Behind him lay the gray Azores,

Behind the Gates of Hercules;

Before him not the ghost of shores;

Before him only shoreless seas.

The good mate said: "Now must we pray,

For lo! the very stars are gone,

Brave Admiral speak; what shall I say?"

Why, say: "Sail on! sail on! and on!"

"My men grow mutinous day by day;

My men grow ghastly, wan and weak."

The stout mate thought of home; a spray

Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek.

"What shall I say, brave Admiral, say,

If we sight naught but seas at dawn?"

"Why you shall say at break of day:

"Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!"

They sailed. They sailed. Then spake the mate:

"This mad sea shows his teeth tonight.

He curls his lip, he lies in wait,

He lifts his teeth, as if to bite

Brave Admiral, say but one good word:

What shall we do when hope is gone?"

The words leapt like a leaping sword:

"Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!"

Then pale and worn, he kept his deck,

And peered through darkness. Ah, that night

Of all dark nights! And then a speck-

A light! A light! At last a light!

It grew, a starlit flag unfurled!

It grew to be Time's burst of dawn.

He gained a world; he gave that world

Its grandest lesson: "On! sail on!"

MR. HEADMASTER, Mr. Di Ieso, members of the faculty, students of Dorchester High School.

I have been asked to speak this morning as we pause to honor Christopher Columbus, the admiral of the ocean sea, and the accomplishments and contributions of Americans of Italian descent to our nation, the positive benefits of those who followed Columbus to America. It was best to begin this presentation with that famous poem for it emphasizes the theme that will run through this entire speech this morning-one of perseverance.

Columbus was a great sailor, a bold adventurer, a leader of men. Our world has seemed larger to most men since he proved that the earth was round, that men would not fall off the edge if they traveled too far to the West.

Because Columbus grew up on the coast, in Genoa, Italy, he developed a firm love of the sea and sea travel. He also grew up with books, constantly increasing his knowledge of the humanities and the sea around him.

When seeking to make his great journey to the west, Columbus went to King John of Portugal, but was not granted any funds as King John thought Columbus mad. And yet he persevered. At last, he convinced Queen Isabella of Spain to finance his journey. With his three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean. It is interesting to point out that one-third of his crew was composed of teenagers, black and white, some as young as fourteen. The journey across the Atlantic is a long one. I have crossed that ocean, in a vessel much larger and stronger than any of Columbus' ships. It is a long journey, the air is often raw, the winds harsh, the sea rough.

Columbus was told he would never return, that he would fall off the edge, that the sea was boiling water, that great sea dragons would consume his ships and his men. But he persevered. He sailed on and on. For well over a month they sailed west, seeking the islands of the East. His men threatened mutiny; they were about to turn back, when they reached the islands of the West Indies in the Caribbcan. Columbus became the first white man to set foot in the Western Hemisphere. His arrival was of great concern to the brown-skinned people of the island. Although he did not find the gold he sought he found the climate of the new lands quite accommodating and reported this to Queen Isabella, upon his return.

Columbus became a hero in Spain. He was hailed by all for his accomplishments. To the day he died Columbus believed he had landed in India: he did not realize that North America and South America even existed. He believed the world smaller than it really is.

Some have suggested that our entire continent or our nation should have been called Columbia, after Columbus. We all know that the name is derived from Amerigo Vespussi, an Italian who sailed with Columbus, and who later wrote a detailed account of his journey.

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS was the first man of Italian descent to come to our land. Many have followed since that time.

John Cabot, who also grew up in Genoa, sailed the seas for King Henry VII of England, and discovered North America. Thus both North America and South America were discovered by Italians. After Cabot's death, his son Sebastian Cabot continued his father's explorations. He discovered, among other things, the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, which serve to this day as a fishing ground for many nations. Another great explorer of Italian lineage was Giovanni Verrazano.

It has been nearly five hundred years since Columbus and Cabot came to the new world. Many other people of Italian descent have followed them.

Although the major immigration would not come for thirty years, 1848 saw the first wave of Italians come to America. Among these was Giuseppe Garibaldi who would later be a leader in the movement to unify Italy, and who lived on Staten Island in New York harbor for a number of years. These people came fleeing political repression as many have come to our shores since that time, most recently from Hungary in 1956.

Italian soldiers fought with distinction throughout the Civil War, most notably at Bull Run, Harper's Ferry, and Gettysburg.

No major immigration of Italian people to this nation occurred till 1880, nearly 400 years after Columbus. In the last decades of the nineteenth century, millions of Italians crossed the Atlantic, just as Columbus had, seeking a better life for themselves and their families. This wave continued until 1921, when the United States government imposed restrictions on immigration.

It was not a lack of love for Italy that placed the immigrant on the ship, but a hope for the future, in a new land, with new opportunities.