Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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McCORMICK MESSENGER. McCORMICK. S. C.. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1938 II Lovely Exile" Thrilled—and Scandalized—U. S. 100 Years Ago She Claimed to Be a Descendant of the Man for Whom America Was Named, She Set Statesmen's Hearts A-Flutter and She Almost Succeeded in Obtaining American Citizenship and a Grant of Land Before Gossips' Tongues Began to Wag. Then • • • I C Western Newspaper Union. By ELMO SCOTT WATSON I N THE city of Ogdensburg, N. Y., stands a stately old three storied brick hou^e embowered in a grove of the trees. which give Ogdensburg the name of the “Maple City." They call it the “Parrish Mansion" and from its wide verandas you look out over the blue waters of the St. Lawrence river. <$>- A surprise awaits you as you enter the house. The walls of its rooms are cov ered with paintings—stirring, colorful scenes of the Old West: Indians chasing buffa lo or attacking stage-coaches and wagon trains; fur trad ers cordelling their boats up the Missouri; galloping cav alrymen charging across the plains or through an Indian village; cowboys roping long horn steers, “busting" bron cos or “shooting up" a one- street frontier cow town. Here and there stand bronze statues of men and horses vibrant with action. In cases along the Btartiit Van Boren Walls hang Indian scalp shirts, feathered war-bonnets, bows, ar rows, shields; frontiersmen’s fringed buckskin shirts and leg gings; army uniforms, carbines, revolvers, sabers. It’s an amaz ing bit of the Wild West trans- plated to this peaceful little city in upstate New York, but you un derstand why when they tell you that this is the Frederic Reming ton Memorial museum. «: This article, however, is not about thhi greatest of all painters of Western life. It will tell the story of a woman, one of the most romantic characters in American history, who once lived in this house and the memory of whom still lingers there in an up stairs room. For if you enter this room you will see her porta ble writing desk, exquisite with its delicate inlay work, some of the dainty toilet articles which she used and miniatures of her and of the man whose name is perpetuated in the “Parrish Man sion.” A Gossipy Chronicler. <> VA decided sensation was cre ated at Washington during the Van Buren administration by the appearance there of a handsome and well-educated Italian lady, who called herself America Ves pucci and claimed descent from the navigator who gave his name to this continent.” So writes Ben: Parley Poore, a gossipy joumal- .ist, whose two-volume work railed “Perley’s Reminiscence of Sixty Years in the National Metropolis” was published half a century ago. In 'calling it “a de cided sensation,” this historian was writing somewhat less than accurately, as he was when he called her a “lady.” Also he omitted certain details concerning her, in deference to the mid-Victorian morality of the pe riod in which he wrote. Later historians, however, have not * been hampered by such inhibi tions and 'from the evidence which they have collected, the story of the lovely America (or Ameriga) Vespucci can be told * as follows: It begins with a “boy-meets- girl” incident in the Italian city of Florence some time in the early 1830s. The boy was Ferdinand, Due d’Orleans, son of King Louis Philippe of France. The girl was , America Vespucci. They imme diately fell in love and, of course, America said “yes” when Ferdi nand proposed. But the king of France had other plans for his son and forbade the marriage. But their love was not to be denied and when Ferdinand re turned to Paris, America accom panied him and lived with him without benefit of clergy. Within a short time, however, the love of the Due d’Orleans waned and America, too proud to return to her disapproving family in Flor ence, set out for the couhtry which bore the name of her il lustrious explorer-ancestor. In saying that her arrival in Washington caused a “decided sensation,” Ben:Perley was guilty of understatement. Social life under the previous adminis tration of “Old Hickory” Jack- son had been inexpressibly crude. It was becoming more refined un der the administration of the “Duke of Kinderhook,” Martin Van Buren. The coming of a! foreigner—and one so beautiful— who had been the toast of princes in Paris would lend it glamor. So Society in Washington welcomed America with open arms. Ex-President John Quincy Ad ams became a special friend of the beautiful Italian and even the “god-like” Daniel Webster was not immune to her charms. Pres ident Van Buren was so attentive to her that the gossips speculat ed upon the possibility of the wid- ower-President making her the First Lady of the Land. It soon became apparent that America wanted something else besides social position. She need ed an income. So she drew up a petition to congress asking, first, to be admitted to the rights of citizenship; and second, to be given “a comer of land” out of the public domain, on which to live. Senator Benton presented . the petition to the senate and it was immediately referred to the committee on public lands. The committee’s reply eulo gized the petitioner as “a young, dignified, and graceful lady, with a mind of the