The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1888-07-26
The Joke on the Lecturer.

About a third of q century ago q
New Yorker was travelling through
Texas lecturing on astronomy and
illustrating his lectures with globes,
charts and. magic-lantern pictures.
He evidently possessed more enthusf-
asm in the interest of science than
he did practical common sense, or he
would never have fallen into the trap
deliberately set for him and become
the subject of the following practical
joke. The lecturer arrived at Athens
and distributed his hand-bills. He
had a fine audience ofseveral hundred
persons who were interested and as
tonished. He told them how the
planetary. system was arranged; how
Che sun stood still and all the other
planets revolved around it. He ex-s
planned to them that the earth was
round and revolved on it's axis onceins
every twenty-four hours.
After the lecture was concluded, q
rough-looking young man arose in
the audience and said, ADDRESSING the.
lecturer: 81
"Sir, do l understand you to say
that the sun stands still and the
.arth-turns upside down once every
day."
The lecturer replied that the science
Of astronomy SO taught and that he
20 believed.
The young man, who was none
other than Bill Martin, a. young laW-
yer, who has sincesbecome celebrated
as "Howdy Bill Martin" Of Texas,
challenged the lecturer to q Joint dis
cussion of the question. The chal-
lenge was Immediately accepted, and
it was agreed to leave the decis-
ion to three arbiters there, selected
by the parties. If the decisions should
be in favor of the lecturer, Martin
was to payshim 800, and ifin favor
of the young lawyer, the lecturer was
to leave all his globes, charts and
pictures there, and leave the State,
and 60 home and earn an honest liv-
ing, a Martin expressed it. The
iointett discussion began the next
morning and continued for two days
before an immense audience. The
three arbiters sat on the stage
and looked as wise as three owls
Martin poured hot shot thick and
fastinto the New Yorker. He quoted
Scripture, and especially that part
where Joshua commanded the sun to
stand still. He appealed to the COM
non sense of the people, many Of
whom had Travelled from the old
States to Texas and had never seen
any evidences of the rotundity of the
earth. He accused the lecturer Of
trying to fool the people with his
new-fangled ideas, and trying to
lead them astray from the faith OF
their fathers. He also mildly init
mated that the propagators of such
notions ought to be taken up and
burned for heresy. Theearnest man
ner and stentorian voice of Martin,
with his charge of heresy and the
usual punishment therefor, made
The New Yorker tremble in his shoes.
The lecturer polished argument and
scientific dissertation were unavail-
ing. !
The arbiters retired at the close Of
the discussion and returned in a few
minutes with the verdict that ss'the
sunsdoes move and the earth is fat 4
The lecturer was crestfallen. He
DOUBTLESS thought he had met the
toughest lot Of heathens on earth.
lie never saw the point Of the joke.
HE retired from the lecture-feld,
leaving his whole outfit in the hands
ofthe victorious enemy. One Of the
arbiters was Tom Murchison, who
was elected by the Fort Worth Con-
vention this'week a a delegate from
the Second Congregational District
sof Texas to the National Democratic
Convention at ST. Dallas let
ter to st. Louis Globe-D Democrat.
s "' -Nr -. TEr. F. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES