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2. The “Nethermost World,” or Continent of America
- Indiana University Press
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2 The “Nethermost World,” or Continent of America Before describing what I saw on my arrival in the United States of America, and what its social conditions are like, it would be necessary to give a brief history of this country. My educated countrymen and -women would probably be acquainted with that extraordinary history. But there may be those who have not read about the discovery of America and the subsequent settlement of Western people there. If such people happen to read this book, they would not grasp how the foundation of the American political system and social conditions, described here, was laid. A brief account is therefore given of the discovery of America, its original inhabitants, and the creation of the nation of the United States. Centuries ago, when people lacked adequate knowledge of the shape of the earth, they indulged in all sorts of speculations in this regard. The ancestors of the Hindu and other communities1 believed the earth to be ®at; as a result, they imagined the universe to be multi-storied,like the large multi-storied city houses, with the earth occupying the middle story. According to the Hindu Puranas, the universe is a fourteen-storied mansion, of which six stories or “worlds” are situated above the earth, and seven below; the lowest of these stories has been named the Nethermost World.2 Now that all these ideas have been disproved by new discoveries , everyone has understood that the universe is not like a fourteen-storied mansion, and that the earth is not ®at. In the year 1435, a boy named Christopher Columbus was born in the city of Genoa in Italy, in the continent of Europe. No one realized his worth when he was young. His father was poor, and worked as a wool carder. But when Christopher was old enough to understand things, he expressed a desire to become a sailor and sail the seas. He made a thorough study of geography, mathematics, and navigation so as to be a good sailor, and embarked on his ¤rst voyage at the age of fourteen. About seven or eight centuries ago, the Christians of Europe fought wars, known as “Crusades,” with Turks and other Mohammedans. These wars brought Europeans into contact with the Mohammedans, from whom they gathered a great deal of knowledge. From the Mohammedans they heard descriptions of our country, that is, India. The people of the olden times, especially the Mohammedans, had a habit of exaggerating a hundredfold the good and bad qualities of whatever they described. It was not surprising, then, that in the accounts of India which they gave the Europeans, the Turks made a mountain out of a molehill and a bird out of a feather. They described India in a nutshell as “a golden goose,” implying that the country was ¤lled with gold and was fabulously wealthy. From the end of the tenth century a.d., Mohammedans had started raiding India and looting the gold, silver, and jewelry of its people. The Mohammedan tales of these sumptuous loots made the European mouths water with greed for the riches of India; and the Europeans started searching for an easy route to India. The overland route from the north through Afghanistan was riddled with obstacles, so they looked for an independent sea route. Some had already thought of a sea route to India by sailing around the continent of Africa. But Christopher, having become well versed in mathematics, geography, and navigation by the time he grew up, declared that, because the earth was round, he would sail westward and circumnavigate the globe to reach India directly. Having vowed to prove his theory, Christopher sought help from the Kings of Italy, Portugal, England, and France; but they thought he was insane and refused. He did not abandon his efforts even after such setbacks, but obtained an audience with the King of Spain and requested his help by promising to chart an easy route to the wealthy land of India. The King did not heed him, but the Queen, Isabella, took pity on him. She summoned him and promised to provide money for his expedition by selling her own jewelry. Thus Christopher Columbus started his voyage with three ships, a promising crew, and enough victuals to last a number of days, and sailed westward to capture the “golden goose” of India. After many days’ voyage, Columbus’ ships reached the Canary Islands to the northwest of Africa. After leaving the islands, the crew saw...