Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1889-04-23
a Conyersation with nc Grand Lama.

A Conversation with the Grand Lama,
George KEENAN, contributes to the
Century description of his visit to the
Grand Lama of the Trans-B aikal. From
| it we quote the following:
sAfter dinner I had a long talk with
the Grand Lama about my native coun-
try, geography, and the shape of the
earth. It 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 il
round. The Grand Lama was such O
man.
You have bcen in many countries,
he said to me through the interpreter,
and have talked with the wise men Of
the West; what is your opinion with re-
gard to the shape of the earth?'
i think, replied, that it is shaped
like great ball.
4 have heard SO BEFORE said the
Grand Lama, looking thoughtfully away
into vacancy. The Russian officers
whom I have met have told me that the
world is round. Such belief is con-
trary to the teachings of our old Thibe-
tan books, but have observed that the
Russian wise men predict eclipses accu-
rately; and if they can tell beforehand
when the sun and the moon are to be
darkened, they probably know some
thing about the shape Of the earth.
Why do you think that the earth is
round?'
L have reasons for thinking so,' I
answered; but perhaps the best and
strongest reason is that 1 have been
around it.
"This statement seemed to give the
Grand Lama sort Of mental shock.
"FHow have you been around it?' he
inquired. what do you mean by
"around it?" How do you know that
you have been around it?'
7 turned my back upon my home,
Ireplied, and travelled many months in
the course taken by the sun. I
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 fiat, but could not find any,
where an end nor an edge; and at last,
when I had travelled more than thirty
thousand versts, 1 found myself again
in my own country and returned to my
home from direction exactly opposite
to that which had taken in leaving it.
Ii the world was fiat, do you think I
could have done this?'
1t is very strange said the Grand
Lama, after thoughtful pause Of a mo-
ment. Where is your country? How
far is it beyond st. Petersburg?'
MY country is farther from st.
Petersburg than St. Petersburg is from
here,' replied. Tt lies almost exactly
under our feet; and if we could go di-
rectly through the earth, that would be
the shortest way to reach it.
"'Are your countrymen walking
around there heads downward under our
feet?' asked the Grand Lama with evil
dent interest and surprise, but without
any perceptible change in his habitually
impressive face.
Eyes replied; and to them we
seem to be sitting heads downward
here
"The Grand Lama then asked me to
describe infinitely the route that we had
followed in coming from America to 81
IBERIA, 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
continent 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 sigh, TT is not
in accordance with the teachings of our
books; but the Russians must be right"