALLEST . RACE
Stature Varies With Climate, Small
est Men In Desert.
North China Standard.
Habitually we think of Japanese
as sma.ll men. and imagine a Russian
to be a tall man in a big greatcoat.
The Englishman, according to popu
lar opinion, is supposed to be taller
than a Frenchman, much In the same
way that a dog of the St. Bernard or
mastiff breed surpasses a terrier or a
poodle. The common Idea is not so
very far wrong, for measurements
made by scientists show that differ
ences exist between the average
height of races of mankind. General
ly, stature varies between 5 feet 4
Inches and i feet 10 inches. Of really
dwarf men, under 5 feet height, there
are few, chietly the bushmen of
South Africa, the drawls of New
Guinea and the Laplanders.
The tallest race In Europe Is to be
found in the United Kingdom, in the
southwestern corner of Scotland,
where the average height is 5 feet 10
inches. Scotsmen, on the whole, are a
tall race, and on the average meas
ure about S feet s inches. This
height is only equaled by the tall
Polynesian and American races.
Among the shortest men are the
South Italians, Sicilians and Sar
dinians, where the usual height is as
low as 6 feet 2 inches or S feet 3
inches. The lowest average in Eng
land is' found in the southwestern
parts and in Wales, ranging from 6
feet 6 Inches to S feet 7 inches. In
Northumberland it rises to S feet
l-'i'l!)
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At left, a Rodler fabric of wool fear
fall in a frock with the new rolled
collar and sleeve pnff.
make the fahsionable Parisian of to
day a replica of the savage. She
had adopted the fashion of wearing
ankle bracelets, her dresses were only
"girdles and sashes." while multicol
ored jewelry dangled around neck
and body. Her head-dress was said
to make that of the American Indian
pale into insignificance. From the
back of one fashionable matron's
head arose a series of long uncurled
ostrich plumes, arranged on the
spreading lines of a peacock's tall.
Truly, some wonderful tales reach
these shores about the extravagance
of the Paris fashions. But when you
get a close-up view of the ordinary
street costume, as shown on this page.
you will readily agree that the tour
ist who goes to Paris prepared to
see women with knee-length skirts,
"beauty windows." ankle bracelets
and what not. Is apt to be disap
pointed. College Becomes i:niversity.
HONOL,rX.TJ. T. H. College of Ha
waii has ended its existence aa such
after 13 years of growing activity,
and on July 1. rn accordance with an
act passed by the last legislature, the
University of Hawaii will come Into
being.
In the transformation from college '
to university several Important ad
ditions have been made to the cur
riculum, while the faculty has bees
increased.
The first annual session of the new
university will open September 1J.
The year will close June 6. 1921.
Tfib Trouble.
"Tea. I need a housemaid. Why did
you leave your last place 7
"Why. It was because the master
kissed me."
"And reeling outraged, yon left.
Quite right and commendable!"
"Oh, I didn't mind, but the mistress
happened to be coming down the
stairs."
Inches, and among the burly Tork
ehlremen it even goes as high as i
feet Shi inches.
This leaves the nearest rivals on
the continent far behind. Even the
North Germans. Danes and Scandi
navians, who are classed among the
tallest people there, only range from
5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 7 inches.
Frenchmen are generally smaller,
measuring about S feet 5 inches and
the Spaniards an inch shorter.
Stature depends a good deal on oil
mate. The bushmen live in the great
Kalahari desert, the tall Polynesians
on the Pacific islands aad enjoy all
the advantages nature can bestow.
The Hottentots, of the 'same race as
the bushmen. but inhabiting more
fertile country, are appreciably taller.
On higher ground the people are
usually shorter, so that the Swiss and
central EuroDeans generally are
stocky rather than talL Sometimes
stature varies with the class of men.
Early emigrants to America before
things were made easy by the steam
ship companies, were always taller
than tne race from which they had
sprung. They were picked men. full
of physical vigor and courage.
Stature varieB also according to pro
fesssion. About half the professional
and ecclesiastical classes are tall men,
but only about one in ten of tne co o
blers. weavers and tailors reach the
height of 5 feet 7 inches.
"Revised Version.
The following is a negro preacher's
version of the parable of the Good
Samaritan:
"Dere was a traveler on a lonely
road robbed an' left wounded an'
helpless by de wayside. As he laid
dere various pussons passed him, but
none of dem offers him 'sistance. By
and by, however, a pore Samaritan
comes along, an', takin' pity on de
wounded man's trouble, helped him
on his mule an' took him to a tavern,
where he orders food an' drink an
clothes for de man an' tells de tavern
keeper to send de bill to him. An'
dis is a true 6tory, brethren," con-,
eluded the preacher, "for de tavern is
standin' yit, an' In de doorway is
standin' de skeleton of de tavern
keeper waitin' for de Good Samaritan
to come back -an' pay de bill."
Wealth Hidden In Clothing.
LONDON. A Pole named Pictr
Talla, traveling from America to
Danteig, was taken ill recently in the
Young Men's Christian association
hut, Waterloo road, and removed to
an infirmary. He had only 2 shillings
and 3 pence in English money, but
hidden in his clothing he had 22- ten
dollar gold pieces and paper money
to the value of $990. His shoes were
found to be very heavy and when
they were photographed by the X-ray
12 Jarge coins, presumably J10 gold
pieces, were found hidden betweer
the1 leather and - the soles of eac)
boot.
t,