The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-03-30
THE GRAND LAMA.
Mr.. George Remnants Conversation with
the Ruler of the Trans BsikaI.


the Ruler of the Trans Baikal.
cater dinner had long talk with
the GRAND Lama about my native coun-
try, geography, and the shape of the
earth. 1t seemed very strange to find
anywhere on the globe, in the nine
teenth century, an educated man and
high ecclesiastical dignitary who had
never even heard of America, and who
did not feel at all sure that the world
is round. The Grand Lama was such
a man.
"'You have been in many countries
he said to me through an interpreter.
and have talked with the wise men of
the West; what is your opinion with
regard to the shape of the earth"
81 think l replied, that it is
shaped like great ball
81 have heard so before, said the
Grand Lama, looking thoughtfully
away into vacancy. The Russian Off
GERS whom have met have told me
that the world is round. Such belief
is contrary to the teachings of our old
Thibetan books, but l have observed
that the Russian wise men predict
eclipses accurately; and il they can
tell beforehand when the sun and the
moon are to be darkened, they proba-
bly, knew something about the shape OF
the earth. Why do you think that the
earth is round?'
Il have many reasons for thinking
so, answered; but perhaps the best
and strongest reason is that l have
been around it,
This statement seemed to give the
Grand Lama sort of mental shock.
"'How have you been around it?'
he inquired. What do you mean by
''around it?" How do you know that
you have been around it?'
60 4 turned my back upon my home,
l replied, and travelled many months
in the course taken by the sun. l
crossed wide continents and great
oceans. Every night the sun set be-
fore my face and every morning it rose
behind my back. The earth always
seemed flat, but could not find any
where an end or an edge; and at last,
when l had travelled more than thirty
thousand versts, l found myself again
in my own country and returned to
my home from a direction exactly OPP
posite to that which | had taken in
leaving it. If the world was fiat, do
you think could have done this?'
"'It is very strange said the Grand
Lama, after a thoughtful pause of a
moment. Where is your country?
How far is it beyond St. Petersburg?'
"'My country is farther from St.
Petersburg than ST. Petersburg is from
here l replied 1t lies almost ex-
actly under our feet; and if we could go
directly through the earth, that would
be the shortest way to reach it.
"'Are your countrymen walking
around there heads downward under
our feetp asked the Grand Lama with
evident interest and surprise, but
without any perceptible change in his
habitually impressive face.
Yes l replied; 'and to them we
seem to be sitting heads downward
here
1.-THE Grand Lama then asked me to
describe infinitely the route that we
had followed in coming from America
to Siberia, and to name the countries
through which we had passed. He
knew that Germany adjoined Russia on
the west, he had heard of British India
and of England-probably through
Thibet-and he had vague idea of the
extent and situation of the Pacific
Ocean; but of the Atlantic and of the
continet that lies between the two
great oceans he knew nothing.
After long talk, in the course of
which we discussed the sphericity OF
the earth from every possible point of
view, the Grand Lama seemed to be
partly or wholly convinced of the
truth of that doctrine, and said, with a
sigh, 1T is not in accordance with the
teachings of our books; but the Rus
slams must be right.
at is somewhat remarkable fact
that DR.. Erman, the only foreigner who
had seen the lamasery of Goose Lake
previous to our visit, had an almost pre-
cisely similar conversation concerning
the shape of the earth with the man who
was then Tin 1929 Grand Lama. Almost
sixty years elapsed between DR.. Err
mans visit and ours, but the doctrine
OF the sphericity of the earth continued
throughout that period to trouble eccle.
siastical minds in this remote East ST.
berian lamasery; and it is not improba.
BILE that sixty years hence some trav'
eler from the western world may be
asked by some future Grand Lama tc
give his reasons for believing the
world to be sphere. "-George Ken
nan, in Century.