The Columbus journal., 1911-03-22
the Gospels, they pronounced certain

the Gospels, they pronounced certain
passages to be monkish interpretations
introduced centuries after the original
manuscripts were written. To almost
every chapter they assigned a date, and
with dogmatic positiveness they claim
ell to be able to decide upon the
authenticity Of every verse. Meinhold
had little faith in their pretensions;
and to prove that they were takers he
wrote The Amber Witch" purpOrt-
ing to he q chronicle of events that
took place early in the Seventeenth
Century. The critics swallowed it
whole.
Michael Angeles crouch against
the critics was wholly personal. He
grew exceedingly weary of hearing
them lament the decline of ar. and
bewail the inferiority Of modern to
ancient sculpture. So he Knocked an
arm of a cupid and otherwise mutt.
lated it; buried it for a while, and
then produced it as an antique. The
critics were vociferous in its praise.
Joseph Scaliger was similarly duped
by Muretus, with some Latin verses,
which the famous critic ascribed to an
old comic poet, Trabeus, and praised
as one of the most precious fragments
of antiquity. We can imagine and
sympathize with the urhoIy joy with
which Muretus proclaimed his own
authorship.
In much the same spirit did dis.
appointed literary aspirant once copy
Sampson Agonistes, rechristen it Like
a Giant Refreshed" and mail it in
turn to every editor in London. BY
| all it was declined with thanks" the
many reasons assigned proving 50
amusing that they were published in
the St. James Gazette. However, not
one of the editors to whom it was sub.
mitted made the discovery that Milton
was the author, nor was the divine
spark Of genius apparent to their dis
cerning Judgment. 1t is whispered
that similar mean-spiritcd tricks have
more than once been played upon some
of the great editors of America.
In 1856, a British wit aided by as'
engraver, cut upon flat stone num-
Der of words so divided that they were
"deciphered" as a Latin inscription
relating to the Emperor Ciaudius
When the highbrows had satisfied them
selves and the public that they knew
all about it, the joker came forward
and explained that the inscription was:
Beneath this stone reposeth Claud
Coster, tripe seller, Of Impingtop, al
doth his consort, Jane" Similarly
the learned antiquarians assembled N
Banbury, labored long and vainly to
interpret AL inscription that proved t.
be ride Cock Horse" written back
ward.
One of the most successful hOaXes o
this nature perpetrated in this countr!
was fathered by Frank Cowan, a news
paper writer of Greensburg, Pa, EN-
ployed at the time upon Pittsburs
paper. He produced stone, bearint
weather.worn inscriptions in Runit
characters, and wrote descriptions off
which were printed in many newspa
pers and scientific periodicals. These
attracted widespread attention. TIT
Runic inscription was believed to sup
ply absolute confirmation Of the Ills
covcry Of America by Lief Ericsson
and his hardy Norsemen, centuries be
fore Christopher Columbus was born
to prove, furthermore, that the Morse
discoveries had crossed the Alleghen
. les and penetrated the continent as fal
As the Ohio Valley. Some of the
learned gentlemen of the Smithsonian
Institution journcyed all the way t
Greensburg, inspected the Runes, and
were beautifully taken in. Then the
joker turned the whole story into
copy" that made his managing editor
dance with delight, exposing the easy
credulity with which the scientific
sharps had swallowed the manufactur.
cd antiquities of an obscure reporter.
Thirty years ago. in 1879, the New
York Graphic pompously announced
that Thomas 4. Ellison had perfected
u process for manufacturing pala.
table and N Furnishing food out Of inor'
ganic elements as, for example, out
of common clay; and that the farmer
and gardener were in imminent dan.
ger Of losing their jobs. Edison's in.
ventions had been following one an.
other in such rapid SUGGESTIONS that