This is the last that we hear of Leif the Lucky. That little rosy-cheeked boy, who dreamed that one day he would be a great adventurer, had accomplished his purpose. He had found a new country, he had lived to see it explored by other Vikings, and he had opened the eyes of Europeans to the fact that, far away there was a land which was richer in furs and in timber than anything which they had about them. The citizens of Boston, Massachusetts, have erected a bronze statue to this navigator, upon Commonwealth Avenue; where, with hand shading his keen eyes, the staunch Norwegian is going out upon the Charles River;—that river, upon the banks of which in the year 1000 A. D., he and his followers spent a peaceful winter in the land of the Skraelings, the beaver, the bear, and the pink-fleshed salmon. Skoal, then, to Leif the Lucky! And remember that it was he, and not Columbus, who first trod upon the shores of America as an adventurer from the European world. VINLAND ’Neath the scent of the green hemlock forests, near the sands of the storm-driven sea, Lies a land which is good, filled with balsamy wood, and a voice there is calling to me; There the grapes grow in reddening clusters, there the salmon jump clear of the falls, And in crystalline splendor, the moon, in November, shines bright, as the lynx caterwauls. From Moosehead the wild loon is screaming, from Rangely the trout jumps at play; And from Kathadyn’s bold peak, comes the osprey’s fierce shriek, while the brown bear creeps near to its prey. Oh! that is the land for the Vikings; yea, that is the kingdom of rest; In the rude deer-skin boats, the warrior gloats, as the strangers press on to the West. There is thunder for Thor and for Odin; there is silver for Tyr and Brogé, In Jotunheim’s palace, there is envy and malice; but nothing but love far away: Come, Vikings, hoist up your rude anchors! Come, seamen, row hard, as ye should! And steer to the West, where there’s peace and there’s rest; steer straightway to Vinland the Good. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS: RE-DISCOVERER OF AMERICA, WHO GAVE A NEW CONTINENT TO THE WORLD. (1436-1506) _Great man, whose courage led you o’er_ _The ocean’s unknown length,_ _A thousand voices thankfully_ _Proclaim your power and strength._ _The treasures of the tropic isles,_ _You found, but failed to gain._ _The honor that was due, was lost,_ _You saw your subjects slain._ _Your plans for empire sailed away,_ _Undone by other wills;_ _And left but glorious memories,_ _Which every seaman thrills._ CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS: RE-DISCOVERER OF AMERICA, WHO GAVE A NEW CONTINENT TO THE WORLD. (1436-1506)