THE COLUMBUS CELEBRATION.

THE WELLSBORO MAN WHO BROUGHT ABOUT THE CHANGE IN THE DATE.
State Superintendent D. J. Waller, in the School Journal.

Who brought about the change in the date? It was down in the books as October 12th. The Committee of the National Educational Association issued circulars to the country to observe that day. Congress solemnly resolved that that day should be celebrated throughout the land. The Commissioners of the World’s Fair fixed upon October 12, as dedication-day, and sent out invitations to the exercises. Suddenly there was a change. Heralded by no newspaper discussion, preceded by no exhaustive treatise, without any authoritative decree, a change was made to October 21.

The following facts are indisputable. An aged retired minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, living in Wellsboro, Tioga County, Pa., author of a little book entitled “Our Calendar,” Rev. George Nichols Packer, saw the error. He possessed the confidence of Judge Henry W. Williams, of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. After laying the facts before him, he secured through him the approval by the several Justices composing that body, of an effort to change to the proper date, October 21st. Equipped with this approval, he secured the endorsement of his project by Governor Pattison and some of the heads of the Executive departments at Harrisburg. He then went to Washington, gained an audience with the President, laid the subject before the member of Congress from his district, and went before the Congressional Committee.

The evidence in support of the proposition was so presented that it could not be successfully disputed. Congressman W. A. Stone skillfully enlisted influential collegiates in an effort to correct the error already widely spread. The correction by the National Legislature was in time to have its influence upon President Harrison, who named October 21 in his proclamation, as the day to be observed, and Boston and Chicago fell into line.

All honor to Rev. George Nichols Packer, of Wellsboro, Tioga County, Pennsylvania.

Transcriber’s Notes:

Punctuation has been corrected without note.

Other than the corrections noted by hover information, inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation have been retained from the original.

Errata corrections, noted by red underline, have been made in this text by the transcriber.