The Washington times., 1921-12-11

classes that the eartn is 1ldt
1t Is SO ordered by Wilbur Glenn voliya
(successor of the Prophet Dowie), who is
spiritual and temporal boss of Zion. and in
cidentaily superintendent of the towns
schools. E
The teaching, prescribed by him. is that
the earth is circular, like pancake, the
North Pole marking its centre. There is
no South Pole. All around the edge of the
terrestrial disk is wall Of ice-a turned.
up rim, SO to speak. put there for the pur-
pose of preventing too-adventurous marin.
ers from falling off into the void of space.
This earthdisk on which we dwell is
stationary and immovable. The theory
that the earth travels around the sun Is
wild notion propagated. by astronomers
and other dreamTs So ~
Unlike a pancake, the earth-disk is very
thick in proportion TO its diameter. We
cannot know of courses how thick 1t is.
because we have never bored down into 1t
much beyond a. mile. Thee increase of
temperature with depth, however, proves
that 1t must be very hot down below; and
further evidence of really tremendous
heat is given by frequent outpourings of
molten rocks from volcanoes.
Far beneath us. then. is what Mr.. Voliva
calls the Hot Place Folks who do not
agree with his teachings are liable to find
their way thither, later on. But the Hot
Place is of very essential importance to
us while we are pursuing our present-day
existence because It maintains the fires
of the sun.
This seems rather surprising, but is
easily explained. The sun, which circles
every twenty-four hours around the earth
Gas anybody can see for himself), passes
during each night through large hole or
tunnel that extends horizontally clear
through the terrestrial disk, down below
US.
Deluded astronomers declare that the
solar orb is more than a million times as
big as the earth. Plain foolishness. AS a
matter Of fact 1t is only thirty-two miles in
diameter And, instead of being 93,OOO,O00
miles off, its distance from lis is slightly
less than that which separates New York
from San Francisco-2,100 miles, to be
exactAaccording TO Mr.. Voliva
II is obvious that a sun Of that size
would soon burn out unless its fires were
constantly resupplied: and 1t is for that
very purpose that, our celestial luminary
makes a nightly Journey through the afore
mentioned tunnel, which passes through
the Hot Place. Thus recruited every
twenty-four hours its blazes continue un
dmmed.
A matter OF everyday observation is the
redness Of the sun when It rises or sets.
This phenomenon is attributable to the
fact that at such times the solar orb, as
cending above or descending below the
edge of the earth-disk, reflects the mighty
fres that continually emerge from the
east and west ends Of the great tunnel.
The sun Is not so much bigger than the
moon as II looks. The moon is farther off.
and the radius Of its revolution being
greater, It passes beneath the earth-disk,
avoiding the tunnel that penetrates the
Hot Place. ',
While the earth remains stationary The
ing the centre OF creation), everything
else moves around II. The armament OF
stars is revolving sphere. II we watch
we can see It go around.
The planets are wandering stars: all the
other stars are permanently set and nxed