highest intellectual culture, and a heart beating with all of our own enthusiasm in the cause of America and human lib erty.” Then it went on to give the reasons why the petition could not be granted and commended the lovely Italienne to the gen erosity of the American people— “The name of America—our country’s name—should be hon ored, respected, and cherished in the person of the interesting exile from whose ancestor we derive the great and glorious title.” All of which was very flatter ing, indeed, but it didn’t pay America’s bills. She needed mon- ‘ey and she resorted to tears to get it. Thereupon, so Bender- ley tells us, “a subscription was immediately opened by Mr. Haight, the sergeant-at-arms of the senate, and judges, congress men, and citizens vied with one another in their contributions.” America Returns. America accepted the subscrip tion gratefully and departed with it for Paris where she went to live with her sister, the Vicom- tesse Solen. Washington society heard nothing more of her for two years. It was busy with its own affairs under changing adminis trations. But some of her friends did not neglect to write to her that under a new administration her petition might now have a better chance of being granted. So she immediately sailed again for the Land of Promise. When she arrived in Boston, she found that city preparing to give a magnificent ball in cele bration of the visit of Prince de Joinville, a younger brother of her lover, the Due d’Orleans. Ac counts differ as to what followed. John Quincy Adams Ben:Perley, with his characteris tic delicacy, says that “it was whispered that Madame Vespucci had borne an unenviable reputa tion at Florence and Paris and had been induced by a pecuniary consideration to break off an in timacy with the Duke of Orleans” and because of this “the Prince de Joinville refused to recognize her, which virtually excluded her from reputable society.” Later historians, however, tell a different story. For instance, Carl Carmer, in his book, “Lis ten for a Lonesome Drum,” says: “Ameriga Vespucci entered the ball-room at Faneuil hall on the arm of the prince himself. Bos ton saw and worshiped, and all might have gone well with her and her plans had not a guest recognized her as the former mis tress of the prince’s brother.” At any rate, it meant the end of her social ambitions. All of her snobbish American friends deserted her—all except one. That was John Van Buren, the son of Ex-President Van Buren, a hard-drinking, gambling spend thrift, who was known as “Prince John.” Evidently America decid ed that an American “prince” was better than nothing. So she went to live with him—again with out benefit of clergy. She' Comes to Ogdensburg. It was through her association with John Van Buren that she came at last to Ogdensburg. Ac cording to local tradition Van Buren and America met George Parrish, a rich merchant of Og densburg, at a hotel in Evans Mills. Van Buren challenged Parish to a poker game. When he lost all his money, he put up as a final stake his last pos session—and lost her, too. So when George Parrish returned to Ogdensburg, America Vespucci accompanied him. One account says that Parrish was a Belgian; another that he was an Austrian. Whichever he was, he had carried to this coun try regal ideas. The house to which he brought America was a veritable castle, compared to the humbler Ogdensburg homes. Of course, “there was talk” among the Puritanical residents of Ogdensburg. They called her a “fancy lady” or the “Floren- tine Fancy.” But she didn’t care. All her social ambitions were in the past now. George Parrish gave her every luxury she de sired and she was happier than she had ever been before. So for 20 years the “interesting exile” enjoyed an idyllic life in her American castle with her mer chant prince. But, as Carmer records, “it ended with merciful suddenness. . . . One day George Parrish told her he must return to his lands in Europe. He was giving up his holdings in America—and her. She met his decision bravely, thanked him for his settlement of $3,000 a year, told him she would go again to live with her sister, the vicomtesse.” So back to Paris again went America Vespucci and there she remained until her death a few years later. She has become something of a legend in Ogdens burg, albeit one of the most inter esting in that interesting little city. The relics of this exotic for eigner strike a strange note in an art museum which perpetuates the memory of an artist so thor oughly and distinctly American as Frederic Remington was. However, as Carl Carmer says, “If in some ghostly state she has found a way to return across the ocean to her American home, I know she must be puzzled by all the rearing bronze bronchos, and the paintings of cowboys gal loping over the endless yellow desert. But^^m^uite sure she not afraidf^^^^L The paradox of the Ogdensburg museum housing relics of two such widely different characters as the American painter and the Italian adventuress is no stran ger, however, than the paradox which gave the name of her an cestor to a continent which he did not discover. For while his tory gives credit to Christopher Columbus for discovering the two continents in the New world, nei ther of them bears the appropri ate name of “Columbia.” In stead, both