The herald., 1896-04-20
LETTER BAG

LETTER BAG
(The Herald under this heading prints
communications. but does not assume re-
sponsibility for the sentiments sxpressed.) }
A Truly-uiv Dream
Editor Herald: Reading Hutchison' S
remarks under the heading Alleged Sc
ance Again in last Sundays Herald,
In my dream found myself in a small
city in a far, foreign country. in the year
cs @ - eitnen c was sIns e az nrosper
ity and solid comfort. Answering my ques-
ton as to the owner thereof the citizen
said: :. That is old Kicker Hutchison
place. He Is the ancestor Of Ed Hutch
ison, who will live over In California four
hundred years from now. Nice old man IS
Kicker-one of our solid citizens. We call
at frauds, shans and abuses in politics.
religion and business. Quite a character
in his way. Let us go in and see him"
man in his garden. The citizen introduced
me, and finding convenient seats beside the
walk, we began chatting of the weather,
politics; business and about public schools.
pecial hobby of the old man. Finally the
citizen spoke Of local astronomer, who
lived in his little observatory on hill back
"He makes some very strange state
ments." said the citizen, but claims to be
able to prove them with the aid Of certain
what he calls telescope. have been up
to his place and have seen some very
strange things. and am going to investi-
earth is not fiat. but that It IS an immense
round bail. whirling through space at the
rate of thousands of miles an hour: that
hut that they are also rushing through
space with a great velocity. and that
son some as. Of the them are much larger than this
The old man shook his head slowly and
sadly.
81 have heard of this fakir. and others
like him." he said. What miserable; mis-
should think for one moment of playing
with the prepcsterous delusions of such
'lunatics: The idea of saying that the earth
Is round, when any sane person can see
with his own eyes that 1t is fiat. The idea
of saying that the stars are moving. when
any one can see for himeslf that they
steadily. for an hour. In fact. they are
right where they were when I was a boy.
Ah! 1t makes my very heart sicken to see
about to lind reasons for substantiating a
belief In what amt. Besides" and here
the old mans eyes fairly bulged with hor-
ror. II understand that these thimble-
through their greasy apparatus,"
II know" said the citizen. that r.
swarm of ignorant swindlers have fixed up
simply to make money. but personally
know this man on the hill to be a learned
man. and that he is perfectly honest. He
planning his wonders. but he thinks 1t
important that these things be known: It
takes; takes his time and one must live. you
WELL" said the old man. "there are no
flies on me: want to know what know
cannot be known. and II this blear-eyed
ex-convict will come down here, and right
in this garden, in the broad light Of day.
II he will show me. so that can see with
my own eyes that the earth moves a single
Ioct t IN ,,,sh. an hour 10 VII give him So And
see myself, that single star moves a half
mile in an hour. will give him $1,000. But
ne ne. must must bring % none Of his measly appara-
The old man turned red in the face in the
effort to suppress snicker.
The idea" he said: "of any one trying
can't rope me into that game unless they
allow me to raise the ante never play
Mith S,th less than $50 white chips and $1,000
The old mans face became grave. and he
continued:
Il see the trees growing on a fiat and mo-
built on a foundation stable and sure.
see the bright flowers and the waving
grain. ] see the glorious sun rise o'er San
ing into the sad and solemn sea- Just west
of Coils harbor site. see the immovahle
stars shining in glory and radiance
through the crystalline vault see the
love-light shining In the eyes OF my dar-
ling ones, and thank the blessed God that
they live not on a whirligig earth under
erratic stars and wobbly moon. I see the
buzzard with beak agape and eyes agleam
lowering over the Mckinley tariff, that
lie lies dead and foul-smellIng on the distant
beloved descendant Ed living id = fair and
sunny CLINE. see him furnishing great
CHUNKS Of horse sense to the readers Of
The Herald. I see him an advocate Of pub
lic schools. see him weeping great tears
Of pathetic, .pitiful pity over the inves-
tigating follies Of the deluded fellow
creatures of his day. even as weep over
the fool cranks of the Interchangeable now
Here ended my dream. But the memory
OF the old mans face, glowing with Pick
wickian radiance, with eyes suffused with
tears at his own eloquence, remains with
me still.
After such delightful vision of the an
cient putter-together of Hutchisonian wis
dom, Edward l.. may rest assured that
remain, more than ever.
AN ADMIRER OF HIS'N.