The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-06-07
THE MOON HOAX.
sin JOHN HERsCHETs SUPPOSED
Discoveries.

Human Beings in the MOon-Fabri-
cated scaence-what Herschei Re-
ally Dfseovered-His Visit to the
Cape of Good HOpe-Sew York
Newspapers Observation-Disclosures
cal Predictions for June.
From the New York Evening Post
The public attituds toward matters sci
| entific is one of the mysteries Of our
time, 1t can he described best by the
single word. Credulity; simple. absolute
! creduliiy. Perfect confidence is the most
remarkable characteristic of this unbe-
lieving age. No charlatan. necromancer,
or astrologer of three centuries ago COM
manded more respectful attention than
does his successor of to-day. Any person
can be a scientific authority; he has but
to call himself by that title, and every
one will give him respectful attention.
Numerous instances can be adduced from
the experience Of very recent years 20
show how true are hose remarks. We
have had the Kseley motor and the liquid
air power schemes for making something
out of nothing. Extracting god from sea
water has been duly heralded on scientific
authority as an easy source of fabulous
wealth for the million. Hard-headed
! business men not only believe in such
things but actually invest in them
| their most valuable possession, capital.
| vendors of nostrums and proprietary med
icines acquire wealth as If by magic,
| though il needs but a womans reflection
TO realize that these persons cannot pos
ssbly be In possession of any drugs, or Sc
| cret methods of compromising drugs, that
arc unknown to scientific chemists.
| II the world, then, will persistentiy in
! trust its health and wealth into the safe
! Keeping of charlatans, what can we ex-
pect when things supposedly of far less
value are at stake? The famous Moon
| Hoax, as we now call It, Is truly clas-
sic piece of lying. Though it dates from
as long ago as 1885, it has never had an
| equal as piece Of modern" Journalism.
Nothing could be more useful than to re-
| caH it to public attention at least once
| every decade; for 1t teaches an important
lesson that needs to be iterated again and
| again.
| Specimens of Imaginative Lying.
On Nov. 10. 1893. SIR John Hersche1 en-
| parked on the Mounstuart Elphinstone,
bound for the Cape of Good Hope He
took with him collection of astronomj-
cal instruments, with which he intended
| to study the heavens of the Southern
| hemisphere, and thus extend his fathers
| great work to the South Polar stars. An
earnest student of astronomy he asked
no better than to be left in peace to
seek the truth in his own fashion. Little
did he think that his expedition would be
| made the basis for a fabrication Of al
| legged astronomical discoveries destined 10
| startle a hemisphere. Yet that Is pre-
| ciseiy what happened. Some time about
/ the middle of the year 1885 the New York
Sun began the publication of certain ar
| ticles, purporting to give an account of
Great Astronomical Discoveries. Lately
| Made by Sir John Herschel at the Cane
! of Good Hope 1t was alleged that these
| articles were taken from supplement TO
| the Edinburgh Journal of Science; VET
there is no. doubt that they were manu-
| featured entirely in the United States, and
I probably in New York.
/ The hoax begins at once In a erand,Io
/ 1uent style, calculated to attract popular
J attention, and we'll fitted to the marvels
| about 10 be related. Here Is an intro
ductory remark, as a specimen: lit has
been POLITICALLY sold that the stars of
heaven are the hereditary regalia of man,
| as the intellectual sovereign of the ami
| NAL creation. He may row fold the 20
diac around him with loftier conscious
ness OF his mental supremacy" Then
! follows circumstantial and highly plaus-
ible account of the manner in which early
and exclusive information was obtained
| from the Cape. This was, of course i'm
portant in order to make people believe
| in the genuineness of the whole; but we
| pass at once to the more interesting ac-
count of Herschels supposed instrument.
| Nothing could be more skillful than the
way in which an air of truth is cast over
| tue coming account of marvellous dis
\ coveries by explaining in detail the con-
struction of the imaginary Herschelian
| instrument Sir John is supposed to have
had an interesting conversation in Eng
| land, with Sir David Brewster upon
hA -
by the latter, in his article on optics in
the Edinburgh Encyclopaedia (p. 644) for
| improvements in the Newtonian reflect
/ ors." The exact reference to a particu-
lar page is here quite delightful Natter
some further talk. 1.-THE conversation be-
| came directed TO that all-invincfble enemy
the paucity of light in powerful magni-
| fiers. After few moments silent thought
Sir John difidently inquired whether 1t
would not be possible 10 effect a trans
fusion of artificial light through the focal
object Of rision! Sir David. somewhat
startled at the originality of the idea,
paused while and then hes!tatingly re-
ferred TO the refrag ibility of rays and
| the angle of incidence. Sir John
continued: Why cannot the Illuminated
| microscope say the hydro-oxygen, be APP
piled to render distinct end If necessary.
even to magnify the focal object?' Sir
/ David sprang from his chair in an &C.
stacy of conviction, and leaping half
way to the ceiling, exclaimed. Thou art
the man." This absurd imaginary con-
versation contains nothing but an assem-
! blage of optical jargon, put together with
| out the slightest intention of conveying
\ any Ineligible meaning to scientific peo-
pie. Yet 1t was well adapted to deceive
! the public; and we should not be sur
prised If it would be credited by many
newspaper readers to-day.
what Really Happened.
4