are named for an Ital ian explorer who never set foot on the soil of North America and did not visit South America until several years after Columbus had. He was Amerigo, or Amer- icus, Vespucci, born in Florence, Italy, in flfrarch, 1452, who grew up to become a merchant en gaged in trade for the Florentine house of the Medici. When Columbus in 1498 made his third voyage across the At lantic and reached the mainland of South America, he sent back to Spain five ships laden with pearls and with them a chart of the new discoveries of this main land and its rich pearl fisheries. Bishop Fonseca, who was in charge of all matters relating to the new discoveries, showed Co lumbus’ chart to a certain Alonso de Hojeda and gave him a li cense to go to South America to exploit its riches. With Hojeda sailed the merchant, Vespucci, who, incidentally, had supplied provisions for Columbus’ two pre vious voyages. The Hojeda-Vespucci expedi tion left Cadiz, Spain, in May, 1499, and landed on the coast of South America 200 leagues south of the Gulf of Paria, the center of the pearl fishing industry. Towards the close of 1500 Ves pucci was induced to transfer his Amerigo Vespucci services to the king of Portugal, who, in 1501 sent him to explore farther this new southern conti nent. Vespucci’s three ships, crossing from Cape Verde, reached Cape St. Roque August 17 and proceeding southward, ar rived at Bahia on November 1 and at Rio de Janeiro January 1, 1502. They appear to have ad vanced as far south as latitude 32 degrees, although Vespucci maintains that they actually pro ceeded a good deal farther. Two accounts of these voyages were shortly afterwards issued by Vespucci. In the first he gave an account to his fellow-country man, Lorenzo Pietro de Medici, of these new regions he had vis ited which “we may rightly call a new world.” His second account, sent to the same person, he en titled < “Mundus Novus.” In it he describes how in these southern parts they had “found a conti nent more densely peopled than Europe, Asia or Africa. We knew that land to be a continent and not an island both because of its long extension of coast and be cause of its many inhabitants.” In 1504 Amerigo published a second account in the form of an Italian plaquette addressed to Fi eri Soderini, gonfalonier of Flor ence, who had been a schoolfel-. low of his, wherein his two voy ages are expanded into four. It has not been difficult, however, to note the many discrepancies in this account and to bring the details back to the two voyages. These booklets had a tremen dous vogue, and when compared with the labored attempt of Co lumbus to describe the site of the “Garden of Eden” and the “Earthly Paradise,” showed a much greater sense of what the public understood. It is not at all surprising, therefore, to un derstand what took place in 1507. It so happened that at St. Die in the Vosges mountains of France there was a little colle giate institution which was both a center of geographical learning and the owner of a new printing press, which was then something of a novelty in France. Two of its faculty members, Mathias Ringman and Martin Waldseemul- ler, were busy with a new edition of Ptolemy’s “Geographia.” Be fore publishing it, however, they printed an essay called “Cosmog- raphiae Introducto” or an “Intro ductory Geography,” to which they added Vespucci’s letter. In this essay, published in May, 1507, Waldseemuller wrote: “An<f the fourth part of the world hav ing been discovered by Ameri- cus, it may be called Amerige, that is, the land of Americus, or America.” The name came into general use, being applied first to the southern-continent, and later to both continents. What to Eat and Why C. Houston Goudiss Relates the Romance of Wheat and Discusses Flour, the Basic Food By C. HOUSTON GOUDISS T HE story of wheat flour is the story of civilization. Before man learned to cultivate this golden grain, he was obliged to move from place to place, with the seasons, in search of food to sustain and nourish his body. Then, on one happy and momentous occasion, perhaps 6,000 years ago, an inspired nomad plucked the kernels clus tered at the top of some wav-<f ing grasses, observed that they had a nut-like taste, and passed along the far-reaching discovery to his fellow tribes men. The beginnings of wheat cultiva tion are last in antiquity. But we do know that for thousands o f years, it has been one of the most important crops in the world—so nec essary to man’s well being that the supplication, “Give us this day our daily bread,” has summed up his most fervent de sires. Food for the World Today, nearly three quarters of a billion people use wheat as food. And modern methods of milling have developed flours of such su perlative quality that breads are more appetizing and more attrac tive than ever before; special flours make cakes and pastries light as the proverbial feather; and there are prepared mixes available for biscuits, waffles, muffins, griddle cakes, pie crust and gingerbread. For Energy and Vitality The form in which wheat flour makes its appearance on the table is of less importance than the fact that it is and should be an essen tial item in the family food supply. That is because it offers a rich supply of fuel value at little cost. The different