Four centuries and a quarter have gone by since Columbus by discovering
America opened the greatest era in world history. Four centuries have
passed since the Spaniards began that colonization on the main land
which has resulted in the growth of the nations of Latin-America. Three
centuries have passed since, with the settlements on the coasts of
Virginia and Massachusetts, the real history of what is now the United
States began. All this we ultimately owe to the action of an Italian
seaman in the service of a Spanish King and a Spanish Queen. It is
eminently fitting that one of the largest and most influential social
organizations of this great Republic,――a Republic in which the tongue
is English, and the blood derived from many sources should, in its
name commemorate the great Italian. It is eminently fitting to make an
address on Americanism before this society.