, 1916-07-13
The Lost World

Il uurluS WHICH Tue les SIOOu
w4el one hand raised and his enor-
nous head nodding sympathetically as
II he were ~bestowing a pontiical bless
ing upon the crOwd.I u have been
selected to move a vote of thanks 10
Mr.. Waldron for the very picturesque
and imaginative address to which we
have Just listened. There are points
In 1t with which | disagree, and 1t has
been my duty to indicate them as they
arose, but none the less Mr. Waldron
has accomplished his object we'll. that
object being TO give a simple and in
teresting account of what he coHceives
to have been the history OF our planet.
Popular lectures are the easiest to lis
ten to, but Mr.. Waldron" there he
beamed and blinked at the lecturer
Twill excuse me when l say hat they
are necessarily both superficial and
misleading since they have to be grad
ed TO the comprehension of an ignorant
audience" Qronical cheering.l Pop
ular lecturers are in their nature para
site" (Angry gesture OF protest from
Mr.. waldron.l They exploit for fame
or cash the work which has been done
by their INDECENT and unknown breth-
zen. One smallest new fact obtained
In the laboratory. one brick built into
the temple of science. far outweighs
any secondhand exposition which
passes an idle hour. but can leave no
useful result behind it. | put forward
this obvious reflection, not out of any
desire to disparage Mr.. Waldron in
particular. but that you may not lose
your sense OF proportion and mistake
the ~acolyte for the high priest" CAT
this point Mr.. Waldron whispered to
the chairman, who half rose and said
something severely to his water ca
rafe.D But enough of this!' loud
and prolonged cheers.)
Let me pass TO some subject of
wider interest What is the particular
point upon which |. as IN original in
vestigator. have challenged our lectur-
er's accuracy? 1t is upon the perma-
hence of certain types Of animal life
upon the earth. | do not speak upon
this subject as an amateur nor, ! may
add, as a popular lecturer. but | speak
as one whose scientific conscience
compels him to adhere closely to facts
when ! say that Mr.. Waldron is very
lwrong In supposing that because he
has never himself seen "A so called pre-
Historic animal therefore these crea
lures no longer exist. They are in
deed, as he has said. our ancestors,
but they are. If | may use the expires
aion, our contemporary ancestors. who
can still he found. with all their hid
eous and formidable characteristics,
II one has but the energy and hardi
hood to seek their haunts. Creatures
which were supposed to be Jurassic.
monsters who would hunt down and
devour our largest and fercest nam
mails, still exist" CCries of "Bosh!
~Prove it, How do vol know:
Question: How do | know, you
ask me? know because | have Wis
tied their secret haunts | know be
cause ! have seen some OF them.
Applause. uproar and a voice. Liar
"Am | a liar General hearty and
noisy assent.) Did / near some one
say that | was Il liar? VIII the per
son who called me a liar kindly stand
mp hal ! may know him. GA voice.
"Here he is. sir" And an ~inoffenSive
little person in spectacles, struggling
violently. was held up among a group
of studentsl Did you venture to call
me a liar" Ono. sir. no. shonted
the accused. and disappeared ike "A
Jack-in-the-boY.I III any person In
this hall dares to doubt my veracity |
shall be glad to have a few words with
him after the lecture" C'Liar!'l
"Who said that?" tAgain the molten
sive one. ~plunging desperately. was
elevated high In the air. IF | come
down among you General chorus
of "Come, love. GOMEZ" which interrupt
ed the proceedings for some moments.
while the chairman. standing up and
waving both his arms. seemed to be
conducting the music The professor,
with his face flushed, his nOstrils di
lated and his beard bristling, was now
In a proper Berserk mood Every
great discoverer has been me with the
same incredulity-the sure brand of a
generation of fools. When great facts
are laid before you you have not the
hold you to understand them. You
can only throw mud at the men who
have risked their lives to pei new
fields to science. You persecute the
prophets! Calico, Darwin and r.
prolonged cheering and complete in
terruptiOn.D