The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-30
The Joke On the Lecturer.
Dallas letter to St. Louis Globe
Democrat

About a third of century ago New
Yorker was travelling through Texas
lecturing on astronomy and illustrating
his lectures with globes, charts and
magic lantern pictures. He evidently
possessed more enthusiasm in the in
tcrcst of science than he did practical
common sense, or he would never have
fallen into the trap deliberately set tor
him and UccOlnc the subject OF the
following practical joke. The lecturer
arrived ut Athens and distributed his
hand-bills. He had L fine audience of
several hundred persons who were in
terestcd and A>toniShcd. lie told them
how the planetary system was arranged;
how the sun stood still and ali the
other PLANETS revoIvcd around it. He
expluinrd TO them that the earth was
round and revolvedss sson It's axis once IN
every twcnty-four hours.
After the lecture was concluded,
rough-looking young man arose in the
audience and said, addressing the lee
turer:
''Sir, do I understand you to say that
the sun stands still and the earth turns
upside down once every day"
The lecturer replied that the science
Of astronomy SO taught and that he so
believed.
The Young man, who was none other
than Bill Martin, 4 young lawyer, who
has since become celebrated as ''Howdy
Bill Martini of Texas, challenged the
lecturer to Il joint discussion Of the
question. The challenge was Immediate
ly accepted, and it was agreed to leave
the decision to three arbiters there
selected by the parties. II the decision
should be in favor Of the lecturer,
Martin was to pay him 500, and If IN
favor ofthe young lawyer, the lecturer
was to leave all his globes, charts and
pictures there and leave the State, and
90 home and earn an honest living. as
Martin expressed it. The JOINT dis
cussiOn 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 not shot
thick and fast into the New orker,
He quoted Scripture, and especially
that part where Joshua commanded the
sun to stand still. He a>~cealed to the
common sense Of the people, many OF
whom had travelled from the old States
to Texas and had never seen any evil
dences of the rotundity of the earth.
He accused the lecturer of trying to
fool the people with his new-fangled
ide;, and trying to lead them astray
from the faith of their fathers. lie also
mildly intimated that the propagators
of such notions ought to be taken up
and burned for heresy. The earnest
manner and stentorian voice Of Martin,
with his charge of heresy and the
usual punishment therefor, made the
New Yorker tremble in his shoes. The
lecturers polished argument and
scientific dissertation were unavalllng.
The-arbiters retired at the close OF the
discussion and returned in few min
utes with the verdict that the sun
does move and the earth is flat"
The lecturer was crestta lien. lie
doubtless thought he had met the
lot of heathens on earth. He never saw
the point ofthe joke. He retired from
the lecture-tield, leaving his whole out
fit in the hands of the victorious enc
nv. One of the arbiters was Tom
Murchison, who was elected by the
Fort Worth Convention this week as
delegate from the Second Congressional
District of Texas to the National Demo-
cratic Convention at st. Louis.