The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-04-06
FEE sIRERIAN GRAND lama.
He Did Not Know the Earth IS Round

He Did Not Know the Earth is Round.
From the Century Magazine.
After dinner l had long talk with the
Grand Lama about my native country,
geograq by, and the shape o. the earth. It
seemed very strange to find anywhere on
the globe, in the nineteenth century. an
educated man and high ecclesiastical digni-
tary who had never seen or heard Of Ameri-
ca. and who did not feel at all sure that the
world Is round The Grand Lama is such
man.
You have been in many countries he
said to me through the interpreter, i'and
have talked with the wise men Of the west:
what is your opinion as TO the shape OF the
earthf'
81 think, l replied, that it is shaped like
a great baLn
Il have heard 50 before, said the Grand
Lama looking thoughtfully away into va
cancy. THE Russian officers whom have
met have told me that the world is round
Such a belief is contrary to the teachings of
our Thibetan books, but have observed
that the Russian wise men predict eclipses
accurately; and if they can tell beforehand
when the sun and the moon are darkened
they probably know something about the
shape of the earth. Why do you think the
earth is roundH
%.
l answered, ''but perhaps the best and
strongest reason is that l have been around
it."
This statement seemed to give the Grand
Lama a sort of mental shock.
'HOv have you been around it!" he in
quired. "What do you mean by around it?
How do you know YOU have been around itV'
Il turned my back upon my home" re-
piled, ''aad Travelled many months in the
course taken by the sun. crossed wide
continents and great oceans. Every night
the sun set before my face and every morn
ing it rose behind my back. The earth al
ways seemed fiat, but | could not find any
where an end nor an edge; and at last whea
l had travelled more than SO, 900 versts, /
found myself again IN my own country,
and returned to my home from direction
exactly opposite to that which | had taken
in leaving it, If the world was fat, do you
think could have done this!"
1T is very strange" said the Grand
Lama, after thoughtful pause, Where is
your country? How far is 1t beyond st,
PetersburcW
"My country is farther from ST. Peters
burg than st. Petersburg is from here" L
replied. at lies almost exactly 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
asked the Grand Lama, with evident inter-
est and surprise, but without any percepti-
BILE change in his habitually impassive face
yes" | replied. land to them we seem
to De sitting heads downward here"
The Grand Lama then asked me to de-
scribe infinitely the route that we had fol
lowed 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 E gland probably
through Thibet, and he had vague idea Of
the extent aid situation of the Pacific
ocean; but of the Atlantic and of the con-
tinent 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 the doctrine, and
said with sigh: 1T is not in accordance
with the teachings Of our books; but the
Russians must be right