types of flour contain from 61 to 76 per cent carbohy drates, from 11 to 15 per cent pro tein, and varying amounts of min eral salts and vitamins. It is necessary to know some thing of the structure of the wheat kernel and to understand how the various flours differ, in order to select the flour best suited for each purpose. A kernel is made up of several outer layers of bran; a layer of cells high in phos phorus and protein, just inside the bran; the endosperm, com posed of cells in ^which starch granules are held together by pro teins; and the germ. The starch cells are so small that one kernel of wheat may contain as many as 20,000,000 granules. White and Whole Wheat Flours White flour is made chiefly from the endosperm. Whole-wheat, en tire-wheat and graham flours are loosely applied terms which refer both to products made by grind ing the wheat berry without the removal or addition of any ingre dient, and also to a flour from which part of the bran has been removed or to which bran has been added. One of the most prolonged dis cussions of the last two decades has involved arguments for and against the use of white or whole wheat flour in making various types of bread and muffins. As a result, many people have been confused and misled—often at the expense of their enjoyment in meals. Here are the facts: White bread contains important energy values, proteins, some minerals, chiefly potassium and phosphorus, and when made with milk, it also sup plies some calcium. It is easily and almost completely digested, tests indicating an average di gestibility of 96 per cent. Bread and other bakery prod ucts made from whole wheat flour also contain proteins and carbohy drates, plus good amounts of iron, copper, phosphorus and potas sium; and vitamins A, B and G. The whole grain products are less completely digested than those which are highly refined, however, so some of their nutri ents may be lost to the body. When the two types of flour are considered as sources of protein and energy alone, they are re garded by nutritionists as practi cally interchangeable. Whole wheat flour is conceded to be rich er in minerals and vitamins, but where white bread is preferred, these elements easily can be sup plied from other sources. As a matter of fact, foods made from both types of flour belong in the well-balanced diet, where they add variety and splendid food val ues at minimum cost. And it goes without saying that for many purposes, only white flour is suit able. and pastry flours. Bread flour is made from wheat containing a large amount of gluten, which gives elasticity to a dough and helps to make a well-piled loaf. Pastry flour contains less gluten and more starch and has a lighter texture that produces fine-grained cakes. All-purpose flours, as their name implies, are usually a blend of different types of wheat and are designed for general house hold use. A Symbol of Progress It Is a tribute to American en terprise that the world’s largest flour mills are now to be found in this country, and that tremendous staffs of technicians and researcte chemists supervise every step in the preparation of the flour which may pass through as many as 17 grindings and be* subjected to 180 separations. Experts begin by checking the quality of the grain while it is in transit to the mill. But their work does not end when the flour emerges pure white in color and unbelievably fine in texture, after having passed through silk bolting cloths of 100 mesh or finer. After that, there are baking tests, day after day, to be sure that every sack which is sold is of uniformly high quality. Self-Rising Flours An interesting development of recent years has been the self-ris ing flours and other ready-to-use mixtures. Some of these contain only a leavener.; others include dried milk and eggs; fat; and bak ing powder, so that only a liquid is needed. All are planned tp save the homemaker’s time and main tain her family’s interest in their most important energy food—the products of wheat—the foremost cereal grain. Mrs. F. B. L.—Flour should be stored in a moderately cool, dryt well ventilated place, and should be protected from vermin and in sects. It should not be exposed to excessive heat, nor to freezing temperatures. Miss F. B.—You are right! Rye flour is next to wheat in populari ty, though it is usually mixed with wheat in making bread. Flours or meals are also made from po tatoes, bananas, soy beans, lima beans, buckwheat, barley and rice, though the percentage is small compared to the amount made from wheat. ©—WNU—C. Houston Goudiss—1938—31. Bread Versus Pasfry Flour Different types of wheat differ their proportions of protein and irbohydrates, and that accounts Our Presidents —A— Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Van Bur en and Buchanan served as secretary of state. Grant and Taft served as sec retary of war, and Hoover as secretary of cotnmerce. Nine Presidents of the United States were born to very poor families. The others were born in varied circumstances, most ly middle class folks. Washing ton became one of the great landowners of his day. Abra ham Lincoln entered the White House almost penniless, but since the Civil war most of our Presidents have been men of moderate means. 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