The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-09-23
a SCIENTIFIC fraud.

The Man Who Imposed on Learned Men.
The figure Of Newton in the scientific
imagination is only comparable to that
OF Shakespeare in poetry; and his ex
traordinary fame chiefly rests on his
grand. discovery of the law of universal
gravitation. To take away this from his
credit would be like proving that ssHam-
let, }" 6 Macbeth, g Othello," and ssThe
Merchant Of Venice" were purloined by
Shakespeare from some other pen. New
ertheless, this is precisely what was at
tempted some years ago by a learned
member of the French Academy of Sci.
ences, M. Chasles, who must not be
confounded with M. Philarete Ohasles.
Chasles declared that Newton had pill
tered his discovery from an older source,
and the news fell upon the scientific
world like bombshell.
To prove his assertions, M. Chasles
produced a show Of faded yellsw manu-
scripts, purporting to be letters from
Pascal to Sir Isaac, containing the germ
Of the great idea The documents we're
plainly ancient. for the ink had been
tested by chemical means. It was re-
marked, however, that the style of
French in which they were written did
not agree. with the date alleged. The
letters and other documents produced
by M. Chasles at the same time were
said to have belonged to the Abbey of
Tours. Thence they came into the pos
session of certain Count de Boisiour-
dain, who emigrated to America in 1871,
and was wrecked on his return, losing
all his effects except his precious manu-
scripts, which he ultimately sold to keep
himself in bread. From the hands of
the Count the said documents passed
into the keeping of him who gave them
in turn to M. Chasles.
Such was the story and to the acute
objections Of Mr.. Brand, of Glasgow,
Chasles audaciously produced another
letter from Calico, which proved that
Pascal had made known his discoveries
to him. This letter was dated 1910, and.
on its being pointed out that Galileo was
struck blind in 1888, M. Chasles, nothing
daunted, met his critics again with a
letter from Galileo to Pascal, in which
he warned his @'young friend not to
betray the secret that he had not lost
his sight as reported, but had only pre-
tended to have lost it, in order to pre-:
vent his enemies from prosecuting him.
There was no combating this uneqrivo-
cal evidence, and the sava,ets of the
Academy admitted that M. Chasles had
triumphed, and deserved we'll of pos
terity for proclaiming the truth.
Thus encouraged, M. Chasles became a
mine of antiquarian wealth, and showed
letters from most Of the famous men and
women of old times, both saints and
sinners, all in french, of the seventeenth
century. Among these he exhibited q
correspondence from Alexander the
Great to Aristides, several notes from
Attila the Hun, and the widow of Mar.
tin Luther ). and sundry communications
from Judas Iscariot to Mary Magdalene,
and from Lazarus to ST. Peter! These
astonishing documents were produced
by M. Chasles with such an air of perfect
good faith, that it was impossible tc
doubt him. He stated that he had Dur.
chased 81, 900 manuscripts for 95, 900 but
would not betray the source, lest others
hsould share in it. At last the exposure
came in spite of M. Chasles, who turned
out to be a miserable dupe. A commit
tee was sent to Florence to inquire into
the authenticity of a pretended auto
graph Of Calico, and, on it's being judged
apocryphal, the materials of the fraud
we're discovered. The forger was al i'll
educated fellow named Vrain Lucas. 8
native of Chartres, who was taken, tried
and severely punished. .......