Evening journal., 1906-09-06
Wilmington September G.
Is the Earth Round7

Editor The Evening Journal.
The enclosed clipping from local papcr
is interesting but is not according to
psychological principles as l will prove.
The clipping follows:
After people dropped the old fashioned
idea that the earth was as fiat as a pam
cake they did not Immediately grasp the
globe or spherical idea as It is applied
to worlds. The people of the time Of Co
lumbus believed that the earth was a
body shaped like a top or cone. the sur
face rising from the north TO the south.
There are several letters written by Co
iumbus and still In existence. which go to
prove that such was his concept on Of
the shape Of the earth. The top shaped
idea OF the earth seems to have original
ed with one John Blauvis about 149 and
to have Immediately become very popu-
lar"
Scientists Of the ages have not agrc cei !
upon the question. as to whether this
earth is round ball" or a fiat plane"
with elevations and depressions Of varied
dimensions The principal evidence ad-
vanced in support of the theory Of the
earth being a spherical body is that Of a
vessel at sea coming towards you Th+
first part Of the vessel presented to our
view is the masts; and as the vessel APP
proaches the huh OF the ship rises TO
view. But when we consider the fact thai
the ordinary power OF vision only extends
about twenty miles, and the extreme
elevation Of the hull and masts of the
ship is not more than three hundred feet
Z In fIl. a. FR.Na Of fa4l IN
disprove the theory that the earth S
round" and Is two thousand. four hun
dred miles in circumference. The failure
to SEQ the hull OF the ship at the same
time the masts are seen is due TO the dem
sity Of the mist that is suspended over
/ the surface OF the earth which may rise
70 a distance of three or four hundred
feet. And OF course. the farther you are
from a given object. the greater is the
density OF the mist and consequently pro.
duces the optical illusicn reserr,d to.
The admission that the earth is spher-
ical in form is contrary to our natural
conception of the relation Of things. Eel
instance. II China is en- the opposite SD.
OF the earth, then the Chinese at a GER
/ tain period Of the twenty-four hours OF
the day are walking with the head down.
ward. This is not only true of the Orient
but also true Of ourselves. il theory b'
true.
That the earth is fiat. and not spheric u
may be proven by many circumstances
the principal OF which Is the Statement
that is contained in the Book Of Genesis
God created the heavens ana the earth
and the water under the earth" Th,
Bible does not tell us that He made tn
water In the earth; but distinctly states
under" the earth. II the earth hi
spherical in FORM revolving In space how
can there be water under the earth? Fur
ther more. it ought to be remembers.
tnat for six thousand years up 20 IN,
time of Christopher Columbus. the entire
race Of mankind believed the earth to bC
fiat. While Columbus was admittedly
great man and the dlscoverer Of America
and genius OF no mean character. but n,
was not infanible, neither was Calico
And they evidently erred wnen they pro
nounced the earth a perfect sphere al
much as Fourier the great French scien
tist did when he declared the earth t,
be burned cut Sun"
Very Respectfully.
Lawson Hermann.
Wilmington, September 6.