WHO CHRISTENED AMERICA?

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 61, 26 October 1911, Page 8

WHO CHRISTENED AMERICA?

Saint Die, a little town in the Vosges, which 400 years ago was the home of famous printers, lias been celebrating the 40Utli anniversary 7 of the christening of America. it is well-known that the name of the new Hemisphere was taken from Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian navigator and traveller, who wrote such a glowing description of Ids voyage to tne New World. Naturally’ he did not give ais name himself to the new continent.'Those who first did so were tne josmographors and printers, Mathias Ringmann, Martin Waldseemnller; and Vautriu Lnd, who, as it were, baptised the newly-discovered world with the name of America instead of Columbia. Vautriu Lnd was a learned priest, who had been the chaplain of Ring Rene d’Anjod et de Provence, and afterwards settled in Saint Die, .mere lie Introduced the art of printing, which was taken up by Ringmann and Waldseemnller, who soon became famous in the new art. It was, of course, well known that Columbus had lirst discovered the New World, but lie mid not written about it, and the only 7 material at hand for the cosmography widen the printers of Saint Die wisned .o bring out was the narrative of the Italian traveller. They 7 therefore gave die name of America to what they called the'-New World, and the fourtn part of their cosmography. In the following year, 150 S, when Waklseem.ulkr published his map of the world, ae again inscribed the name of America ■ on the ncwly-discovqred hemisphere. The name thus given was universally adopted, and for that reason the little town of Saint Die now claims the title of godmother of Lire New World.

According to the account given by the “New York Herald,” say r s the uondon f‘Telegraph,” tiie American Ambassador warmly thanked the municipality for its delicate attention and sympathetic welcome to him, on nis coming to the celebrations. As the representative of the United States in France he said: "I salute with emotion these pictures of Vautriu Lnd, chaplain of King Rone, and the introducer of printing to Saint Die; of Mathias Ringmann, the Greek and Latin scholar; and of Martin Waldscemullor, the cosmigrapher, which you aifer me for my Government. They are three men whose names are for ever written on the threshold of the continent which had then only 7 been discovered, and which was destined to be the scene of such rapid and prodigious development that a French poet,’ who was also a thinker, has oeen able to say 7 with reason that today the Old World is going towards the New World. Aly Government, to whom you donate these pictures, will accord to them the place that is due to them among those whom America honours.” At the conclusion of the receptions, M. Lebrun and Air Bacon witnessed the placing in position of a commemorative plaque recalling that it was in the reign of King Rone, on April 25tlv( 1507, that tiie “Cosmograpliiao Introdnctio,” which gave the name of America to the New World; was published at Saint Die.